1 Three days later Esther put on her royal robes and went and stood in the inner court of the king's palace, opposite the king's hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the king's hall, facing the entrance. 2 When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the inner court she won his approval so he acted favorably by holding out his scepter to her. So Esther went over and touched the end of the scepter. 3 The king asked her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What do you want? I'll give it to you, as much as half my empire!” 4 Esther replied, “If it please Your Majesty, may the king and Haman come today to a dinner I have prepared for him.” 5 “Bring Haman here at once so we can do what Esther has requested,” the king ordered. The king and Haman went to the dinner that Esther had prepared. 6 As they drank their wine, the king asked Esther, “What are you really asking for? It will be given to you. What do you want? You shall have it, as much as half my empire!” 7 Esther answered, “This is what I'm asking for, and this is what I want. 8 If the king looks on me favorably, and if it please Your Majesty to grant my request and do as I ask, may the king and Haman come to a dinner I will prepare for them. Tomorrow I will answer Your Majesty's question.” 9 When Haman left that day he was very happy and pleased with himself. But when he saw Mordecai at the palace gate and that he didn't stand up or tremble with fear before him, Haman was furious with Mordecai. 10 However, Haman controlled himself and he went home. There he invited his friends over. Once they and his wife Zeresh had gathered, 11 Haman went into great detail about how much money and possessions he had, and how many children, and how the king had made him so important by promoting him above all the other nobles and officials. 12 “Added to all that,” Haman went on, “I was the only other person Queen Esther invited to come to a dinner she had prepared for the king. I'm also invited by her to eat together with the king tomorrow.” 13 Then he said, “But all of this is worthless to me while I keep on seeing Mordecai the Jew sitting at the palace gate.” 14 His wife Zeresh and his friends told him, “Arrange for a pole to be set up, fifty cubits high. Then, in the morning, go and ask the king to have Mordecai impaled on it. Afterwards, you'll be happy as you go with the king to the dinner.” Haman thought this was good advice, so he had the pole set up.
Esther 5 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Esther
Hadassah, an orphan raised by her cousin Mordecai, was made queen in place of Vashti; she risked her life to plead for her people, exposed Haman, and with Mordecai confirmed the…
Cited in the guide: Esther 2:7; Esther 2:17; Esther 5:2
Zeresh
Haman’s wife, who with his friends advised building a gallows fifty cubits high for Mordecai and later warned Haman he would fall before him.
Cited in the guide: Esther 5:10; Esther 5:14; Esther 6:13
Cross references (13)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Esther 6:4; Esther 4:16; 1 Peter 3:3–5; Revelation 3:21; Esther 8:15
- 2 Esther 8:4; Esther 4:11; Proverbs 21:1; Esther 2:9; Acts 7:10
- 3 Mark 6:23; Esther 7:2; Esther 9:12; Esther 5:6; Matthew 20:20–22
- 4 Esther 5:8; Proverbs 29:11; 1 Corinthians 14:20; Esther 3:15; Psalm 112:5
- 5 Esther 6:14
- 6 Esther 7:2; Esther 5:3; Esther 9:12
- 8 Proverbs 16:9; Esther 7:3; Esther 8:5; Esther 6:1–14
- 9 Esther 3:5; Matthew 2:16; Job 20:5; Amos 6:12–13; Daniel 3:16–19
- 10 Esther 6:13; Ecclesiastes 7:9; Genesis 45:1; 2 Samuel 13:22–23; Genesis 43:30–31
- 11 Esther 9:7–10; Esther 3:1; Luke 12:19–20; Genesis 31:1; 1 Timothy 6:17
- 12 Proverbs 27:1; Psalm 37:35–36; Luke 21:34–35; 1 Thessalonians 5:3; Job 20:5–8
- 13 Philippians 4:11–12; Job 15:20; Job 18:4; 1 Kings 21:4–6; Ecclesiastes 1:2
- 14 Esther 6:4; Esther 7:9–10; Psalm 37:14; 1 Kings 21:7; Psalm 37:32
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences