1 After three days, Esther put on her royal clothes and went to stand in the courtyard of the king's palace, in front of the king's house. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance to the house. 2 When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the courtyard, she received approval in his eyes. He held out to her the golden scepter in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. 3 Then the king said to her, “What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? Up to half of my kingdom, it will be given to you.” 4 Esther said, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for him.” 5 Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, to do what Esther has said.” So the king and Haman went to the feast that Esther had prepared. 6 When the wine was being served at the feast, the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It will be granted you. What is your request? Up to half of the kingdom, it will be granted.” 7 Esther answered, “My petition and my request is this, 8 if I have found favor in the eyes of the king and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and to honor my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for you tomorrow and I will answer the king's question.” 9 Haman went out that day joyful and glad at heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai at the king's gate, that Mordecai neither rose up nor trembled before him with any fear, he was filled with rage against Mordecai. 10 Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went to his own house. He sent for his friends and gathered them together, with Zeresh his wife. 11 Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his many sons, all the promotions by which the king honored him, and how he had advanced above all the officials and the servants of the king. 12 Haman said, “Queen Esther invited no one else but me to come with the king to the feast she prepared. Even tomorrow I am again invited by her along with the king. 13 But all this is worth nothing to me as long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.” 14 Then Zeresh his wife said to Haman and all his friends, “Let them make a gallows fifty cubits high. In the morning speak to the king for them to hang Mordecai on it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast.” This pleased Haman and he had the gallows constructed.
Esther · Unlocked Literal Bible
Esther 5 Unlocked Literal Bible
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