The King Honors Mordecai

The king cannot sleep, has the chronicles read, and learns Mordecai was never rewarded. Haman, arriving to request his execution, is asked how to honor a man — describes his own dream, then must lead Mordecai through the streets proclaiming it. His household sees his ruin coming.

Chapter 6.

That night, sleep escaped the king; he ordered the record book—the chronicles—brought and read to him. It was found written that Mordecai reported Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs guarding the threshold, who sought to assassinate King Xerxes. The king asked, "What honor and greatness has Mordecai received for this?" His attendants replied, "Nothing was done for him."

"Who is in the court?" the king asked. Haman had entered the palace's outer court to ask him to hang Mordecai on the gallows he'd prepared.

The king's attendants told him, "Haman is standing in the court." "Bring him in," the king said.

Haman entered. The king asked, "What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?" Haman thought, "Who would the king delight to honor more than me?"

So Haman said to the king, "For the man the king delights to honor, let them bring a royal robe the king has worn, a horse he has ridden, and a royal crown for its head. Give the robe and horse to one of the king's noble officials. Dress the man the king delights to honor, parade him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him, 'This is done for the man the king delights to honor!'"

"Hurry," the king said to Haman, "take the robe and horse as you said, and do so for Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate. Omit nothing you said."

Haman took the robe and horse, dressed Mordecai, paraded him on horseback through the city square, calling before him, "This is done for the man the king delights to honor."

Afterward Mordecai returned to the king's gate, but Haman rushed home, mourning, with his head covered. Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened. His advisers and wife Zeresh said, "Since Mordecai, before whom you've begun to fall, is Jewish, you can't defeat him—you will surely fall before him." While still speaking with him, the king's eunuchs arrived, rushing Haman to Esther's prepared banquet.