Est 5 | EE | STEP | After three days, Esther put on her special clothes and she went to King Xerxes. The king was sitting on his special king’s seat. Esther stood in the room that was in front of his special seat.

Esther 5

Esther goes to the king

1 After three days, Esther put on her special clothes and she went to King Xerxes. The king was sitting on his special king’s seat. Esther stood in the room that was in front of his special seat. 2 When the king saw Esther, he was happy. He held out his gold sceptre. Esther touched the top of the sceptre. ^{▼▼5:2 The king lets Esther live.}

3 The king asked, ‘What do you want, Queen Esther? I will give to you whatever you want. Even if it is half my kingdom, I will give it to you.’ 4 Esther replied, ‘If it makes the king happy, I would like this: I would like the king and Haman to come to a feast that I have prepared.’

5 The king said to his servants, ‘Bring Haman quickly. Then we can do what Esther wants.’ The king and Haman went to the meal that Esther had prepared.

6 When they were drinking wine, the king asked Esther, ‘What do you want? I will give you whatever you want. Even if it is half my kingdom, I will give it to you.’ 7 She replied, ‘This is what I want. 8 I hope that the king is happy with me. And perhaps the king wants to give me what I want. And this is what I want: I would like the king and Haman to come again tomorrow. Come to a feast that I will prepare for you. Then I will tell the king what I want.’

Mordecai makes Haman angry again

9 When Haman went from Queen Esther’s feast he was happy. Mordecai was sitting at the King’s Gate. But when Haman passed him, he did not get up. And he did not bend his body down to Haman. Then Haman became very angry with Mordecai. 10 Haman did not say anything to Mordecai. He went home. Then he asked his friends and Zeresh his wife to come to him.

11 Haman told them how rich he was. He told his friends how many sons he had. And he told them how powerful he was. He told his friends and his wife that he was more powerful than any other man in the palace. 12 Haman told his friends and his wife about the feast that Queen Esther prepared for the king. He said, ‘I was the only other person that the queen asked to come to the meal. The queen has asked me to another feast tomorrow with the king. 13 But all these things do not make me happy when I see the Jew Mordecai. He is sitting at the King’s Gate.’ ^{▼▼5:13 Because Mordecai sat at the King’s Gate he had authority in the palace. Haman did not like the fact that Mordecai the Jew had authority in the palace. And even when Haman was more powerful than Mordecai, Mordecai would not bend his body down to him. So that made Haman angry too.}

14 Haman’s wife and his friends said to him, ‘Ask some men to build a gallows so high that everybody can see it. In the morning, ask the king to cause his men to kill Mordecai on the gallows. Then go to Queen Esther’s feast and be happy.’

What they had suggested made Haman happy. So he told his servants that they must build the gallows.