Esther 7

1 Therefore the king and Haman entered to the feast, to drink with the queen. (And so the king and Haman went to the feast, to dine with the queen.)

2 And the king said also to Esther in the second day, after that he was hot of the wine, Esther, what is thine asking of me, that it be given to thee, and what wilt thou be done? Yea, though thou ask the half part of my realm, thou shalt have it. (And on the second day, after that he was hot from the wine, the king said again to Esther, Esther, what is thy asking of me, that it be given to thee, and what wilt thou be done for thee? Yea, if thou ask for half of my kingdom, thou shalt have it!)

3 To whom she answered, O! king, if I have found grace in thine eyes (if I have found favour before thee), and if it pleaseth thee, give thou my life to me, for which I pray thee now, and also the life of my people, for the which I beseech thee.

4 For I and my people be given, that we be defouled, and strangled, and that we perish; O! why not had we rather been sold into servants and servantesses, for that evil might have been suffered, and I, (now) wailing, should have been still; but now our enemy is present, whose cruelty turneth against the king. (For I and my people have been sold into slaughter, so that we be strangled, and destroyed, and that we utterly perish; O! why had we rather not been sold into slavery, yea, both men and women alike, for that evil might have been endured, and I, instead of wailing, would now be silent; and even now our enemy is present here, and his cruelty turneth against even the king.)

5 And king Ahasuerus answered, and said, Who is this, and of what power, that he be (so) (fool)hardy to do such things?

6 And Esther said, Our worst adversary and enemy is this Haman. The which thing when he heard, he was astonished at once, and he was not sufficient to bear the semblance, or the indignation, of the king and of the queen. (And Esther said, Our adversary and our enemy is this wicked Haman! And when Haman heard this, he was stunned, and he was not able to bear the indignation of both the king and the queen.)

7 And the king rose up wroth, and from the place of the feast he entered into a garden beset about with trees. And Haman rose up for to pray Esther, the queen, for his life; for he understood (the) evil made ready of the king to him. (And the king rose up enraged, and left the place of the feast to go out into the garden beset about with trees. And Haman rose up to beg Queen Esther for his life; for he understood that the king now intended evil for him.)

8 And when the king turned again from the garden, and had entered into the place of the feast, he found that Haman had fallen down upon the bed, wherein Esther lay. And the king said, Also he will oppress the queen, while I am present, in mine house. And the word was not yet gone out of the king's mouth, and anon men covered the face of Haman. (And when the king returned from the garden, and came back to the place of the feast, he found that Haman had fallen down on the couch, where Esther lay. And the king said, He will even assail the queen, while I am present, here in my own house! And the word was not yet gone out of the king's mouth, when at once some of his servants came, and covered Haman's face.)

9 And Harbonah, one of the honest servants and chaste (one of the honest and chaste servants), that stood in the service of the king, said, Lo! a tree having fifty cubits of height standeth in the house of Haman, which he had made ready to Mordecai, that spake (good) for the king, and made known his traitors. To whom the king said, Hang ye Haman in that tree. (And Harbonah, one of the eunuchs who stood in the king's service, said, Lo! a gallows fifty cubits in height standeth at Haman's house, which he had prepared for Mordecai, who did good for the king, by making known his traitors. To whom the king said, Hang ye up Haman on those gallows!)

10 Therefore Haman was hanged in the gibbet, which he had made ready to Mordecai, and the ire of the king rested. (And so Haman was hanged on the gallows, which he had prepared for Mordecai, and then the king's anger was assuaged.)

Esther 7 Commentary

Chapter 7

Esther accuses Haman. (1-6) Haman hanged on his own gallows. (7-10)

Verses 1-6 If the love of life causes earnest pleadings with those that can only kill the body, how fervent should our prayers be to Him, who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell! How should we pray for the salvation of our relatives, friends, and all around us! When we petition great men, we must be cautious not to give them offence; even just complaints must often be kept back. But when we approach the King of kings with reverence, we cannot ask or expect too much. Though nothing but wrath be our due, God is able and willing to do exceeding abundantly, even beyond all we can ask or think.

Verses 7-10 The king was angry: those that do things with self-will, reflect upon them afterward with self-reproach. When angry, we should pause before we come to any resolution, and thus rule our own spirits, and show that we are governed by reason. Those that are most haughty and insolent when in power and prosperity, commonly, like Haman, are the most abject and poor-spirited when brought down. The day is coming when those that hate and persecute God's chosen ones, would gladly be beholden to them. The king returns yet more angry against Haman. Those about him were ready to put his wrath into execution. How little can proud men be sure of the interest they think they have! The enemies of God's church have often been thus taken in their own craftiness. The Lord is known by such judgments. Then was the king's wrath pacified, and not till then. And who pities Haman hanged on his own gallows? who does not rather rejoice in the Divine righteousness displayed in the destruction his own art brought upon him? Let the workers of iniquity tremble, turn to the Lord, and seek pardon through the blood of Jesus.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO ESTHER 7

Esther, being solicited by the king to tell him her petition, asks for her life and the lives of her people, who were sold to be destroyed, Es 7:1-4, the king, amazed at her request, inquires who was the person that dared to do so vile a thing; and was told by her it was Haman there present, Es 7:5,6 on which the king went out into the garden in wrath, and, returning, found Haman on Esther's bed, which still more incensed him; and being told that Haman had prepared a gallows for Mordecai, the king ordered that he himself should be hanged upon it, which was done accordingly, Es 7:7-10.