Esther 6

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

¹The king led that night without sleep, and he commanded the stories and the books of years of former times to be brought to him. And when those books were read in his presence,

²men came to the place, where it was written, how Mordecai had told of the treasons of Bigthana and Teresh, honest servants, coveting to strangle king Ahasuerus.

³And when the king had heard this, he said, What honour and meed got Mordecai for this faithfulness? And his servants and ministers said to him, Utterly he took no meed.

⁴And anon the king said, Who is in the hall? Soothly Haman had entered into the inner hall of the king’s house, to make suggestion to the king, that he should command Mordecai to be hanged on the gibbet, which was made ready to him.

⁵And the servants of the king said to him, Haman standeth in the hall. And the king said, Enter he in.

⁶And when Haman was come in, the king said to him, What oweth to be done to the man, whom the king desireth to honour? And Haman thought in his heart, and he guessed, that the king was about to honour no other man but himself, Haman;

⁷and he answered, The man, whom the king coveteth to honour,

⁸oweth to be clothed in the king’s clothes, and to be set or put on the horse which is of the king’s saddle, and to take the king’s diadem, that is, his crown, upon his head;

⁹and the first, or chief, of the princes and of the strong men of the king, he hold his horse, leading him, and go he by the streets of the city, and cry he, and say, Thus he shall be honoured, whom the king will honour.

¹⁰And then the king said to Haman, Haste thou thee, and when the king’s clothing, and his horse, is taken to thee, do thou, as thou hast spoken, to Mordecai, the Jew, that sitteth before the gates of the palace; and be thou ware, that thou leave not out, or undone, anything of these, which thou hast now spoken.

¹¹And then Haman took the king’s cloth, and his palfrey, and he went forth, and cried before Mordecai, clothed in the king’s clothing, leading him in the chief street of the city, and set upon his palfrey, He is worthy of this honour, whomever the king will honour.

¹²And after this Mordecai turned again to the gate of the palace, and Haman hasted to go into his house, mourning, and with his head covered.

¹³And he told to Zeresh, his wife, and to his friends all things that had befallen to him. To whom the wise men, which he had in counsel, and his wife, answered, If Mordecai, before whom thou hast begun to fall, is of the seed of Jews, thou shalt not be able to against-stand him, but thou shalt fall in his sight.

¹⁴Yet while they spake these things, the honest servants and chaste of the king came after Haman, and they compelled him to go anon to the feast, which the queen had made ready.