And Esther replied, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet I have prepared for the king.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Esther said, “If it seems good to the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”
- KJV And Esther answered, If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him.
- BSB “If it pleases the king,” Esther replied, “may the king and Haman come today to the banquet I have prepared for the king.”
- NKJV So Esther answered, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”
- NASB Esther said, “If it pleases the king, may the king and Haman come this day to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”
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
Rather than ask outright, Esther invites the king and Haman to a banquet she has prepared. Her shrewd patience begins to unfold a careful plan.
Overview
Esther wisely delays her petition, drawing the king and her enemy together in a controlled setting. Her measured strategy reflects prudence under pressure, trusting timing as much as boldness. The unfolding plan illustrates how God often works deliverance through human wisdom exercised in faith.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Prov 29:11A fool vents all of his anger, but a wise man brings himself under control.
- Esth 5:8If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I will prepare for them, and I will do tomorrow as the king has said.”
- 1 Cor 14:20Brothers, don’t be children in thoughts, yet in malice be babies, but in thoughts be mature.
- Esth 3:15The couriers went out in haste by the king’s commandment, and the decree was given out in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city of Shushan was perplexed.
- Ps 112:5It is well with the man who deals graciously and lends. He will maintain his cause in judgment.
- Gen 27:25He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless you.” He brought it near to him, and he ate. He brought him wine, and he drank.
- Gen 32:20You shall say, ‘Not only that, but behold, your servant, Jacob, is behind us.’” For, he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face. Perhaps he will accept me.”
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 5:4 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.