Esther 5

Uninvited, Esther goes to the king

King Xerxes welcomes Esther

1It was on the third day of the fast when Esther dressed in her royal robes and broke the law. She walked uninvited into the king’s inner courtyard. He was sitting on his throne, facing the entrance to the courtyard. 2When he saw Queen Esther, he was delighted. He held out his golden scepter, inviting her to come. Esther walked to him and touched the top of his scepter.

3The king said, “Esther, is something wrong? What can I do for you? I’ll give you half the kingdom if you need it.” [1] 4Esther said, “My king, I’d like to invite you and Haman to a meal I’ve prepared for you.”

5The king gave the orders right away: “Go get Haman. Bring him here quickly so we can do what Esther is asking.” So, the king and Haman went to the meal.

Wining and dining the king

6While they were enjoying some wine together, the king asked Esther, “What is it you need from me? Tell me and I’ll give it to you. Esther, you can have half my kingdom if that’s what it takes.” 7Esther said, “Okay, I’ll tell you. [2] 8If you care about me and if you’re willing, I would like you and Haman to join me for a meal tomorrow. Then I’ll tell you what you’ve kindly asked.”

Haman’s overactive ego

9Haman left that meal feeling awfully pleased with himself. But afterward, he walked by Mordecai at the palace gate. When he saw that Mordecai didn’t bow and didn’t seem the slightest bit afraid of him, Haman became furious again. 10But he let it slide and went home to celebrate. He sent for his friends. And he called in his wife, Zeresh.

11Haman bragged himself up to this audience of family and friends. He reminded them that he was rich. He counted off how many sons he had. And he listed the promotions the king had given him over a stretch a time, up to when the king made him boss over all the officials in Persia. 12Then he told them, “I even got to eat a private meal with the king and queen, at Queen Esther’s personal invitation. 13But I’ll tell you this. As long as I see that Mordecai sitting by the palace gate, I won’t enjoy these honors I’ve earned.”

14His wife and friends said, “Why don’t you build a stake 75 feet [3] high. Then, in the morning tell the king you need to hang [4] Mordecai on it. That way, you’ll be able to enjoy your meal with the king and queen later in the day.” Haman loved that advice. So, he ordered the pole built that night.

Footnotes

Intro Notes to Esther

15:3

“I’ll give you half the kingdom” was a figure of speech, not necessarily a literal promise. It’s a little like saying, “I’d give a million bucks for a cup of cold buttermilk.” Maybe not buttermilk, but we could fill in the blank with something.

25:7

Esther almost seems on the verge of telling the king what she wants. But she hesitates and perhaps needs a little more time to build the courage.

35:14

Twenty-three meters. That’s the height of a seven-story building, which was higher than Persian palaces. Some scholars say this sounds like another exaggeration in what was perhaps a fictional story intended to teach life lessons.

45:14

The Hebrew word is tala. I can mean to hang or to impale or to expose to the elements of Mother Nature. Persians, like Assyrians and Babylonians before them, executed people in creatively painful and vicious ways. Impaling was especially popular and showed up in battlefield pictures displayed on Assyrian palace walls. Executioners sometimes impaled people through the bottom of the torso and sometimes through the stomach or the chest. Death usually followed quickly. A skilled executioner could sometimes impale a person in ways that produced a lingering death.