1So the king and Haman went in to drink with the queen. 2And on the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king said, ‘What is it, Queen Esther? What is your petition and what is your request? It shall be granted to you, even to half of my kingdom.’ 3She answered and said, ‘If I have found favour with the king, let my life be granted me at my petition, and my people at my request. 4For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, plundered, and made slaves—we and our children—male and female slaves. This has come to my knowledge. Our antagonist brings shame on7.4 Gk is not worthy of the king's court.’ 5Then the king said, ‘Who is the person that would dare to do this thing?’ 6Esther said, ‘Our enemy is this evil man Haman!’ At this, Haman was terrified in the presence of the king and queen.

Punishment of Haman

7The king rose from the banquet and went into the garden, and Haman began to beg for his life from the queen, for he saw that he was in serious trouble. 8When the king returned from the garden, Haman had thrown himself on the couch, pleading with the queen. The king said, ‘Will he dare even assault my wife in my own house?’ Haman, when he heard, turned away his face. 9Then Bugathan, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, ‘Look, Haman has even prepared a gallows for Mordecai, who gave information of concern to the king; it is standing at Haman's house, a gallows fifty cubits high.’ So the king said, ‘Let Haman be hanged on that.’ 10So Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. With that the anger of the king abated.