Esther 6

 

בַּלַּיְלָה הַהוּא נָדְדָה שְׁנַת הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֹּאמֶר לְהָבִיא אֶת־סֵפֶר הַזִּכְרֹנֹות דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים וַיִּהְיוּ נִקְרָאִים   6:1

 לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ׃

Esth. 6:1   During that night the sleep of the king departed, and he told to bring the book of memories of the Chronicles, and they were read before the king.

וַיִּמָּצֵא כָתוּב אֲשֶׁר הִגִּיד מָרְדֳּכַי עַל־בִּגְתָנָא וָתֶרֶשׁ שְׁנֵי סָרִיסֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ מִשֹּׁמְרֵי הַסַּף אֲשֶׁר בִּקְשׁוּ   6:2

 לִשְׁלֹחַ יָד בַּמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרֹושׁ׃

Esth. 6:2   And writing was found that Mordecai had told about Bigthana and Teresh, the two officials of the king from the door keepers who had conspired to extend a hand on king Ahasuerus.

וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ מַה־נַּעֲשָׂה יְקָר וּגְדוּלָּה לְמָרְדֳּכַי עַל־זֶה וַיֹּאמְרוּ נַעֲרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ מְשָׁרְתָיו לֹא־נַעֲשָׂה   6:3

עִמֹּו דָּבָר׃

Esth. 6:3   And the king said, “What honor had been offered, and greatness, to Mordecai for this?”  And the servants of the king, his ministers, said, “Nothing was offered to him.”

וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ מִי בֶחָצֵר וְהָמָן בָּא לַחֲצַר בֵּית־הַמֶּלֶךְ הַחִיצֹונָה לֵאמֹר לַמֶּלֶךְ לִתְלֹות   6:4

אֶת־מָרְדֳּכַי עַל־הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר־הֵכִין לֹו׃

Esth. 6:4   And the king said, “Who is in the court?”  Now Haman had come to the outer court of the house of the king to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows that he had set up for him.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ נַעֲרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵלָיו הִנֵּה הָמָן עֹמֵד בֶּחָצֵר וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ יָבֹוא׃   6:5

Esth. 6:5   And the servants of the king said to him, “Behold, Haman is standing in the court.”  And the king said, “Let him enter.”

וַיָּבֹוא הָמָן וַיֹּאמֶר לֹו הַמֶּלֶךְ מַה־לַעֲשֹׂות בָּאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הַמֶּלֶךְ חָפֵץ בִּיקָרֹו וַיֹּאמֶר הָמָן בְּלִבֹּו לְמִי   6:6

יַחְפֹּץ הַמֶּלֶךְ לַעֲשֹׂות יְקָר יֹותֵר מִמֶּנִּי׃

Esth. 6:6   So Haman came in, and the king said to him, “What should be done to someone whom the king delights in honoring?”  And Haman said in his heart, “To whom would the king delight to offer honor other than me?”

וַיֹּאמֶר הָמָן אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הַמֶּלֶךְ חָפֵץ בִּיקָרֹו׃   6:7

Esth. 6:7   So Haman said to the king, “Someone whom the king delights in honoring,

יָבִיאוּ לְבוּשׁ מַלְכוּת אֲשֶׁר לָבַשׁ־בֹּו הַמֶּלֶךְ וְסוּס אֲשֶׁר רָכַב עָלָיו הַמֶּלֶךְ וַאֲשֶׁר נִתַּן כֶּתֶר מַלְכוּת   6:8

 בְּרֹאשֹׁו׃

Esth. 6:8   let them bring apparel of royalty that the king had put on, and a horse that the king had ridden on, and on whose head has been set a crown of royalty,

וְנָתֹון הַלְּבוּשׁ וְהַסּוּס עַל־יַד־אִישׁ מִשָּׂרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ הַפַּרְתְּמִים וְהִלְבִּישׁוּ אֶת־הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הַמֶּלֶךְ חָפֵץ   6:9

בִּיקָרֹו וְהִרְכִּיבֻהוּ עַל־הַסּוּס בִּרְחֹוב הָעִיר וְקָרְאוּ לְפָנָיו כָּכָה יֵעָשֶׂה לָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הַמֶּלֶךְ חָפֵץ בִּיקָרֹו׃

Esth. 6:9   and have the apparel delivered with the horse into the hand of one of the princes of the noble king, so they can array the man whom the king delights in honoring, and cause him to ride on the horse in the plaza of the city and let them proclaim, ‘Thus it would be done for a person whom the king delights in honoring.’”

וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ לְהָמָן מַהֵר קַח אֶת־הַלְּבוּשׁ וְאֶת־הַסּוּס כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ וַעֲשֵׂה־כֵן לְמָרְדֳּכַי   6:10

הַיְּהוּדִי הַיֹּושֵׁב בְּשַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ אַל־תַּפֵּל דָּבָר מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ׃

Esth. 6:10   And the king said to Haman, “Quickly take the apparel and the horse as you have spoken and do just that to Mordecai, the Jew, who is sitting at the gate of the king.  You must let nothing drop from all of which you have spoken.”

An impertinent question:  How did the king know that Mordecai was sitting at the gate?  All we know is that the servants of the king spoke to Mordecai at the gate once (Esth. 3:3).  Then in Esth, 4:4 the queen’s maids told her that Mordecai was at the gate.  As far as we’ve been told, the king had no knowledge of Mordecai’s whereabouts.  Perhaps, though, since the chronicles had just been read to him, he had surmised that Mordecai must have been at the gate when he overheard the plot.

וַיִּקַּח הָמָן אֶת־הַלְּבוּשׁ וְאֶת־הַסּוּס וַיַּלְבֵּשׁ אֶת־מָרְדֳּכָי וַיַּרְכִּיבֵהוּ בִּרְחֹוב הָעִיר וַיִּקְרָא לְפָנָיו   6:11

 כָּכָה יֵעָשֶׂה לָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הַמֶּלֶךְ חָפֵץ בִּיקָרֹו׃

Esth. 6:11   So Haman took the apparel and the horse and arrayed Mordecai and had him ride in the plaza of the city and proclaimed before him, “Thus it would be done for a person whom the king delights in honoring.”

What a humiliation this must have been for Haman!  But humiliation will soon be the least of his troubles.

וַיָּשָׁב מָרְדֳּכַי אֶל־שַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהָמָן נִדְחַף אֶל־בֵּיתֹו אָבֵל וַחֲפוּי רֹאשׁ׃   6:12

Esth. 6:12   Then Mordecai returned to the gate of the king while Haman hurried himself to his house mourning and covering the head.                                        [Return to Jere. 14:3]

וַיְסַפֵּר הָמָן לְזֶרֶשׁ אִשְׁתֹּו וּלְכָל־אֹהֲבָיו אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר קָרָהוּ וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֹו חֲכָמָיו וְזֶרֶשׁ אִשְׁתֹּו   6:13

אִם מִזֶּרַע הַיְּהוּדִים מָרְדֳּכַי אֲשֶׁר הַחִלֹּותָ לִנְפֹּל לְפָנָיו לֹא־תוּכַל לֹו כִּי־נָפֹול תִּפֹּול לְפָנָיו׃

Esth. 6:13   And Haman recounted to Zeresh, his wife, and to all his friends, all that had befallen him.  And his wise men and Zeresh, his wife, said to him, “If Mordecai is of the seed of the Jews, whom you have begun to fall before, you will not prevail regarding him.  Instead you will fall hard before him.”

עֹודָם מְדַבְּרִים עִמֹּו וְסָרִיסֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ הִגִּיעוּ וַיַּבְהִלוּ לְהָבִיא אֶת־הָמָן אֶל־הַמִּשְׁתֶּה אֲשֶׁר־עָשְׂתָה   6:14

אֶסְתֵּר׃

Esth. 6:14   It was during their speaking with him, that officials of the king arrived, and they hurried to bring Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

 

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