Hamã é enforcado
1O rei e Hamã foram juntos ao banquete de Ester. 2De novo, chegado o momento de servir os vinhos, o rei perguntou-lhe: “O que é que pretendes, rainha Ester, qual é o teu desejo? Seja o que for que pedires, dar-to-ei, até metade do meu reino!”
3A rainha disse então: “Ó rei, se realmente caí nas tuas boas graças, e se bem te parecer, peço-te que salves a minha vida e a do meu povo! Porque tanto eu como o meu povo fomos vendidos a quem nos quer destruir. 4Estamos condenados a sermos liquidados, assassinados e exterminados. Se ao menos fôssemos vendidos como escravos e escravas, talvez me calasse, visto que o prejuízo causado ao rei não seria de grande monta.”
5“De quem é que estás a falar? Quem é esse cujo coração procura atentar contra a tua vida?”
6“O nosso inimigo é este perverso Hamã!”, respondeu Ester. Hamã empalideceu de terror perante os dois. 7O rei levantou-se furioso e retirou-se para o jardim do palácio.
Hamã, entretanto, tentava proteger a sua vida junto de Ester, implorando-lhe que o salvasse, pois sabia que estava perdido. 8Hamã lançou-se de joelhos junto ao leito em que a rainha se reclinava, no momento em que o rei regressava dos jardins do palácio. “Será que, ainda por cima, queria abusar da rainha debaixo do meu teto!”, exclamou o rei. E ordenou imediatamente a sua morte. Os ajudantes do rei apressaram-se a colocar sobre o seu rosto o véu de condenado.
9Harbona, um dos eunucos do palácio lembrou: “Majestade, Hamã acabou de mandar erguer uma forca de 25 metros para enforcar Mardoqueu, o homem que salvou a vossa vida! Essa forca ainda lá está, junto à casa dele.”
“Enforquem-no lá”, ordenou o soberano. 10Assim fizeram e a ira do rei apaziguou-se.
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.
