Humillación y muerte de Amán
1El rey y Amán fueron al banquete de la reina Ester, 2y al segundo día, mientras brindaban, el rey le preguntó otra vez:
―Dime qué deseas, reina Ester, y te lo concederé. ¿Cuál es tu petición? ¡Aun cuando fuera la mitad del reino, te la concedería!
3Ester respondió:
―Si me he ganado el favor del rey, y si le parece bien, mi deseo es que me conceda la vida. Mi petición es que se compadezca de mi pueblo. 4Porque a mí y a mi pueblo se nos ha vendido para exterminio, muerte y aniquilación. Si solo se nos hubiera vendido como esclavos, yo me habría quedado callada, pues tal angustia no sería motivo suficiente para inquietar al rey.7:4 pues … rey. Alt. pero la compensación que nuestro adversario ofrece no puede compararse con la pérdida que sufriría el rey.
5El rey le preguntó:
―¿Y quién es ese que se ha atrevido a concebir semejante barbaridad? ¿Dónde está?
6―¡El adversario y enemigo es este miserable Amán! —respondió Ester.
Amán quedó aterrorizado ante el rey y la reina. 7El rey se levantó enfurecido, dejó de beber y salió al jardín del palacio. Pero Amán, dándose cuenta de que el rey ya había decidido su fin, se quedó para implorarle a la reina Ester que le perdonara la vida.
8Cuando el rey volvió del jardín del palacio a la sala del banquete, Amán estaba inclinado sobre el diván donde Ester estaba recostada. Al ver esto, el rey exclamó:
―¡Y todavía se atreve este a violar a la reina en mi presencia y en mi casa!
Tan pronto como el rey pronunció estas palabras, cubrieron el rostro de Amán. 9Y Jarboná, uno de los eunucos que atendían al rey, dijo:
―Hay una estaca de veinticinco metros7:9 veinticinco metros. Lit. cincuenta codos. de altura, junto a la casa de Amán. Él mandó colocarla para Mardoqueo, el que intervino en favor del rey.
―¡Colgadlo en ella! —ordenó el rey.
10De modo que colgaron a Amán en la estaca que él había mandado levantar para Mardoqueo. Con eso se aplacó la furia del rey.
Haman Is Put to Death
1So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s feast. 2They were drinking wine on the second day. The king again asked, “What do you want, Queen Esther? I’ll give it to you. What do you want me to do for you? I’ll even give you up to half of my kingdom.”
3Then Queen Esther answered, “Your Majesty, I hope you will be pleased to let me live. That’s what I want. Please spare my people. That’s my appeal to you. 4My people and I have been sold to be destroyed. We’ve been sold to be killed and wiped out. Suppose we had only been sold as male and female slaves. Then I wouldn’t have said anything. That kind of suffering wouldn’t be a good enough reason to bother you.”
5King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is the man who has dared to do such a thing? And where is he?”
6Esther said, “The man hates us! He’s our enemy! He’s this evil Haman!”
Then Haman was terrified in front of the king and queen. 7The king got up. He was very angry. He left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman realized that the king had already decided what he was going to do to him. So he stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life.
8The king returned from the palace garden to the dinner hall. Just then he saw Haman falling on the couch where Esther was lying.
The king shouted, “Will he even treat the queen like this? Will he harm her while she’s right here with me in the palace?”
As soon as the king finished speaking, his men covered Haman’s face. 9Then Harbona said, “There’s a pole standing near Haman’s house. He has prepared it for Mordecai. Mordecai is the one who spoke up to help you. Haman had planned to have him put to death. He was going to have the pole stuck through his body. Then he was going to set it up at a place where it would be 75 feet above the ground.” Harbona was one of the officials who attended the king.
The king said to his men, “Put Haman to death! Stick the pole through his body! Set it up where everyone can see it!” 10So they did. And they used the pole Haman had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s anger calmed down.
