ES-THER AT SHUS-HAN.
And when the king saw her, God put it in-to his heart to be kind, and he held out to her the gold wand that was in his hand. And the queen drew near, and touched the tip of the wand.
Then the king said, What wilt thou, Queen Es-ther? and what wouldst thou ask of me? Were it half of my realm I would give it to thee.
The queen said, If it please the king, I would like him and Ha-man to come this day to a feast I have made for them.
And the king bade Ha-man make haste, and they both went to the feast. And while they drank the wine the king told the queen to make known her wish.
But she put him off and said she would tell him the next day, if he and Ha-man would come to the feast that she would spread for them.
And Ha-man's heart was full of pride, since the queen chose him and no one else to feast with her and the king. And when he went out he felt that all men ought to bow down to him. But Mor-de-ca-i would not. And Ha-man told all his friends how kind the king and queen were to him, and what high rank he held, and said that his life would be full of joy if it were not for the Jew at the king's gate.
Ha-man's wife told him to fix a rope to a tall tree, and speak to the king the next day and have him hang the Jew. And Ha-man made a slip-noose at the end of a rope, and had the rope made fast to a tall tree.
Now that night the king could not sleep. And he sent for the book in which was put down all that took place in the realm, and had it read to him. And when he who read came to the part which told what Mor-de-ca-i had done to save the king's life, the king said, How has Mor-de-ca-i been paid for this deed?