Esther Pleads for Her People

1And whan the kynge and Aman came to the bancket that quene Hester had prepared, 2the kynge sayde vnto Hester on the seconde daye whan he had droken wyne: What is thy peticion quene Hester, that it maye be geuen the? And what requyrest thou? Yee axe euen halfe of the empyre, and it shal be done. 3Hester ye quene answered and sayde: Yf I haue founde grace in thy sighte (O kynge) and yf it please the kynge, then graunte me my lyfe at my desyre and my people for my peticions sake: 4for we are solde to be destroyed, to be slayne, and to perishe. And wolde God we were solde to be bondmen and bondwemen, then wolde I holde my tonge, so shulde not the enemye be so hye to the kynges harme. 5The kynge Ahasuerus spake & saide vnto quene Hester: What is he that? Or where is he yt darre presume in his mynde to do soch a thinge after that maner? 6Hester sayde: The enemye and aduersary is this wicked Aman. As for Ama, he was exceadingly afraied before ye kynge & ye quene.

The Hanging of Haman

7And the kynge arose fro the bancket & fro ye wyne in his displeasure, and wente in to the palace garden. And Aman stode vp, and besoughte quene Hester for his life: for he sawe yt there was a mischauce prepared for him of the kynge allready. 8And whan the kynge came agayne out of the palace garden in to ye parler where they had eaten, Aman had layed him vpon the bed that Hester sat vpon. Then saide the kinge: wyl he force the quene also besyde me in the house? As soone as that worde wente out of the kynges mouth, they couered Amans face. 9And Harbona one of the chamberlaynes that stode before the kynge, sayde Beholde, there stondeth a galowe in Amas house fiftie cubytes hye, which he had made for Mardocheus, that spake good for ye kinge. The kynge sayde: Hange him theron. 10So they hanged Aman on the galowe that he had made for Mardocheus. Then was the kynges wrath stylled.