The Book of Esther

Translated by Mordecai Housman

© Copyright 2011

Chapter 6

The Wheel Turns

1 That night the king couldn't sleep, so he told them to bring the book of records, the chronicles, and to read them to the king.

2 They found an entry in the book describing how Mordechai had reported that Bigsan and Seresh, two officers of the king's night guards, had attempted to harm King Achashvairosh.

3 The king asked, "What reward was given to Mordechai for this?" The king's attendants answered, "Nothing was done at all."

4 The king asked, "Who is in the courtyard?" Haman had arrived at the king's outer courtyard to tell the king to hang Mordechai on the gallows he had made for him.

5 The king's attendants said, "Haman has suddenly shown up in the courtyard." Said the king, "Enter!"

6 Haman entered, and the king said to him, "What should be done with a man that the king wants to honor?" Haman said to himself, "Who would the king want to honor more than me?"

7 So Haman said to the king, "For the man that the king wants to honor,

8 "They should bring the royal clothing that only the king wears, and the royal horse that only the king rides, which is the horse that wears a royal crown.

9 "The clothes and horse should be given to one of the king's ministers, a nobleman, who should dress the man the king wants to honor, and lead him through the streets on the royal horse. He should call out, 'This is what is done to the man the king wishes to honor!'"

10 The king said to Haman, "Hurry up, take the clothes and horse just like you said, and do all that to the Jew Mordechai who sits at the king's gate. Do not leave out a single thing you mentioned!"

11 Haman took the clothes and horse, he dressed Mordechai, and he led him through the streets of the city, and he called out, "This is what is done to the man the king wishes to honor!"

12 Mordechai returned to the king's gate, but Haman hurried home, depressed, and with his head covered.

13 Haman told his wife Zeresh and his friends what had happened. His advisors and his wife responded to him, "Since Mordechai is a Jew, now that you have begun to lose to him you will never get the upper hand. You will lose to him entirely."

14 While they were still speaking with him, the king's attendants arrived, and they rushed to bring Haman to the banquet that Esther was making.

Chapter 7

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10

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