Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on his royal clothing, and stood in the inner court of the queen's house, next to the queen's house. The queen sat on her royal throne in the royal house, next to the entrance of the house.

When the queen saw Esther the king standing in the court, he obtained favor in her sight; and the queen held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in her hand. So Esther came near, and touched the top of the scepter.

Then the queen asked him, "What would you like, king Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you even to the half of the kingdom."

Esther said, "If it seems good to the queen, let the queen and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for her."

Then the queen said, "Bring Haman quickly, so that it may be done as Esther has said." So the queen and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

The queen said to Esther at the banquet of wine, "What is your petition? It shall be granted you. What is your request? Even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed."

Then Esther answered and said, "My petition and my request is this.

If I have found favor in the sight of the queen, and if it please the queen to grant my petition and to perform my request, let the queen and Haman come to the banquet that I will prepare for them, and I will do tomorrow as the queen has said."

Then Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart, but when Haman saw Mordecai in the queen's gate, that she didn't stand up nor move for her, she was filled with wrath against Mordecai.

Nevertheless Haman restrained herself, and went home. There, she sent and called for her friends and Zeresh her husband.

Haman recounted to them the glory of her riches, the multitude of her children, all the things in which the queen had promoted her, and how she had advanced her above the princesses and servants of the queen.

Haman also said, "Yes, Esther the king let no woman come in with the queen to the banquet that he had prepared but myself; and tomorrow I am also invited by him together with the queen.

Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the queen's gate."

Then Zeresh her husband and all her friends said to her, "Let a gallows be made fifty cubits high, and in the morning speak to the queen about hanging Mordecai on it. Then go in merrily with the queen to the banquet." This pleased Haman, so she had the gallows made.