o OS CY 9 And let this Apparel and horſe be delivered tothe hand of one of the kings moſt noble princes, that they may array the man zhal, whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horſeback, through the , 1.4 principal ſtreets of the city, and proclaim before him, cauſe tm Thus jhall ic be done unto the man whom the king de- # ride. ughreth ro honour, 2 1,e, Cauſe this to beproclaimed, to wit, by ſome publick Of ficer appointed for that fervice. Compare Ger. 41. 43» 10 Then the king laid unto Haman, make haſte, and cake the Apparel, and the horſe, as thou haſt ſaid, and do.even ſoto Mordecai the Jew, that ſicteth at the kings gate : Þ let nothing fail of all that thou haft ſpoken. + Heb. ſuf It Then took Haman the Apparel, and the horſe, ;.. ,., and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horſeback whirrfa!; through the ſtreet of the city, and proclaimed « before him, Thus ſhall it be done unto the man whom the king delighterh to honour, : 4 Either himſelf, Or by the Officer. 12 And Mordecai came again to the kings gate b: buc Haman hafted to his houſe, mourning ard having his head covered c. 6 To his former place and Office 3 ſhewing that as he was not 0+ verwhelmed by Hamar's threats and malicious deſign, as appears by chap. 5.9.” SO now he was not Puffed up with all this honour. Be- ſides, he came thirher to attend the ifſue of the main buſineſs, and to be at hand to aſlzſt or encourage the Queen, ifneed were: which now he was more capable of doing, than hitherto ke had been. c In token of his ſhame and grief for his unexpe&ed, and great diſ- appointment of his hope and defire, and for the great honour done ro his moſt diſpiſed and abhorred Adverſary, and this by his own hands, and with his own publick diſgrace 3 and for ſuch further Inconvenicnces as this unlucky Omen ſeemed to preſage to him. 13 And Haman told Zereſh his wife, and all his friends, every thing that had befallen him. Then ſaid his wiſe mens, and Zereſh his wife unto him, If Mor- ecai be of the {ccd of the Jewse, before whom thou haſt begun to fall, thou ſhalt not preveil againſt him, bur (halc ſurely fall before him f. d4 The Magicians, whom after the Perſian manner he had called rogether to conſulr with upon this great and ſtrange emergency. e Which they were told, and was generally ſuppoied, bur they were not intallibly ture of it. f This they concluded, cither +, By oo of policy, becauſe Haman's reputation and intereſt was hcre= by tinking,and Apraecai ( whom they underſtood to be a Man of great Witom and Courage, and Governmeart of himſelf) was new got in= to the Kings favour, and thereby was likeiy togain an opportunity. vi
| Chap. V1, "c
a
/
him
| Ftp
+ Heb. Fo
drink,
* Ch: 5:6:
* (Ck: 3:9. fHeb.chat thy ſbould fefiroy and bll, aud reuſe to
qoiſb.
{ Heb.” whoſe heart hath filled
him.
} Heb.the man adyer= Jary.
THeb. Ha man the wicked, |Or,at the
reſence of
(Heb With Mg
Jews within his Dominions.
VII. E-£ 7
ofmaking his Addreſſes to the King, who being of a mild diſpoſi- tion, might eaſily be moved to a diſlike (if not revecation) of his own bloody Decree,and conſequently to adeteſtation of that perſon who had procured it. Or, 2. By former experience,and the obſer- vation of God's extraordinary attions on the behalfof the Jews,and againſt their Enemies in this very Court and Kingdom. Or, 3. By inſtin# and inſpiration to their minds, either from God, who might ſuggeſt this ro rhem, as hedid other things to other wicked men Balaam, Cajaphas, &Cc+ for his own greater Glory, and the good of his people : or from the devil, who, by God's premiſſion, might khow this, and reveal it to them who ſought to him in their ſuper- flitious and idolatrous methods. :- 14 And wiule they were yet talking with him, came the kings chamberlains,8 haſted co bring Hamang un- to the banquet that Eſther had prepared, ' g Who was now ſlack to go thither, by reaſon of the great de- jection of his own mind, and the fear of a worſe entertainment from the King and Queen than he had formerly received.
CH AP. VIL
Eſther makeih a Petition for her own and her Peoples life, ' 3. She accuſeth Haman, who had determined to defiroy the Jews, 4. Haman is afraid, 5. the King im his anger, 6 --——- 8. being informed of the Ga'/lows which Haran had built for Moraccat, cauſeth him to be hanged thereen, 9, 10.
Qg2 the king and Heman came 7 to banquet with
Eſther the queens
2 And the king ſaid again to Eſther, on the ſecond
day, * at che banquet of wine «, What 3s thy pecition, queen Efther ? and it (ball be granted thee : and what | zs thy requeſt ? and it ſhall be performed, eves co the half of the kingdoms.
a Soitis called to note that it was not deſigned for a Feaſt to fill their bellies, bur rather for a Banquet to delight and pleaſe their Palates with Wine and other Delicacies3z fee on chap. 5» 8,
2 Then Eſther the Queen anſwered and ſaid, If I have found favour in thy tight, O king, andif it pleaſe the king, let my life be given 1ve at my petirion v, and | my people c at my requeſt.
þ It is my humble and only requeſt, That thou wouldft not give me up to the malice of that Man thar deſigns toitake away my life, | and will certainly do it, if thou doit not prevent it c And the lives ( which is catlily ſupplied our of the tore-going branch) of my People the Jews, of whom 1am deſcended.
4 For we are * fold d, I and my people e, Þ to be deſtroyed, to be ſlain,and to periſh f: but if we had been ſold for bond-men, and bond-women, I had held my tongue g, although the enemy could not countervail the kings damage b.
d By the craft and cruelty of that man who offered a great Sum of Money to purchaſe our deſtruttion. e For we are all given up to his malice and rage, without any exception of my own Perſon. f She uſeth varicty of expreſſions to make the deeper impreſſion u- pon the King's mind: g Becauſe that Calamity had neitherbeen ir- recoverable, nor intolerable, nor yet unprofitable to the King for whoſe honour and ſervice, I ſhould willingly have ſubmitted my {elf and People to any kind of bondage. þ His ten thoutand Talents, if paid into the King's treaſury, woul4 nor repair the King's loſs in the Cuſtoms and Tributes which the King receives from the
5 Then the king Ahaſuerus anſwered and ſaid unto | Eſther the queen, Who zs he ? and where is he zF that durft preſume in his heart to do ſo & ?