1. Three days later, Esther dressed in her royal robes and went to the inner court of the palace in front of the throne. The king was sitting there, facing the open doorway.
2. He was happy to see Esther, and he held out the gold sceptre to her.When Esther came up and touched the tip of the sceptre,
3. the king said, “Esther, what brings you here? Just ask, and I will give you as much as half of my kingdom.”
4. Esther answered, “Your Majesty, please come with Haman to a dinner I will prepare for you later today.”
5. The king said to his servants, “Hurry and get Haman, so we can accept Esther's invitation.”The king and Haman went to Esther's dinner,
6. and while they were drinking wine, the king asked her, “What can I do for you? Just ask, and I will give you as much as half of my kingdom.”
7-8. Esther replied, “Your Majesty, if you really care for me and are willing to do what I want, please come again tomorrow with Haman to the dinner I will prepare for you. At that time I will answer Your Majesty's question.”
9. Haman was feeling great as he left. But when he saw Mordecai at the palace gate, he noticed that Mordecai did not stand up or show him any respect. This made Haman really angry,
10. but he did not say a thing.When Haman got home, he called together his friends and his wife Zeresh