Esther 7

1 So the king [ruler, monarch] and Haman [a powerful Persian official] went [came] to dine [to banquet, to drink wine] with Esther [a brave Jewish woman] the queen [a female ruler, with royal authority], word study 2 and as they drank their wine [at the banquet of wine, in a state of revelry] on that second [subsequent, following the first] day, the king [ruler, monarch] asked once more, “Queen [female ruler, royal monarch] Esther [a brave Jewish woman, a heroine of faith], what is your petition [request, plea, shəʾēlāh]? It will be given to you [granted, bestowed upon you]. What is your request [desire, wish]? Even up to half [a portion, a part] the kingdom [royal power, dominion], it will be fulfilled [accomplished, performed].” word study 3 Queen Esther replied, “If [in the event that, provided that] I have found [discovered, attained] favor [graciousness, kindness] in your sight [before your eyes, in your presence], O king [ruler, monarch], and if [in case] it pleases [is pleasing, is acceptable] the king [ruler, monarch], grant [give, bestow upon] me my life [my soul, my being] as my petition [request, plea], and the lives [the souls, the beings] of my people [my nation, my community] as my request [my plea, my supplication]. word study 4 For my people [nation, community] and I have been sold out [given up, betrayed] to destruction [annihilation, devastation], death [slaying, killing], and annihilation [perishing, being cut off]. If we had merely been sold [given up, enslaved] as menservants [male slaves, bondmen] and maidservants [female slaves, bondwomen], I would have remained silent [held my tongue, kept quiet], because no such distress [trouble, adversity] would justify [be equal to, compensate for] burdening [causing damage to, troubling] the king [ruler, monarch].” word study 5 Then King [Ahasuerus, the ruler of Persia] Xerxes spoke up and asked Queen [the royal woman, Esther the queen] Esther, “Who [what person, which one] is this, and where [in what location, how] is the one who would devise [plan, plot, or scheme] such a scheme [evil plan, wicked plot]?” word study 6 Esther replied, “The adversary [enemy, one who opposes] and enemy [hater, one who seeks to harm] is this wicked [evil, morally bad] man—Haman [the son of Hammedatha, a powerful Persian official]!” And Haman stood in terror [was afraid, filled with sudden fear] before the king [the ruler, the one with authority] and queen [the female ruler, the one with royal power]. word study 7 In his [intense, burning] fury [rage, wrath], the king [royal person, monarch] arose from drinking his [fermented] wine and went to the [beautiful, lush] palace garden, while Haman stayed behind to beg Queen Esther [brave Jewish woman, royal ruler] for his life, for he realized that the king was planning a terrible [evil] fate for him [to end his life, to destroy him]. word study 8 Just as the king [ruler, monarch] returned from the palace [royal residence] garden [a place of beauty and growth] to the banquet [feast, celebration] hall [large room], Haman [powerful Persian official] was falling [to prostrate oneself] on the couch [bed, sofa] where Esther [brave Jewish queen] was reclining [lying down, resting]. The king exclaimed, “Would he actually [even, also] assault [subdue, force] the queen [female ruler] while I am [present, with] in the palace [royal house]?” As soon as the words [thing, matter] had left the king’s mouth [lip, edge], they covered [to hide, conceal] Haman’s face [presence, countenance]. word study 9 Then Harbonah [one of the chamberlains, a high-ranking official], one of the eunuchs [a castrated male, often serving in royal courts] attending the king, said: “There is a gallows [a pole for hanging, a means of execution] fifty cubits [a unit of measurement, about the length of a forearm] high at Haman’s house. He had it built [constructed, prepared] for Mordecai, who gave the report [spoke good, delivered a message] that saved the king.” “Hang him on it [impale him, execute him upon it]!” declared the king. word study 10 So they hanged [impaled, put to death by hanging] Haman on the gallows [tree, wooden plank] he had prepared [set up, established] for Mordecai. Then the fury [intense anger, rage] of the king [royal person, monarch] subsided [calmed down, pacified, became less]. word study