Scriptures

New Living Translation (NLT)

Esther 6
¹² Afterward Mordecai returned to the palace gate, but Haman hurried home dejected and completely humiliated.
¹³ When Haman told his wife, Zeresh, and all his friends what had happened, his wise advisers and his wife said, “Since Mordecai—this man who has humiliated you—is of Jewish birth, you will never succeed in your plans against him. It will be fatal to continue opposing him.”
¹⁴ While they were still talking, the king’s eunuchs arrived and quickly took Haman to the banquet Esther had prepared.
Esther 7
¹ So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet.
² On this second occasion, while they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, “Tell me what you want, Queen Esther. What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”
³ Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request, I ask that my life and the lives of my people will be spared.
⁴ For my people and I have been sold to those who would kill, slaughter, and annihilate us. If we had merely been sold as slaves, I could remain quiet, for that would be too trivial a matter to warrant disturbing the king.”
⁵ “Who would do such a thing?” King Xerxes demanded. “Who would be so presumptuous as to touch you?”
⁶ Esther replied, “This wicked Haman is our adversary and our enemy.” Haman grew pale with fright before the king and queen.
⁷ Then the king jumped to his feet in a rage and went out into the palace garden. Haman, however, stayed behind to plead for his life with Queen Esther, for he knew that the king intended to kill him.
⁸ In despair he fell on the couch where Queen Esther was reclining, just as the king was returning from the palace garden. The king exclaimed, “Will he even assault the queen right here in the palace, before my very eyes?” And as soon as the king spoke, his attendants covered Haman’s face, signaling his doom.