Short Stories Old and New | Page 7

to bring
the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the
king.
2. And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and
Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who
sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.
3. And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to
Mordecai for this? Then said the king's servants that ministered unto
him, There is nothing done for him.
4. And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was come into
the outward court of the king's house, to speak unto the king to hang
Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.
5. And the king's servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in
the court. And the king said, Let him come in.
6. So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done
unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman
thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour
more than to myself?
7. And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king
delighteth to honour,
8. Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and
the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set
upon his head:
9. And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the
king's most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom
the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the
street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the
man whom the king delighteth to honour.
10. Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and

the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that
sitteth at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.
11. Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai,
and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and
proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the
king delighteth to honour.
12. And Mordecai came again to the king's gate. But Haman hasted to
his house mourning, and having his head covered.
13. And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that
had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him,
If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to
fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.
14. And while they were yet talking with him, came the king's
chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther
had prepared.


CHAPTER VII
ESTHER'S BANQUET: HAMAN HANGED
1. So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen.
2. And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet
of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee:
and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of
the kingdom.
3. Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in
thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at
my petition, and my people at my request:

4. For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to
perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had
held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's
damage.
5. Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen,
Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so?
6. And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman.
Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.
7. And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into
the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to
Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him
by the king.
8. Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the
banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther
was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the
house? As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered
Haman's face.
9. And Harbona, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold
also the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai,
who