Mordecai’s Reward from the King
6 That night the Lord took sleep from the king, so he told his teacher to bring the book of daily records and to read to him.(A)2 He found the words written about Mordecai, how he had told the king about the two royal eunuchs who were on guard and sought to lay hands on Artaxerxes.(B)3 The king said, “What honor or favor did we bestow on Mordecai?” The king’s servants said, “You have not done anything for him.” 4 While the king was inquiring about the goodwill shown by Mordecai—Look! Haman was in the courtyard. The king asked, “Who is in the courtyard?” Now Haman had come to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the pole that he had prepared.(C)5 The servants of the king said, “Look! Haman is standing in the courtyard.” And the king said, “Summon him.” 6 Then the king said to Haman, “What shall I do for the person whom I wish to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king wish to honor more than me?”(D)7 So he said to the king, “For a person whom the king wishes to honor, 8 let the king’s servants bring out the fine linen robe that the king wears and the horse on which the king rides, 9 and let them be given to one of the king’s honored Friends, and let him robe the person whom the king loves and mount him on the horse, and let him proclaim through the open square of the city, saying, ‘Thus shall it be done to everyone whom the king honors.’ ”(E)10 Then the king said to Haman, “You have spoken well! Do just as you have said for Mordecai the Jew who serves at court. And let not a word of what you have said be omitted.”(F)11 So Haman got the robe and the horse; he put the robe on Mordecai, mounted him on the horse, and went through the open square of the city, proclaiming, “Thus shall it be done to everyone whom the king wishes to honor.” 12 Then Mordecai returned to the courtyard, but Haman returned home, mourning and with his head covered.(G)13 Haman told his wife Zosara and his friends what had befallen him. His friends and his wife said to him, “If Mordecai is of the Jewish people and you have begun to be humiliated before him, you will surely fall. You will not be able to defend yourself, because a living god is with him.”(H)
Haman at Esther’s Banquet
14 While they were still talking, the eunuchs arrived and hurriedly brought Haman to the drinking party that Esther had prepared.(I)