Esther 7

1 So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen.

2 The king said again to Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, “What is your petition, queen Esther? It shall be granted you. What is your request? Even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.”

3 Then Esther the queen answered, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases 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 male and female slaves, I would have held my peace, although the adversary could not have compensated for the king’s loss.”

5 Then King Ahasuerus said to Esther the queen, “Who is he, and where is he who dared presume in his heart to do so?”

6 Esther said, “An adversary and an enemy, even this wicked Haman!” Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.

7 The king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into the palace garden. 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 had fallen on the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in front of me in the house?” As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.

9 Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs who were with the king, said, “Behold, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman has made for Mordecai, who spoke good for the king, is standing at Haman’s house.” The king said, “Hang him on it!”

10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath was pacified.

Around Esther 7

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

Esther 7 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

At the second banquet the king asks once more, as he had before, what Esther wants, even to the half of the kingdom. This time she answers.

She asks that her life be given her, and her people. She says they have been sold to be destroyed, slain and made to perish. If it had only been slavery she would have kept silent, she says. The king asks who would dare do such a thing, and Esther answers, “An adversary and an enemy, even this wicked Haman!”

The king rises in wrath and goes out to the palace garden. Haman stays to beg Esther for his life and falls on the couch where she is. The king returns and sees it. Harbonah, one of the eunuchs, mentions the gallows fifty cubits high that Haman has made for Mordecai. The king says to hang Haman on it, and they do. Then the king’s wrath is pacified.

Background

Esther at last reveals her people and names the man behind the decree. Her words about being sold echo Haman’s offer of silver in Esther 3. The story reverses the earlier scene of the gallows. Readers note that the king, who gave the order, never takes blame himself in the text. The decree, though, is still in force when this chapter ends, and Esther 8 deals with that.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 3 November 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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World English Bible. Public-domain source and edition notes