Esther 1:17

1:17 For the matter concerning the queen will spread to all the women, leading them to treat their husbands with contempt, saying, ‘When King Ahasuerus gave orders to bring Queen Vashti into his presence, she would not come.’

Esther 1:20

1:20 And let the king’s decision which he will enact be disseminated ¹  throughout all his kingdom, vast though it is. ²  Then all the women will give honor to their husbands, from the most prominent to the lowly.”

Esther 3:1

Haman Conspires to Destroy the Jews

3:1 Some time later ³  King Ahasuerus promoted ⁴  Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, exalting him and setting his position ⁵  above that of all the officials who were with him.

Esther 4:1

Esther Decides to Risk Everything in order to Help Her People

4:1 Now when Mordecai became aware of all that had been done, he ⁶  tore his garments and put on sackcloth and ashes. He went out into the city, crying out in a loud ⁷  and bitter voice.

Esther 5:9

Haman Expresses His Hatred of Mordecai

5:9 Now Haman went forth that day pleased and very much encouraged. ⁸  But when Haman saw Mordecai at the king’s gate, and he did not rise nor tremble in his presence, ⁹  Haman was filled with rage toward Mordecai.

Esther 7:7

7:7 In rage the king arose from the banquet of wine and withdrew to the palace garden. Meanwhile, Haman stood to beg Queen Esther for his life, ¹⁰  for he realized that the king had now determined a catastrophic end for him. ¹¹ 

Esther 8:2-3

8:2 The king then removed his signet ring (the very one he had taken back from Haman) and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther designated Mordecai to be in charge of Haman’s estate.

8:3 Then Esther again spoke with the king, falling at his feet. She wept and begged him for mercy, that he might nullify the evil of Haman the Agagite which he had intended against the Jews. ¹² 

Esther 9:4

9:4 Mordecai was of high rank ¹³  in the king’s palace, and word about him was spreading throughout all the provinces. His influence ¹⁴  continued to become greater and greater.

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¹ tn Heb “heard”; KJV, NAB, NLT “published”; NIV, NRSV “proclaimed.”

² tc The phrase “vast though it is” is not included in the LXX, although it is retained by almost all English versions.

³ tn Heb “after these things” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NASB, NIV “After these events.”

⁴ tn Heb “made great”; NAB “raised…to high rank”; NIV “honored.”

sn The promotion of Haman in 3:1 for reasons unexplained contrasts noticeably with 2:19-23, where Mordecai’s contribution to saving the king’s life goes unnoticed. The irony is striking.

⁵ tn Heb “chair”; KJV, NRSV “seat”; NASB “established his authority.”

⁶ tn Heb “Mordecai.” The pronoun (“he”) was used in the translation for stylistic reasons. A repetition of the proper name here is redundant in terms of contemporary English style.

⁷ tn Heb “great.”

⁸ tn Heb “happy and good of heart”; NASB “glad and pleased of heart”; NIV “happy and in high spirits.”

⁹ tn Heb “tremble from before him”; NIV “nor showed fear in his presence”; TEV “or show any sign of respect as he passed.”

¹⁰ sn There is great irony here in that the man who set out to destroy all the Jews now finds himself begging for his own life from a Jew.

¹¹ tn Heb “for he saw that calamity was determined for him from the king”; NAB “the king had decided on his doom”; NRSV “the king had determined to destroy him.”

¹² sn As in 7:4 Esther avoids implicating the king in this plot. Instead Haman is given sole responsibility for the plan to destroy the Jews.

¹³ tn Heb “great”; NRSV “powerful”; NIV “prominent”; NCV “very important.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “the man Mordecai” (so NASB, NRSV).