Esther
Esther tells the story of a Jewish woman who becomes queen of Persia and is placed in a position where her courage becomes crucial to the survival of her people. Set among the Jewish community still living outside Jerusalem after the exile, the book follows Esther and Mordecai as they face a deadly plot, difficult choices, and an uncertain future. Although God is never mentioned by name in the book, His providence can be seen throughout the story as circumstances unfold in unexpected ways. Esther reveals that God can be faithfully at work even when His presence seems hidden, using ordinary decisions and courageous obedience to accomplish His purposes.
Esther 7
Esther Pleads for Her People
1 So the king and Haman went to dine with Esther the queen,
2 and as they drank their wine on that second day, the king asked once more, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be fulfilled.”
3 Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, grant me my life as my petition, and the lives of my people as my request.
4 For my people and I have been sold out to destruction, death, and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as menservants and maidservants, I would have remained silent, because no such distress would justify burdening the king.”
5 Then King Xerxes spoke up and asked Queen Esther, “Who is this, and where is the one who would devise such a scheme?”
6 Esther replied, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked man — Haman!” And Haman stood in terror before the king and queen.
The Hanging of Haman
7 In his fury, the king arose from drinking his wine and went to the palace garden, while Haman stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life, for he realized that the king was planning a terrible fate for him.
8 Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Would he actually assault the queen while I am in the palace?” As soon as the words had left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.
9 Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said: “There is a gallows fifty cubits high at Haman’s house. He had it built for Mordecai, who gave the report that saved the king.” “Hang him on it!” declared the king.
10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the fury of the king subsided.
Footnotes:
7:5 Hebrew whose heart has filled him to do
7:9 50 cubits is approximately 75 feet or 22.9 meters high.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) printed 2016, 2020, 2022, 2025 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. Produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, unfoldingWord, Bible Aquifer, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God's Word has been dedicated to the public domain. Free downloads and unlimited usage available. See also the Berean Literal Bible and Berean Interlinear Bible.Berean Standard Bible (BSB) • Audio narration by Barry Hays • Dedicated to the public domain (CC0)
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