And the king said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee.
Parallel translations
- WEB The king said to Haman, “The silver is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.”
- BSB “Keep your money,” said the king to Haman. “These people are given to you to do with them as you please.”
- NKJV And the king said to Haman, “The money and the people are given to you, to do with them as seems good to you.”
- NASB And the king said to Haman, “The silver is yours, and the people also, to do with them as you please.”
- NLT The king said, “The money and the people are both yours to do with as you see fit.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The king tells Haman to keep his silver and do as he pleases with the people. He carelessly consigns a whole nation to destruction.
Overview
Ahasuerus's casual approval, dismissing both the money and the lives at stake, exposes a ruler indifferent to justice and human life. He hands over an entire people without inquiry. The king's reckless cruelty heightens the peril, setting the stage for the deliverance only God can bring through the courage of Esther and Mordecai.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Jer 40:4And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which were upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come; and I will look well unto thee: but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear: behold, all the land is before thee: whither it seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go.
- Jer 26:14As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you.
- Luke 23:25And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.
- Ps 73:7Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Though God is never named, his hidden hand preserves the people from whom the Messiah will come — a deliverance 'for such a time as this' that anticipates the open deliverance of Christ.
How Esther 3:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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