Esther 5 And on the third day Esther put on her royal apparel and stood in the inner court of the king's palace over against the king's house, when the king was sitting on his royal throne, in the royal house, over against the gate.

Thomson⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ And on the third day Esther put on her royal apparel and stood in the inner court of the king's palace over against the king's house, when the king was sitting on his royal throne, in the royal house, over against the gate. ² And when the king saw Esther standing in the court, she obtained favour in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre which was in his hand, and Esther drew near and touched the top of the sceptre. ³ And the king said, What would queen Esther? And what is thy petition? To the half of my kingdom it shall be granted thee. ⁴ Thereupon Esther said, To-day is my set day, if therefore it seemeth good to the king, let him come with Hainan to the banquet which I will this day prepare. ⁵ And the king said, Call Haman quickly that we may do as Esther hath said. So they both went to the banquet which Esther had ordered. ⁶ And at the banquet the king said to Esther, What would queen Esther? Whatever thou askest shall be granted. ⁷ To which she replied, ⁸ If I have found favour in the sight of the king, Let the king come again with Haman to-morrow to the banquet which I will prepare for them, and to-morrow I will make my request and my petition. ⁹ Then Haman went out from the king overjoyed and gladdened, but upon seeing Mordecai the Jew in the court, he was inflamed with great indignation. ¹⁰ So going home, he called his friends and his wife Zosara, ¹¹ and having displayed to them his riches and the honour which the king had conferred on him; how he had promoted him to the highest rank and made him ruler of the kingdom, ¹² the queen, said he, invited none to the banquet with the king, but only me: and to-morrow I am invited: ¹³ but these things give me no pleasure, when I see Mordecai the Jew in the court. ¹⁴ Thereupon Zosara his wife and his friends said to him, Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made for thee, and early in the morning speak to the king and let Mordecai be hanged thereon, then go to the banquet with the king and take thy fill of joy. And the thing pleased Haman. So the gallows was got ready.