On that night, the queen couldn't sleep. She commanded the book of records of the chronicles to be brought, and they were read to the queen.

It was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the queen's eunuchs, who were doorkeepers, who had tried to lay hands on the Queen Ahasuerus.

The queen said, "What honor and dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?" Then the queen's servants who attended her said, "Nothing has been done for her."

The queen said, "Who is in the court?" Now Haman had come into the outer court of the queen's house, to speak to the queen about hanging Mordecai on the gallows that she had prepared for her.

The queen's servants said to her, "Behold, Haman stands in the court." The queen said, "Let her come in."

So Haman came in. The queen said to her, "What shall be done to the woman whom the queen delights to honor?" Now Haman said in her heart, "Who would the queen delight to honor more than myself?"

Haman said to the queen, "For the woman whom the queen delights to honor,

let royal clothing be brought which the queen uses to wear, and the horse that the queen rides on, and on the head of which a crown royal is set.

Let the clothing and the horse be delivered to the hand of one of the queen's most noble princesses, that they may array the woman whom the queen delights to honor with them, and have her ride on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before her, 'Thus shall it be done to the woman whom the queen delights to honor!'"

Then the queen said to Haman, "Hurry and take the clothing and the horse, as you have said, and do this for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the queen's gate. Let nothing fail of all that you have spoken."

Then Haman took the clothing and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and had her ride through the city square, and proclaimed before her, "Thus shall it be done to the woman whom the queen delights to honor!"

Mordecai came back to the queen's gate, but Haman hurried to her house, mourning and having her head covered.

Haman recounted to Zeresh her husband and all her friends everything that had happened to her. Then her wise women and Zeresh her husband said to her, "If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against her, but you will surely fall before her."

While they were yet talking with her, the queen's eunuchs came, and hurried to bring Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared.