Font Size
Esther 5
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Esther 5
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 5
1 [a][Now on the third day, Esther put on her royal garments and stood in the inner courtyard, looking toward the royal palace, while the king was seated on his royal throne in the audience chamber, facing the palace doorway. 2 When he saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, she won his favor and he extended toward her the golden scepter he held. She came up to him, and touched the top of the scepter.]
3 Then the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even if it is half of my kingdom, it shall be granted you.”(A) 4 Esther replied, “If it please your majesty, come today with Haman to a banquet I have prepared.” 5 The king ordered, “Have Haman make haste to fulfill the wish of Esther.”
V. Haman’s Downfall
First Banquet of Esther. So the king went with Haman to the banquet Esther had prepared. 6 During the drinking of the wine, the king said to Esther, “Whatever you ask for shall be granted, and whatever request you make shall be honored, even if it is for half my kingdom.”(B) 7 Esther replied: “This is my petition and request: 8 if I have found favor with the king and if it pleases your majesty to grant my petition and honor my request, let the king come with Haman tomorrow to a banquet I will prepare; and tomorrow I will do as the king asks.”
Haman’s Plot Against Mordecai. 9 That day Haman left happy and in good spirits. But when he saw that Mordecai at the royal gate did not rise, and showed no fear of him, he was filled with anger toward him.(C) 10 Haman restrained himself, however, and went home, where he summoned his friends and his wife Zeresh. 11 He recounted the greatness of his riches, the large number of his sons, and how the king had promoted him and placed him above the officials and royal servants.(D) 12 “Moreover,” Haman added, “Queen Esther invited no one but me to come with the king to the banquet she prepared; again tomorrow I am to be her guest with the king. 13 Yet none of this satisfies me as long as I continue to see the Jew Mordecai sitting at the royal gate.”(E) 14 His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a stake set up, fifty cubits in height, and in the morning ask the king to have Mordecai impaled on it. Then go to the banquet with the king in good spirits.” This suggestion pleased Haman, and he had the stake erected.(F)
Footnotes
- 5:1–2 The Hebrew text translated here is a short form of the account which is in Greek addition D.
Esther 5
New International Version
Esther 5
New International Version
Esther’s Request to the King
5 On the third day Esther put on her royal robes(A) and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s(B) hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. 2 When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.(C)
3 Then the king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom,(D) it will be given you.”
4 “If it pleases the king,” replied Esther, “let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him.”
5 “Bring Haman at once,” the king said, “so that we may do what Esther asks.”
So the king and Haman went to the banquet Esther had prepared. 6 As they were drinking wine,(E) the king again asked Esther, “Now what is your petition? It will be given you. And what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom,(F) it will be granted.”(G)
7 Esther replied, “My petition and my request is this: 8 If the king regards me with favor(H) and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet(I) I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king’s question.”
Haman’s Rage Against Mordecai
9 Haman went out that day happy and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage(J) against Mordecai.(K) 10 Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home.
Calling together his friends and Zeresh,(L) his wife, 11 Haman boasted(M) to them about his vast wealth, his many sons,(N) and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials. 12 “And that’s not all,” Haman added. “I’m the only person(O) Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. 13 But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.(P)”
14 His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a pole set up, reaching to a height of fifty cubits,[a](Q) and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai impaled(R) on it. Then go with the king to the banquet and enjoy yourself.” This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the pole set up.
Footnotes
- Esther 5:14 That is, about 75 feet or about 23 meters
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.