أسْتِير 4

١ 1 وَعِنْدَمَا عَلِمَ مُرْدَخَايُ بِكُلِّ مَا حَدَثَ مَزَّقَ ثِيَابَهُ وَارْتَدَى مِسْحاً، وَعَفَّرَ رَأْسَهُ بِالرَّمَادِ، وَقَصَدَ إِلَى وَسَطِ الْمَدِينَةِ، لَا يَكُفُّ عَنِ الْعَوِيلِ وَالصُّرَاخِ الْمَرِيرِ،

When Mordecai ascertained all that had been done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth [strewed] with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and bitter cry;

٢ 2 وَوَقَفَ أَمَامَ مَدْخَلِ بَابِ الْمَلِكِ، إِذْ يُحَظَّرُ عَلَى أَيِّ وَاحِدٍ دُخُولُ بَابِ الْمَلِكِ وَهُوَ مُرْتَدٍ مُسُوحاً.

And thus he came up to the front of the king's gate; for none dared to enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.

٣ 3 وَعَمَّتِ الْمَنَاحَةُ الْعَظِيمَةُ يَهُودَ كُلِّ إِقْلِيمٍ ذَاعَ فِيهِ أَمْرُ الْمَلِكِ، فَأَخَذَ الْيَهُودُ فِي الصَّوْمِ وَالْبُكَاءِ وَالنَّحِيبِ، وَافْتِرَاشِ الْمُسُوحِ وَذَرِّ الرَّمَادِ عَلَى الرُّؤُوسِ.

And in each and every province, in every place whither the king's decree and his law had reached, there was great mourning for the Jews, with fasting and weeping and wailing; and a sackcloth [strewed] with ashes became the bed of the great.

٤ 4 وَدَخَلَتْ وَصِيفَاتُ أَسْتِيرَ وَخِصْيَانُهَا وَأَخْبَرُوهَا بِأَمْرِ مُرْدَخَايَ، فَسَاوَرَهَا الْغَمُّ الشَّدِيدُ وَأَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِ ثِيَاباً لِيَرْتَدِيَهَا بَدَلَ الْمُسُوحِ، فَلَمْ يَقْبَلْ.

Then came the maidens of Esther with her chamberlains and told it her; and the queen was exceedingly terrified; and she sent garments to clothe Mordecai, and to remove his sackcloth from him, but he accepted them not.

٥ 5 فَاسْتَدْعَتْ أَسْتِيرُ هَتَاخَ، أَحَدَ خِصْيَانِ الْمَلِكِ الَّذِي كَلَّفَهُ الْمَلِكُ بِخِدْمَتِهَا، وَطَلَبَتْ إِلَيْهِ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ لِلاسْتِخْبَارِ عَمَّا يُزْعِجُ مُرْدَخَايَ.

Then called Esther for Hatach, one of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and gave him a charge for Mordecai to know what this was, and why this was.

٦ 6 فَانْطَلَقَ هَتَاخُ إِلَى سَاحَةِ الْمَدِينَةِ الوَاقِعَةِ أَمَامَ بَابِ الْمَلِكِ إِلَى مُرْدَخَايَ، وَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ.

So Hatach went forth to Mordecai unto the street of the city, which was before the king's gate.

٧ 7 فَأَخْبَرَهُ مُرْدَخَايُ بِكُلِّ مَا أَصَابَهُ، وَعَنْ مَبْلَغِ الْفِضَّةِ الَّذِي وَعَدَ هَامَانُ بِدَفْعِهِ إِلَى خَزِينَةِ الْمَلِكِ لِقَاءَ إِبَادَةِ الْيَهُودِ،

And Mordecai told him all that had happened unto him, and of the fixed sum of money which Haman had promised to weigh out into the treasuries of the king for the Jews, to destroy them.

٨ 8 وَأَعْطَاهُ نُسْخَةً مِنَ الأَمْرِ الصَّادِرِ عَنِ الْعَاصِمَةِ بِإِفْنَاءِ الْيَهُودِ لِكَيْ يُطْلِعَ أَسْتِيرَ عَلَيْهَا، وَيُخْبِرَهَا بِمَا جَرَى، وَيُوْصِيَهَا أَنْ تَمْثُلَ أَمَامَ الْمَلِكِ وَتَتَوَسَّلَ إِلَيْهِ أَنْ يَعْفُوَ عَنْ شَعْبِهَا.

Also the copy of the writing of the law that had been given out in Shushan to destroy them he gave to him, to show it unto Esther, and to tell her [all], and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, and to make supplication unto him, and to present a request before him for her people.

٩ 9 فَعَادَ هَتَاخُ إِلَى أَسْتِيرَ وَنَقَلَ إِلَيْهَا كَلامَ مُرْدَخَايَ.

And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.

١٠ 10 فَأَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِ مَعَ هَتَاخَ ثَانِيَةً قَائِلَةً:

And Esther said unto Hatach, and gave him a charge unto Mordecai,

١١ 11 «إِنَّ كُلَّ حَاشِيَةِ الْمَلِكِ وَشُعُوبِ أَقَالِيمِ الْمَلِكِ يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ كُلَّ رَجُلٍ أَوِ امْرَأَةٍ يَدْخُلُ إِلَى الْمَلِكِ فِي مُخْدَعِهِ الدَّاخِلِيِّ، مِنْ غَيْرِ دَعْوَةٍ، فَجَزَاؤُهُ حَتْماً الْمَوْتُ، إِلّا الَّذِي يَمُدُّ لَهُ الْمَلِكُ قَضِيبَ الذَّهَبِ فَإِنَّهُ يَحْيَا. وَأَنَا لَمْ أُدْعَ لِلْمُثُولِ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ الْمَلِكِ هَذِهِ الثَّلاثِينَ يَوْماً».

All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that every one, whether man or woman, who should come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is but one law for him, to put him to death, except the one to whom the king should hold out the golden sceptre, for he will be suffered to live; but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.

١٢ 12 فَأُبْلِغَ مُرْدَخَايُ بِكَلامِ أَسْتِيرَ.

And they told Mordecai the words of Esther.

١٣ 13 فَطَلَبَ أَنْ يُجِيبُوهَا: «لا يَخْطُرَنَّ بِبَالِكِ أَنَّكِ سَتَنْجِينَ مِنَ الْعَاقِبَةِ مِنْ دُونِ سَائِرِ الْيَهُودِ، لأَنَّكِ فِي قَصْرِ الْمَلِكِ.

Then said Mordecai to bring this answer back to Esther, Imagine not in thy soul to be able to escape in the king's house out of all the Jews.

١٤ 14 لأَنَّكِ إِنْ لَزِمْتِ الصَّمْتَ فِي مِثْلِ هَذَا الْوَقْتِ، فَإِنَّ الْفَرَجَ وَالنَّجَاةَ لابُدَّ أَنْ يَأْتِيَا لِلْيَهُودِ مِنْ مَصْدَرٍ آخَرَ، وَأَمَّا أَنْتِ وَبَيْتُ أَبِيكِ فَتَفْنَوْنَ. وَمَنْ يَدْرِي، فَلَرُبَّمَا قَدْ وَصَلْتِ إِلَى عَرْشِ الْمُلْكِ لِوَقْتٍ مِثْلِ هَذَا!»

For if thou do indeed maintain silence at this time, enlargement and deliverance will arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house will perish: and who knoweth whether thou hast not for a time like this attained to the royal dignity?

١٥ 15 عِنْدَئِذٍ طَلَبَتْ مِنْ مُبْلِغِيهَا أَنْ يَحْمِلُوا جَوَابَهَا إِلَى مُرْدَخَايَ:

Then said Esther to bring this answer back to Mordecai,

١٦ 16 «امْضِ اجْمَعْ كُلَّ الْيَهُودِ الْمُقِيمِينَ فِي شُوشَنَ، وَصُومُوا مِنْ أَجْلِي وَلا تَأْكُلُوا وَلا تَشْرَبُوا ثَلاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ لَيْلاً وَنَهَاراً، وَسَأَصُومُ أَنَا وَوَصِيفَاتِي أَيْضاً مِثْلَكُمْ. ثُمَّ أَدْخُلُ إِلَى الْمَلِكِ مُخَالِفَةً الْعُرْفَ الْمُتَّبَعَ، فَإِذَا هَلَكْتُ، هَلَكْتُ».

Go, assemble together all the Jews who are now present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, so that ye neither eat nor drink three days, either night or day; also I myself with my maidens will fast in like manner; and then will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law; and if I then perish, I perish.

١٧ 17 فَانْصَرَفَ مُرْدَخَايُ وَنَفَّذَ كُلَّ مَا أَوْصَتْهُ بِهِ أَسْتِيرُ.

And Mordecai went about, and did in accordance with all that Esther had charged him.