Esther 1:7-8

1:7 Drinks ¹  were served in golden containers, all of which differed from one another. Royal wine was available in abundance at the king’s expense. 1:8 There were no restrictions on the drinking, ²  for the king had instructed all of his supervisors ³  that they should do as everyone so desired. ⁴ 

Esther 2:16

2:16 Then Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus at his royal residence in the tenth ⁵  month (that is, the month of Tebeth) in the seventh ⁶  year of his reign.

Esther 3:10

3:10 So the king removed his signet ring ⁷  from his hand and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, who was hostile toward the Jews.

Esther 5:3

5:3 The king said to her, “What is on your mind, ⁸  Queen Esther? What is your request? Even as much as half the kingdom will be given to you!”

Esther 5:13

5:13 Yet all of this fails to satisfy me so long as I have to see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

Esther 6:12

6:12 Then Mordecai again sat at the king’s gate, while Haman hurried away to his home, mournful and with a veil over his head.

Esther 6:14

6:14 While they were still speaking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived. They quickly brought Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

Esther 7:5-6

7:5 Then King Ahasuerus responded ⁹  to Queen Esther, “Who is this individual? Where is this person to be found who is presumptuous enough ¹⁰  to act in this way?”

7:6 Esther replied, “The oppressor and enemy is this evil Haman!”

Then Haman became terrified in the presence of the king and queen.

Esther 7:10

7:10 So they hanged Haman on the very gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. The king’s rage then abated.

Esther 9:11

9:11 On that same day the number of those killed in Susa the citadel was brought to the king’s attention.

Esther 9:14

9:14 So the king issued orders for this to be done. A law was passed in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged.

Esther 9:20

9:20 Mordecai wrote these matters down and sent letters to all the Jews who were throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far,

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¹ tn Heb “to cause to drink” (Hiphil infinitive construct of שָׁקָה, shaqah). As the etymology of the Hebrew word for “banquet” (מִשְׁתֶּה, mishteh, from שָׁתָה, shatah, “to drink”) hints, drinking was a prominent feature of ancient Near Eastern banquets.

² tn Heb “the drinking was according to law; there was no one compelling.”

³ tn Heb “every chief of his house”; KJV “all the officers of his house”; NLT “his staff.”

⁴ tn Heb “according to the desire of man and man.”

⁵ tc The Greek MSS Codex Alexandrinus (A) and Codex Vaticanus (B) read “twelfth” here.

⁶ tc The Syriac Peshitta reads “fourth” here.

⁷ sn Possessing the king’s signet ring would enable Haman to act with full royal authority. The king’s ring would be used to impress the royal seal on edicts, making them as binding as if the king himself had enacted them.

⁸ tn Heb “What to you?”; NAB, NIV NRSV “What is it, Queen Esther?”

⁹ tc The second occurrence of the Hebrew verb וַיּאמֶר (vayyo’mer, “and he said”) in the MT should probably be disregarded. The repetition is unnecessary in the context and may be the result of dittography in the MT.

¹⁰ tn Heb “has so filled his heart”; NAB “who has dared to do this.”