Chapter 7: The Sleepless Night

That evening, the king and Haman reclined at Esther's table. The banquet was rich, but Esther spoke no plea. When Xerxes pressed her, she only smiled and invited them to return the next day. The king left curious, Haman left swollen with pride, and Esther returned to her chambers, waiting for the right moment.

But that night, sleep fled from Xerxes. Wine and music could not quiet him, so he ordered the chronicles of his reign to be read aloud. Page after page passed until one entry stirred him awake.

Mordecai. A plot uncovered. A king spared. But no reward given.

XERXES“What honor has been bestowed upon this man?”

SERVANT“Nothing, my lord. Nothing has been done for him.”

At dawn, as the question still weighed heavy, Haman entered the court to ask for Mordecai's death. But before he could speak, Xerxes posed his own question: What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?

Blinded by pride, Haman thought the words were for him. He imagined robes, the king's horse, and public acclaim. But the king commanded otherwise.

XERXES“Do this for Mordecai the Jew. Leave nothing undone.”

Haman's face blanched. His heart crumbled. And yet he obeyed, leading his enemy through the city, proclaiming the honor he had once dreamed for himself.

The gallows waited.

The tables turned.

And the hand of heaven moved in irony too sharp to ignore.