Haman Is Punished
1 The king and Haman were dining with Esther 2 and drinking wine during the second dinner, when the king again said, “Esther, what can I do for you? Just ask, and I will give you as much as half of my kingdom!”
3 Esther answered, “Your Majesty, if you really care for me and are willing to help, you can save me and my people. That's what I really want, 4 because a reward has been promised to anyone who kills my people. Your Majesty, if we were merely going to be sold as slaves, I would not have bothered you.”
5 “Who would dare to do such a thing?” the king asked.
6 Esther replied, “That evil Haman is the one out to get us!”
Haman was terrified, as he looked at the king and the queen.
7 The king was so angry that he got up, left his wine, and went out into the palace garden.
Haman realized that the king had already decided what to do with him, and he stayed and begged Esther to save his life.
8 Just as the king came back into the room, Haman got down on his knees beside Esther, who was lying on the couch. The king shouted, “Now you're even trying to rape my queen here in my own palace!”
As soon as the king said this, his servants covered Haman's head. 9 Then Harbona, one of the king's personal servants, said, “Your Majesty, Haman built a gallows 22 meters high beside his house, so he could hang Mordecai on it. And Mordecai is the very one who spoke up and saved your life.”
“Hang Haman from his own gallows!” the king commanded. 10 At once, Haman was hanged on the gallows he had built to hang Mordecai, and the king calmed down.
سقوط هامان
1 فجاءَ المَلِكُ وهامانُ إلى وَليمَةِ أسْتِـيرَ المَلكةِ 2 في اليومِ الثَّاني. فقالَ لها المَلِكُ عِندَما دارت كُؤوسُ الشَّرابِ: «ما مَطلَبُكِ يا أستيرُ المَلِكةُ فأُعطيه لكِ؟ وما مُرادُكِ ولو نِصف مَملكتي فأَقضيه؟» 3 فأجابَت أستيرُ المَلكةُ: «إنْ حَظيتُ بِرِضاكَ أيُّها المَلِكُ، وإنْ حَسُنَ عِندَكَ فهَبْ لي حياتي مَطلَبا وحياةَ شعبـي مُرادا 4 لأنَّنا مُباعونَ أنا وشعبـي للهَلاكِ والقَتْلِ والإبادَةِ، فلو كُنَّا مُباعينَ عبـيدا وإماءً لَسكَتُّ، لكِنَّ الّذي سيَضطَهِدُنا لا يَقدِرُ أنْ يُعَوِّضَ عَنِ الضّرَرِ الّذي يَلحَقُ بكَ أيُّها المَلِكُ».
5 فقالَ لها المَلِكُ: «مَنْ هوَ وأينَ هوَ؟ وكيفَ يتَجاسَرُ حتّى في قلبِه أنْ يعمَلَ هذا العمَلَ؟» 6 فأجابَت أستيرُ: «هوَ هذا هامانُ الخَبـيثُ مُضطَهِدُنا وعَدُوُّنا».
فارْتعَدَ هامانُ أمامَ المَلِكِ والمَلكةِ. 7 وقامَ المَلِكُ غاضِبا عَنْ مائِدةِ الشَّرابِ إلى حديقَةِ القصرِ، فيما وقَفَ هامانُ يتَوَسَّلُ أسْتِـيرَ المَلِكةَ أنْ تُنقِذَ حياتَهُ مِنَ الشَّرِّ الّذي رأى أنَّ المَلِكَ عازِمٌ على أنْ يُنزِلَه بهِ.
8 ولمَّا رجَعَ المَلِكُ مِنْ حديقَةِ القصرِ إلى مائِدةِ الشَّرابِ وجدَ هامانَ راكِعا على السَّريرِ الّذي تَجلِسُ علَيهِ أستيرُ، فقالَ المَلِكُ: «أيُريدُ أنْ يَغتَصِبَ المَلِكةَ أيضا في بَيتي؟» وحالَما خرَجَ هذا الكَلامُ مِنْ فَمِ المَلِكِ غَطَّوا وجهَ هامانَ.
9 فقالَ حربونةُ، أحدُ الخصيانِ الّذينَ أمامَ المَلِكِ: «ها الخشَبةُ الّتي صنَعَها هامانُ لمُرْدخايَ الّذي تكَلَّمَ بِـخيرٍ في حَقِّ المَلِكِ مَنصوبَةً في بَيتِ هامانَ عُلوُّها خَمسونَ ذِراعا». فقالَ المَلِكُ: «عَلِّقوا هامانَ علَيها». 10 فعلَّقوهُ علَيها، وسكَنَ غضَبُ المَلِكِ.
