the banquer that I ſhall prepare for them, and 1 1 ll dott®
to morrow as the king hath 1aid 7.
4 CV 3 g-]
ww
T H- found,
17 do Mordecai f werit his way, and did according t Heb.
ſter put on her * royal apparel b, and ſtood in the* Ch. 8 inner court of the kings houſe, over againſt the kings & 8. 15]
Chap 8. & 7
Efther ? and what is thy requeſt ? * it (ball be even "$60 . 23"
Chap! and thy want of Love to God, and to his and thy own People. r It is probable God hath raiſed thee ro this Honour for this very Seas ſon; and therefore go on couragiouſly,and doubt not of the Succeſs:
15 Then Eſther bad 1h return Mordecai his an-
j
1 |
j |
1
|
4
| | | f |
: : ;
: :
| | | | | | |
'# "FT
| g I will arquaint thee with my humble requeſr. She did not preſent her petition ar this time, bur delayed it till the next _
- 3ng5 either rhrough modeſty, or becauſe the was a little daunte - with the Kings preience, and had nor yet geod courzge to propoſe her requeſt: or in policy, becauſe ſhe would further engage the Kings affeQtion ro her by a ſecondentertainment, and would alfo in- timate to him that her petition was of a more than ordinary Nature: and principally by dire&tion and diſpoſition of the divine Pro- vidence, which took away her eourage or utteranc? for this time, that the might have a berter opporrunity for it the nexr t1ume, by that great accident which happencd betore it. | 9 Then went Flaman torth that day, joyful, and with a glad heart : but when Hamanſaw Mordecai in the kings gate, that he ſtood not up, nor moved for
him þ, he was full of indignation againſt Mordecai.
þ Partly leſt he ſhould ſeem, or be interpreted to give him that
- adoration which he hitherto had juſtly denied - partly becauſe by his bloody and barbarous deſign and praice, he had pur off all hu- manity, and forfeited all reſpe& 3 and partly to ſhew how little he feared him, and that be had a firm contidence in his God that he would deliver him and his people in this great exigency 3 which he was the more encouraged to hope, becauſe God had inclined Efther s heart to that pious and valiant reſolution of interceeding with the
King, which he doubred not would mect with good ſucceſs.
io Nevertheleſs, Haman refrained nimſelf 3, and -b.cay. When he came home, he ſent and 7 called for his friends,
770 come. and Zerch bis wife. Ef |
; From taking preſent vengeance upon Mordecar, to which he was ſtrongly inclined,and which he might cafily have effeed, cither by his own, or any of his Servants hands, without any expettati- on, or fear of inconvenience to himlelf, who having obtained li- cence todeſtroy a wholeNation,could eaſily get a pardon for having killed one obſcure and infamous Mcmber of it., Herein therefore Gods wiſe and powerful Providence appeared in diipoting Hamzns heart, contrary to his own inclination and intereſt, and making him, as it were to put Fetters upon his own hands. Ede
1t And Haman told them of the glory of his rich- es &, and the multitude of his Children, and all zhe things wherein the king had pgromored him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and ſervants of the king.
& Partly to gratifie his own vainglorious humour, and partly to aggravate Mordecai's impudence in denying him civil reſpeQ, and to alleviate his own vexation cauſed by 1t.
12 Haman faid moreover, Yea, Eſther the queen gid
that ſhe had prepared, but my felt; and to morrew
am TI invited unto her alſo with the king /. I Thus he makes that matter of glorying which was deſigned , for, and the occaſion of his utter ruine. $0 ignorant are the wi- | ſeſt Men, and ſubje& to fatal miſtakzs, rejoicing when they have moſt cauſe of fear and grief, and forrowing for taole things which ' tend to joy and comfort. | : 13 Yet all this availeth me nothing mz, fo long as I
ſee Mordecai the Jew ſitting at the kings gate ». m i. e, Gives me no content. Such torment did his envy and malice bring upon him. » Enjoying that honour and priviledge
place, and by the Kings command : though this Jaft, and the chief cauſe of his rage, he was ſomewhat aſhamed to expreſs. Either Mor- ca: was come, h&ing laid by his ſackcloth for this rime,thar he mighr be in a capaciry of coming thither, and {o of underſtanding how matters proceeded. Beſides, this was a private Faſt, and ſo he was not obliged always to wear his ſackcloth in publick,during the whole time of the Faſt, though he did once come abroad with it,that rhe cauſe of it might be publickly known,and fo'come to Efher's cars. | 14 Then ſaid Zereſh his wite, and all his friends un-
Heb. ere. © him, Let a | gailows be made of fifty cubits high o,
| and to morrow ipeak thou unto the king, that Mor-
decaimay be hanged thereon : then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleaſed
*Chap.7-9+ Haman, and he cauſed * the Gallows to be made.
o That it might be more conſpicuous to all. and thereby be more diſgraceful to Mord:cai, and ftrike all Haman's Enemies with the great dread of deſpiſing or oppoling him.
CHEAP. VL. ” Ahaſuerus's ſleep being taken from him,commands the Chronicles to be vead, J. And reading of Mordecai's diſcovery of the Plot againſt his Life, asks
what Honour had been done to him, 2, 3. Haman coming to the King to
have mordecai hanged, unawares gives gcounſel to hononr him, 4—1 1.
Haman telling his Friends what had b:fallen h.m, is foretold of his final
Tuine, 12,13. Heis call d to Efther's banquet, 14.
+ Heb. a
bb N that night F could not the king ſleep &, and he +» Sang commanded to bring the book of records of the