📖 Esther — Chapter 6 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
Esther 6:1 On Rthat night Tcould not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.
Esther 6:2 And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of RTBigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s chamberlains, the keepers of the Tdoor, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.
Esther 6:3 And the king said, RWhat honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.
Esther 6:4 And the king said, RWho is in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king’s house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.
Esther 6:5 And the king’s servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in.
Esther 6:6 So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man RTwhom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?
Esther 6:7 And Haman answered the king, For the man RTwhom the king delighteth to honour,
Esther 6:8 RTLet the royal apparel be brought Twhich the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head:
Esther 6:9 And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and Tbring him on horseback through the street of the city, and Rproclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.
Esther 6:10 Then the king said to Haman, RMake haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king’s gate: Tlet nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.
Esther 6:11 Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, Rand arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour.
Esther 6:12 And Mordecai Rcame again to the king’s gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.
Esther 6:13 And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then Rsaid his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.
Esther 6:14 And while they were yet talking with him, came the king’s chamberlains, and Rhasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
Esther 6:1–5 — A forgotten service remembered
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Unable to sleep, the king has the royal records read and discovers Mordecai's unrewarded service. Haman arrives intending to request Mordecai's death at this same moment. The sequence creates the story's reversal. Readers may see providential purpose in the timing, while recognizing that the narrator records events without explicitly naming God here.
Key Truth: Faithful service may matter beyond its immediate recognition.
Check What You Remember
1. Why were the records read that night? (Esther 6:1)
Find it in Esther 6:1 (KJV).
2. Whose service had not been honored? (Esther 6:3)
Find it in Esther 6:3 (KJV).
3. Who had just arrived in the outer court? (Esther 6:4)
Find it in Esther 6:4 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Esther 6:6–11 — Haman's expectation overturned
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Haman assumes the proposed honor must be for himself and describes a public royal display. The king instead orders him to give it to Mordecai. His self-centered expectation becomes a humiliating duty. The account exposes the fragility of pride that assumes every favorable opportunity must confirm its own importance.
Key Truth: Do not let pride decide what every situation means.
Check What You Remember
1. Whom did Haman assume the king meant to honor? (Esther 6:6)
Find it in Esther 6:6 (KJV).
2. Whom did the king actually name? (Esther 6:10)
Find it in Esther 6:10 (KJV).
3. Who led Mordecai through the city in honor? (Esther 6:11)
Find it in Esther 6:11 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Esther 6:12–14 — The reversal deepens
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Mordecai returns to the gate, while Haman goes home mourning. His wife and advisers now predict that he will fall before Mordecai. Before the conversation ends, he is hurried to Esther's banquet. The danger he designed for another is beginning to close around his own position.
Key Truth: Consider where destructive plans may finally lead.
Check What You Remember
1. Where did Mordecai return? (Esther 6:12)
Find it in Esther 6:12 (KJV).
2. How did Haman go home? (Esther 6:12)
Find it in Esther 6:12 (KJV).
3. To whose banquet was he hurried? (Esther 6:14)
Find it in Esther 6:14 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Proverbs 29:23 — The proverb contrasts pride's humiliation with honor for the humble.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
How can you remain faithful without assuming recognition must come immediately?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. What information does the sleepless king discover in the records?
2. How does Haman’s purpose in coming differ from the king’s question?
3. What assumption shapes Haman’s recommended honours?
4. How does the king’s instruction reverse Haman’s expectation?
5. What follows the public honouring for the two men?
Notes
Write what you want to remember, questions to explore, or Scriptures to look up later. Your saved notes are private to your account.
Loading your notes…
Chapter Navigation