1 SO the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen.

2 And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? [ The King asks Ester what it is that she wants again, Now this is the third time he has done this. ] and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom. [ What would half of the kingdom mean if you have a death sentence hanging over your head when it is found out that you are a jew? ]

3 Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request: [ The King has to be wondering what do you mean my people. We are all one people we are all Persians right? ]

4  For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, [ The King has to be wondering what is she talking about I do not understand here. ] to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, [ If it were only to be made slaves I would not have said anything. But the decree of death I feel that I need to speak up. Slaves at least remain alive and with life God can work his mircale as he has in the past for and with us. Buit with death that is not possible. ] although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage.

5 ¶ Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? [ The King tells Ester who is it that would imagine to do such a thing? ]

6 And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. [ The plot just shifted, everything has now changed. ]

7 ¶ And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: [ The King goes out side to cool off and to contemplate what he has allowed to happen. My right hand man has gone against my wife the queen and her people. ] and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.

8 Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. [ Haman is pleading for his own preservation. What is that going to look like to the King when he comes back from the garden. Haman on the bed with the queen. ] Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? [ It is bad enough that you wanted to kill my wife but now are you trying to force yourself upon her first? This is interesting as well as a few chapters ago (Chapter 1) the King was more than happy to force his wife (Vashti) to show off in front of the men he invited to drink with him and now he is upset at just one man forcing himself on his wife. ] As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.

9 And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, [ Make sure that you do not overlook the gallows that Haman built to kill Mordecai. Let's put them to good use by hanging Haman on them. ] who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon.

10 so they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified.