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The Man Whom the King Honors

¹ During that night, sleep had ^(C1)fled from the king, so he said for them to bring ^(C2)the book of memoranda, the chronicles, and they were read before the king.² And it was found written what ^(C1)Mordecai had told concerning Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs from those who were doorkeepers, that they had sought to send forth their hand against King Ahasuerus.³ And the king said, "What honor or greatness has been done to Mordecai for this?" Then the king's young men who attended him said, "Nothing has been done for him."⁴ So the king said, "Who is in the court?" Now Haman had ^(C1)entered the outer court of the king's house in order to speak to the king about ^(C2)hanging Mordecai on the gallows which he had set up for him.⁵ And the king's young men said to him, "Behold, Haman is standing in the court." And the king said, "Let him come in."⁶ So Haman came in, and the king said to him, "What is to be done for the man ^(C1)whom the king delights to honor?" And Haman said in his heart, "Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?"⁷ Then Haman said to the king, "For the man whom the king delights to honor,⁸ let them bring a royal robe which the king clothes himself in, and ^(C1)the horse on which the king has ridden, and on whose head ^(C2)a royal crown has been placed;⁹ and let the robe and the horse be given over to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, and let them clothe the man whom the king delights to honor and lead him on horseback through the city square ^(C1)and call out before him, 'Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.'"

Mordecai Is Honored

¹⁰ Then the king said to Haman, "Take quickly the robes and the horse as you have said, and do so for Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the king's gate; do not fall short in anything of all that you have spoken."¹¹ So Haman took the robe and the horse and clothed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city square and called out before him, "Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king delights to honor."

¹² Then Mordecai returned to the king's gate. But Haman hastened home, mourning, ^(C1)with his head covered.¹³ And Haman recounted ^(C1)to Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, "If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the seed of the Jews, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him."

¹⁴ While they were still speaking with him, the king's eunuchs reached Haman's home and hastily ^(C1)brought Haman to the feast which Esther had prepared.