以斯帖記 第七章 Esther 7
- 馬克牧師
- May 18
- 8 min read
各位平安，我們今天要繼續分享《以斯帖記》第七章的內容。
昨天我們講到一個轉折點：哈曼的妻子和朋友突然語氣一變，對他說，如果那個末底改是猶太人，那你是絕對勝不過他的。這句話的潛台詞是——這個人背後有一位更偉大的上帝，而你絕對贏不了那位上帝。
或許他們是在勸哈曼放手，也可能是在暗示他：到這裡就好了，別再繼續對猶太人下手。但就在這個關鍵時刻，又一個「巧合」發生了——王的太監來了，不給他時間多想一下，就催他進宮赴宴。他就暫時把這件事放在一邊，跟著進去參加皇帝和皇后以斯帖設的宴席。
這已經是第二次的宴席了，這時皇帝再次問皇后：「你想要什麼？就算是國家的半壁江山，我也會為你成就！」可以看出，皇帝是真的一心一意想兌現對皇后的承諾。
而這一次，以斯帖不再拐彎抹角，她直接說出來。接下來，就是作者鋪陳已久的大反轉——皇后終於開口，直指仇人就是哈曼本人！皇后這兩節發言是說話藝術的精彩表現，我們需要來仔細分析一下。在第3 - 4節，皇后以斯帖用了非常巧妙的說詞。她是這樣說的：「我若在王眼前蒙恩，王若以為美，我所願的，是願王將我的性命賜給我；我所求的，是求王將我的本族賜給我。 4因我和我的本族被賣了，要剪除殺戮滅絕我們。我們若被賣為奴為婢，我也閉口不言；但王的損失，敵人萬不能補足。」
他開口先是說我若在王眼前蒙恩，若王喜悅的話… 扣著剛剛皇帝已經應許的 “連半壁江山都給你”皇后還是先以“以皇帝的意思為主”這個說法，接著她沒有直接說「救我和我的人民」，而是以「願王將我的性命賜給我」的語氣來表達，這一定引起了皇帝的高度重視。接著她又補充了一句話 —— 如果我們只是被賣為奴為婢，我其實也不會來打擾王。這話聽起來很輕描淡寫，但其實分量很重。意思是：若只是當奴隸，我可以忍（其實也是不行，哪有讓皇后的本族去當奴隸這種事情，也太丟皇帝臉面了），但這件事是關乎性命，是滅族之禍，已經嚴重到無法沉默。
在一些英文譯本（例如國際版）中，和合本裡還有這樣一句致命的收尾：「王的損失敵人萬不能補足。」這句話點得非常巧妙，也非常實際。或許這是在暗示：當初哈曼答應要給王一萬他連得銀子，作為這場滅族行動的代價。而皇帝或許真的收了這筆錢，把它當作進貢的一種。
但現在，以斯帖把王更看重的焦點點出來 —— 這個壞人給再多的錢，也補不回王權失去的民心、社會的穩定，國內的和諧，以及失去的生產力等等。這一切，敵人是無法彌補的。這一句看似輕描淡寫，卻是厲害的一刀，以斯帖以皇帝最看重的皇權和國家穩定為理由，給哈曼扣了一頂國家之敵的大帽子。
所以你看，以斯帖說話的方式有兩個重點：第一，她先表達「若只是為奴，不值得打擾王」，顯出她識大體；第二，她轉向王的角度說話，提醒王：這場陰謀對你自己也有重大損失。這種說話技巧真的值得學習 —— 說話的時候不是把自己所求所想掛在嘴邊，而是先把對方的利益擺在首位，把你所要的事情包裝在為對方的著想之中，從此看出來，以斯帖皇后也是一個相當有智慧有手腕的人。看過甄嬛傳的人應該就知道後宮如戰場，也是需要相當高的智慧才能夠活下來的地方。
這時我們也看見皇帝的昏庸。他甚至不知道到底是哪一個民族被下令要被滅絕。這不是他的命令嗎？怎麼會完全不清楚？也許他當初根本沒放在心上，直到現在，才從皇后口中聽到真相，才真正意識到事態的嚴重性。
而皇帝的第一個反應呢？不是馬上處理，而是——跑去花園散步。他可能需要冷靜一下，思考該怎麼辦。畢竟這件事牽涉到皇后，牽涉到自己的面子和政權。
就在這時，哈曼狗急跳牆了。他開始向他原本打算滅族的對象——以斯帖皇后——跪地求情！
你可以想像那種古裝劇裡的場景，哈曼哭喊著：「皇后饒命，皇后饒命啊！」這位一向不可一世的大臣，如今卻跪倒在皇后面前苦苦哀求。
偏偏就在這時候，皇帝從花園回來，一看到哈曼靠近皇后，以為他居然還敢在宮中對皇后不禮貌！皇帝當下震怒：「這傢伙，竟敢在我面前對皇后無禮！」
可想而知，外頭的侍衛一聽命令就立刻衝進來，把哈曼的頭一蒙，當場押走。從那一刻起，他連解釋的機會都沒了。皇帝正在盛怒之下，這時候又 “巧合” 地有一個太監哈波拿，趁皇帝火氣正大的時候補上一刀：「哈曼為那救王有功的末底改做了五丈高的木架，現今立在哈曼家裏。」這波哈拿消息也太靈通了，哈曼一天前才做好的木架子，他就清楚知道這件事情。而且不是單純知道他做了木架子，他還知道是 ：為那救王有功的末底改做的。看來要嘛就是哈曼實在是太不得人心，連太監也希望他死，或者是哈曼自己太高調太自以為是，做什麼事情話都直接傳出去了。
總的來說，這個資訊來得真及時，結果皇帝直接說：「那就把哈曼掛上去吧！」
這真是一個神反轉，來得又快又狠。哈曼是穿著禮服、帶著尊榮來赴御宴的，結果卻是五花大綁、被處死在自家院子裡。
短短幾個小時，他從為極人臣的高位，跌到將要滿門抄斬的地步，成了欺君的罪犯。這個「迴力鏢」打得又快又準，毫不留情！也看見官場上步步驚心，一步踏錯就從雲端直接跌落到深谷了。
壞人哈曼的命運到此結束，自作自受，故事還沒結束，我們明天繼續以斯帖記看接下來的故事，也介紹了猶太人一個重大節日 - 普珥節的由來。感謝各位的聆聽，願上帝祝福各位。
Peace to you all. Today, we’re continuing with Esther chapter 7.
Yesterday, we reached a turning point. Haman’s wife and friends suddenly changed their tone and said to him, “If Mordecai is a Jew, you will not overcome him.” The implication was clear—this man is backed by a greater God, and you can’t win against that God.
Perhaps they were trying to advise Haman to give up, hinting that it was time to stop targeting the Jews. But right at that critical moment, another "coincidence" happened—the king’s eunuch arrived and summoned Haman to the banquet. He had no time to think it through and temporarily set aside the conversation, following the eunuch to the banquet prepared by the king and Queen Esther.
This was now the second banquet. Once again, the king asked the queen, “What do you want? Even if it’s half the kingdom, I will grant it to you!” Clearly, the king was intent on fulfilling his promise to the queen.
This time, Esther didn’t hold back. She spoke directly. And this leads us to the dramatic reversal that the author has been building toward—Esther finally revealed that the enemy is Haman himself! These two verses from the queen are a masterclass in persuasive speech, and they’re worth examining closely.
In verses 3 and 4, Queen Esther uses extremely thoughtful wording. She says, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, grant me my life—this is my request. Spare my people—this is my desire. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, killed, and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as slaves, I would have remained silent, for no such distress would justify disturbing the king.”
Notice how she begins by deferring to the king’s favor, even though he had already offered her half his kingdom. She humbly says, “If it pleases the king,” rather than outright saying, “Save me.” She says, “Grant me my life”—which surely caught the king’s full attention.
Then she adds, “If we were only sold as slaves, I wouldn’t have said anything.” That sounds modest, but it carries weight. What she’s really saying is: if it were merely slavery, I could endure it (though truthfully, it would be a huge disgrace for the queen’s people to become slaves—definitely a loss of face for the king). But this was about annihilation—this was about survival. It was a genocide.
Some English versions, like the NIV, include an additional phrase: “Because no enemy can compensate for the king’s loss.” That’s a sharp and practical point. Possibly, it refers to the ten thousand talents of silver Haman offered to the king for this massacre. The king may have accepted it as a tribute. But Esther is now pointing out something even more valuable—this money cannot make up for the king’s greater loss.
Esther shifts the focus to what truly matters to the king: the loss of national stability, public trust, social harmony, and economic productivity. No amount of silver can make up for that. This one sentence, subtly delivered, cuts deep. Esther frames Haman not just as a personal enemy, but as an enemy of the state.
So we see two key elements in Esther’s speech: first, she shows tact by saying if it were only slavery, she wouldn’t trouble the king. Second, she speaks from the king’s perspective, pointing out that this plot causes him great loss. This kind of wisdom in communication is worth learning—it's not about pushing your own needs first, but about framing your request around the benefit of the listener. Esther demonstrates political and emotional intelligence worthy of someone navigating palace life—like those you’d see in palace dramas, where only the wisest survive.
This scene also reveals the king’s incompetence. He didn’t even know which people were condemned by his decree. It was his order—how could he be unaware? Maybe he never gave it much thought. Only now, hearing it from Esther, did he grasp the seriousness of the situation.
And his first reaction? Not immediate action, but a walk in the garden—likely to cool off and figure out how to deal with the mess, since this involved his queen and his own authority.
Meanwhile, Haman panicked. He began pleading with the very person he had planned to annihilate—Queen Esther.
Imagine the scene like in a historical drama: Haman kneeling and crying, “Spare me, my queen! Have mercy!” This once all-powerful man now grovels at the queen’s feet.
And just then, the king returns. He sees Haman close to the queen and assumes the worst—that Haman dared to assault her in the palace! The king erupts: “How dare this man touch the queen right in my house!”
Naturally, the guards rush in and cover Haman’s head—no room for explanation. The king is furious. And then, another “coincidence”—one of the eunuchs, Harbona, conveniently adds fuel to the fire: “Haman prepared a 75-foot-high gallows at his home to hang Mordecai—the man who saved the king!”
How did Harbona know this so quickly? Either Haman was so unpopular that even the eunuchs were glad to see him fall, or he had been so arrogant and loud that everyone heard what he was planning. Either way, the timing was impeccable.
The king instantly orders, “Hang him on it!”
What a divine reversal—swift and brutal. Haman came dressed in honor for a royal banquet, and left in disgrace, executed in his own backyard.
Within hours, he fell from the king’s right-hand man to a condemned traitor, facing the full wrath of the throne. That boomerang came back hard and fast!
We see how dangerous the political arena was—one misstep, and you’re down from glory to the grave.
Haman’s end was well deserved. But the story doesn’t end here. Tomorrow, we’ll continue with Esther and learn about the origin of the Jewish festival of Purim.
Thanks for listening. May God bless you all.
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