The story takes its sharpest turn on a sleepless night. King Artaxerxes could not sleep, so he ordered his servants to read the royal chronicles aloud. They happened upon the entry about Mordecai uncovering the assassination plot. "What honor has been given to this man?" the king asked. "Nothing," came the answer.
At that exact moment, Haman arrived at court—planning to ask the king's permission to hang Mordecai. Before he could speak, the king asked him: "What should be done for the man whom the king wishes to honor?" Haman, certain the king meant him, described the most lavish honor he could imagine: dress the man in the king's robes, set him on the king's horse, and have a nobleman lead him through the streets proclaiming his glory.
"Excellent," said the king. "Do all of this for Mordecai the Jew."
Josephus records that Haman was stunned. He had no choice but to lead his mortal enemy through the streets of Shushan on the king's horse, shouting his praises. When it was over, Haman went home in humiliation and told his wife everything. She replied that since Mordecai was of the Jewish nation, Haman's downfall had already begun.
At Esther's banquet that evening, the queen finally revealed her secret: she was Jewish, and Haman's decree would kill her along with her people. The king was furious. He stormed into the garden; Haman threw himself on Esther's couch to beg for mercy, which the king mistook for an assault on the queen. Haman was hanged on the very gallows he had built for Mordecai—fifty cubits high. The Jews were granted permission to defend themselves, and on the day appointed for their destruction, they struck down seventy-five thousand of their enemies. This is why the festival of Purim is celebrated to this day.