A local beggar named Arnaeus, nicknamed Irus because he runs errands like Iris, the messenger of the gods, arrives at the palace. He is big but weak and greedy, and he tells the disguised Odysseus to leave the doorway or be dragged out. Odysseus warns him that there is room for both of them and that he should not provoke a fight. Antinous, delighted, proposes a boxing match between the two beggars. The winner will get a goat's stomach stuffed with fat and blood, along with the right to eat with the suitors, and no other beggar will be allowed to come there. Odysseus asks the suitors to swear that no one will interfere on Irus's side, and Telemachus guarantees the fairness of the match.
When Odysseus tucks up his rags, the suitors are amazed to see his powerful thighs, broad shoulders, and strong arms, which Athena has enlarged. Irus trembles and tries to back out, but Antinous threatens to send him to King Echetus, who cuts off noses and ears. Odysseus considers whether to strike Irus dead or knock him down gently. He decides on a lighter blow so the suitors will not suspect him. Irus hits his shoulder, and then Odysseus strikes him under the ear, smashing his jaw. Blood pours from his mouth and he falls, kicking the ground. Odysseus drags him out by the foot to the courtyard and props him against the wall, telling him to stop bullying strangers. The suitors laugh and congratulate the victor.
Amphinomus gives Odysseus two loaves and toasts him. Odysseus, feeling sympathy for this decent young man, gives him a serious warning. Nothing on earth is weaker than man, he says, who believes he will never suffer as long as the gods give him strength and luck. The suitors are wronging the wife and property of a man who will not be away from home much longer. He urges Amphinomus to leave the palace before Odysseus returns. Amphinomus walks away troubled, shaking his head, sensing danger, but he does not leave, because Athena has bound him to die at the hands of Telemachus.
Athena now inspires Penelope to show herself to the suitors, to stir their hearts and to gain greater honor from her husband and son. She makes the queen sleep and enhances her beauty with divine ointment, making her taller and fairer. When Penelope comes down, the suitors are overwhelmed with desire. She scolds Telemachus for letting a guest be abused. Then she tells the suitors that Odysseus, when he left for Troy, told her to marry again if he did not return by the time their son had grown a beard, and that time has come. But she complains that real suitors bring gifts instead of eating up a woman's property. The suitors immediately send for lavish gifts — a robe, gold necklaces, earrings, and jewelry — and Odysseus is delighted to see her drawing gifts from them while her mind is set elsewhere.
After Penelope leaves, the maidservants tend braziers to light the hall. Odysseus offers to do the job for them, and Melantho, a maid who sleeps with Eurymachus and was raised by Penelope, insults him harshly. He threatens to tell Telemachus, and the maids scatter in fear. Eurymachus also mocks the beggar, joking that the torchlight is shining off his bald head and offering him work on his farm, though he is surely too lazy to work. Odysseus challenges him to a contest of mowing or plowing, or to fight in battle, saying Eurymachus would flee if Odysseus came home. Enraged, Eurymachus throws a footstool at him, but Odysseus ducks and it strikes the wine-pourer instead. The suitors complain that the beggar has ruined their feast, and Telemachus boldly tells them to go home to bed. Amphinomus agrees, and the suitors leave for the night.
