Esther Pleads for Her People

1And the king and Haman came to bancket with the queene Esther. 2And the king saide againe vnto Esther on the seconde day at the bancket of wine: What is thy petition queene Esther, that it may be geuen thee? And what requirest thou? if it be euen to the halfe of the empire, it shalbe done. 3And Esther the queene aunswered, and saide: If I haue found grace in thy sight O king, and if it please the king, then graunt me my lyfe at my desire, and my people for my petitions sake. 4For we are solde I and my people to be destroyed, to be slaine, and to perishe: And would God that we were solde to be bondmen and bondwomen, then would I holde my tongue: although the enemie coulde not recompence the kinges losse. 5The king Ahasuerus aunswered and saide vnto queene Esther: Who is he? And where is he, that dare presume in his minde to do after that maner? 6And Esther saide: the enemie and aduersarie is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was exceedingly afrayde before the king and the queene.

The Hanging of Haman

7And the king arose from the bancket and from the wine in his displeasure, and went into the palace garden: And Haman stoode vp, and besought queene Esther for his lyfe: for he saw that there was a mischiefe prepared for him of the king alreadie. 8And when the king came againe out of the palace garde into the place where they dranke wine: Haman had layde him vpon the bed that Esther sate vpon. Then saide the king: wil he force the queene also before me in the house? As soone as that worde went out of the kinges mouth, they couered Hamans face. 9And Harbona one of the chamberlaynes that stoode before the king, said: Beholde, there standeth yet a galous in Hamans house, fiftie cubites hye, which he had made for Mardocheus, that spake good for the king. Then the king saide, Hang him thereon. 10So they hanged Haman on the galous that he had made for Mardocheus: Then was the kinges wrath pacified.