וַיָּבֹא הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהָמָן לִשְׁתֹּות עִם־אֶסְתֵּר הַמַּלְכָּה׃   7:1

Esth. 7:1   And the king came, Haman also, to drink with Esther, the queen,

וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ לְאֶסְתֵּר גַּם בַּיֹּום הַשֵּׁנִי בְּמִשְׁתֵּה הַיַּיִן מַה־שְּׁאֵלָתֵךְ אֶסְתֵּר הַמַּלְכָּה וְתִנָּתֵן לָךְ   7:2

 וּמַה־בַּקָּשָׁתֵךְ עַד־חֲצִי הַמַּלְכוּת וְתֵעָשׂ׃

Esth. 7:2   and the king said to Esther again on the second day at the banquet of wine, “Whatever your demand, Esther (who was the queen), and it is granted to you.  Or what is your request?  Even half the kingdom, and it is done!”

וַתַּעַן אֶסְתֵּר הַמַּלְכָּה וַתֹּאמַר אִם־מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ הַמֶּלֶךְ וְאִם־עַל־הַמֶּלֶךְ טֹוב תִּנָּתֶן־לִי נַפְשִׁי   7:3

 בִּשְׁאֵלָתִי וְעַמִּי בְּבַקָּשָׁתִי׃

Esth. 7:3   And Esther, the queen, answered and she said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, O king, and if it is according to the good king, let be given to me my life on my demand, and my people on my request.”

כִּי נִמְכַּרְנוּ אֲנִי וְעַמִּי לְהַשְׁמִיד לַהֲרֹוג וּלְאַבֵּד וְאִלּוּ לַעֲבָדִים וְלִשְׁפָחֹות נִמְכַּרְנוּ הֶחֱרַשְׁתִּי כִּי אֵין הַצָּר   7:4

שֹׁוֶה בְּנֵזֶק הַמֶּלֶךְ׃

Esth. 7:4   “For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish.  Now, though we have been sold for male servants and for female servants, I have kept silent, for the distress was not worth injuring the king.”

Among some scholars, the assumption is that the last phrase, namely, the distress was not worth injuring the king, may be referring to loss of the ten thousand talents that Haman was to have added to the treasury.  No one has come up with a better explanation.

וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרֹושׁ וַיֹּאמֶר לְאֶסְתֵּר הַמַּלְכָּה מִי הוּא זֶה וְאֵי־זֶה הוּא אֲשֶׁר־מְלָאֹו לִבֹּו לַעֲשֹׂות   7:5

 כֵּן׃

Esth. 7:5   Then the king, Ahasuerus, spoke and he said to Esther, the queen, “Who is this, and where is he whose heart is fulfilled to do so?”

וַתֹּאמֶר־אֶסְתֵּר אִישׁ צַר וְאֹויֵב הָמָן הָרָע הַזֶּה וְהָמָן נִבְעַת מִלִּפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהַמַּלְכָּה׃   7:6

Esth. 7:6   And Esther said, “The distressing man, and an enemy, is this evil Haman.”  And Haman was terrified of being before the king and the queen.

וְהַמֶּלֶךְ קָם בַּחֲמָתֹו מִמִּשְׁתֵּה הַיַּיִן אֶל־גִּנַּת הַבִּיתָן וְהָמָן עָמַד לְבַקֵּשׁ עַל־נַפְשֹׁו מֵאֶסְתֵּר הַמַּלְכָּה כִּי   7:7

רָאָה כִּי־כָלְתָה אֵלָיו הָרָעָה מֵאֵת הַמֶּלֶךְ׃

Esth. 7:7   Then the king rose up in his anger from the banquet of wine to the palace garden, as Haman remained to seek about his life from Esther, the queen, for he envisioned that the evil from the king was directed toward him.

וְהַמֶּלֶךְ שָׁב מִגִּנַּת הַבִּיתָן אֶל־בֵּית מִשְׁתֵּה הַיַּיִן וְהָמָן נֹפֵל עַל־הַמִּטָּה אֲשֶׁר אֶסְתֵּר עָלֶיהָ וַיֹּאמֶר   7:8

הַמֶּלֶךְ הֲגַם לִכְבֹּושׁ אֶת־הַמַּלְכָּה עִמִּי בַּבָּיִת הַדָּבָר יָצָא מִפִּי הַמֶּלֶךְ וּפְנֵי הָמָן חָפוּ׃

Esth. 7:8   Now the king returned from the palace garden to the house of the wine banquet as Haman was falling on the couch on which Esther was, and the king said, “Is he subduing the queen even with me in the house?”  The word came out of the mouth of the king, and they covered the face of Haman.

וַיֹּאמֶר חַרְבֹונָה אֶחָד מִן־הַסָּרִיסִים לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ גַּם הִנֵּה־הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה הָמָן לְמָרְדֳּכַי אֲשֶׁר   7:9

 דִּבֶּר־טֹוב עַל־הַמֶּלֶךְ עֹמֵד בְּבֵית הָמָן גָּבֹהַּ חֲמִשִּׁים אַמָּה וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ תְּלֻהוּ עָלָיו׃

Esth. 7:9   And Harbonah, one from the officials before the king, even said, “Behold, the fifty-cubit high gallows that Haman had made for Mordecai, who spoke good on behalf of the king, standing near the house of Haman.”  And the king said, “Hang him on it.”

וַיִּתְלוּ אֶת־הָמָן עַל־הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר־הֵכִין לְמָרְדֳּכָי וַחֲמַת הַמֶּלֶךְ שָׁכָכָה׃   7:10

Esth. 7:10   So they hung Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai, and the wrath of the king subsided.

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