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Esther 5:1-14

If I Perish, I Perish

Lyrics · Esther

If I Perish, I Perish

Esther 5:1-14

Lyrics

About this song

About this song

This song belongs to the Esther collection. One recording is available to play here, with the complete lyrics below.

Bible book
Esther
Collection
Esther
Musical styles
Alternative Pop
[Verse 1] On the third day Esther dresses in royal apparel. Ahasuerus sees Esther and grants her favor. He offers to grant her request even to half the kingdom. Haman is hurried into the first banquet with Ahasuerus. [Pre-Chorus] The doors were shut, the sentence had been sealed, Then one brave step brought hidden things revealed. [Chorus] If I Perish, I Perish, the chamber held its breath, A sealed decree could turn a realm to death. Yet courage crossed the threshold of the throne, And hidden providence made justice known. [Verse 2] At the gate Mordecai neither rises nor trembles before him. Haman restrains his rage until he reaches home. He summons his friends and Zeresh his wife. He boasts that Esther invited no other man to her banquets. [Bridge] Haman admits that every honour means nothing while Mordecai sits at the gate. Zeresh and the friends advise building a gallows fifty cubits high. They urge Haman to seek Mordecai's execution before attending the banquet. The counsel pleases Haman, and the gallows is constructed. [Final Chorus] If I Perish, I Perish, the chamber held its breath, A sealed decree could turn a realm to death. Yet courage crossed the threshold of the throne, And hidden providence made judgment known. [Outro] The gate stood open after fear had fled. Justice remembered every word that had been said.

Named in this songEstherHamanMordecai

About the passage

Esther 5: An invitation that Haman misunderstands

Esther acts on the decision made in the previous chapter. Dressed in royal apparel, she enters the inner court, is seen by Ahasuerus, and receives the extended sceptre that allows her to approach. The king offers extravagant generosity, but Esther’s immediate request is simply that he and Haman attend a banquet she has already prepared. At the meal, Ahasuerus asks again for her petition, and she answers with another invitation, promising to speak the next day. The Book of Esther does not explain her private reason for delaying, but the interval creates the night on which the central reversal will begin. Haman meanwhile leaves delighted, then sees Mordecai still refusing him honour. At home he lists his wealth, children, promotion, and exclusive invitations, only to declare that all of it means nothing while Mordecai remains. His household answers with a towering execution structure, and Haman approves.

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