Esther 4

1 And when Mordecai knew all that was done, Mordecai rent his garments, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and bitter cry,

And whanne Mardochee hadde herd these thingis, he to-rente hise clothis, and he was clothid in a sak, and spreynt aische on the heed, and he criede with greet vois in the street of the myddis of the citee, and schewide the bitternesse of his soule,

2 and came even before the king's gate; for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.

and he yede with this yellyng `til to the yatis of the paleis; for it was not leueful a man clothid with a sak to entre in to the halle of the kyng.

3 And in every province, wherever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing: many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

Also in alle prouynces, citees, and places, to which the cruel sentence of the king was comun, was greet weilyng, fastyng, yellyng, and wepyng anentis the Jewis, and many Jewis vsiden sak and aische for bed.

4 And Esther's maids and her chamberlains came and told [it] her; and the queen was exceedingly grieved: and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him; but he received [it] not.

Sotheli the dameselis and onest seruauntis and chast of Hester entriden, and telden to hir; which thing sche herde, and was astonyed; and sche sente a cloth to Mardochee, that whanne the sak was takun a wei, he schulde clothe hym therynne; which cloth he nolde take.

5 Then Esther called for Hatach, [one] of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to wait upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai, to know what it was, and why it was.

And aftir that Athac, the onest seruaunt and chast, `was clepid, whom the kyng hadde youe a mynystre to hir, sche comaundide, that he schulde go to Mardochee, and lerne of hym, whi he dide this thing.

6 And Hatach went forth to Mordecai, unto the public place of the city which was before the king's gate.

And Athac yede out, and yede to Mardochee stondynge in the street of the citee, bifor the dore of the paleis;

7 And Mordecai told him of all that had happened to him, and of the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them.

which schewide to Athac alle thingis that bifelden, hou Aaman hadde bihiyt to bryng siluer in to tresours of the kyng for the deeth of Jewis.

8 And he gave him a copy of the writing of the decree that had been given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew [it] to Esther, and to declare [it] to her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication to him, and to make request before him, for her people.

Also he yaf to Athac the copie of the comaundement, that hangide in Susa, to schewe to the queen, and to moneste hir for to entre to the kyng, and to biseche hym for hir puple.

9 And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.

And Athac yede ayen, and telde to Hester alle thingis, whiche Mardochee hadde seid.

10 And Esther spoke to Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai:

And sche answeryde to hym, and seide, that he schulde seie to Mardochee, Alle the seruauntis of the kyng,

11 All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces do know that whoever, whether man or woman, shall come to the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law, to put [him] to death, except [such] to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live; and I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.

and alle prouyncis that ben vndur his lordschip, knowen, that whether a man ether a womman not clepid entrith in to the ynnere halle of the kyng, he schal be slayn anoon with outen ony tariyng, no but in hap the kyng holdith forth the goldun yerde `to hym for `the signe of merci, and he mai lyue so; therfor hou mai Y entre to the kyng, which am not clepid to hym now bi thritti daies?

12 And they told Mordecai Esther's words.

And whanne Mardochee hadde herd `this thing, he sente efte to Hester,

13 And Mordecai bade to answer Esther: Imagine not in thy heart that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews.

and seide, Gesse thou not, that thou schalt delyuer oonli thi lijf, for thou art in the hows of the kyng, bifor alle Jewis;

14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there arise relief and deliverance to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall perish. And who knows whether thou art [not] come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

for if thou art stille now, Jewis schulen be delyuered bi another occasioun, and thou and the hows of thi fadir schulen perische; and who knowith, whether herfor thou camist to the rewme, that thou schuldist be maad redi in sich a tyme?

15 And Esther bade to answer Mordecai:

And eft Hester sente these wordis to Mardochee,

16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are found in Shushan, and fast for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise, and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.

Go thou, and gadere togidere alle Jewis, whiche thou fyndist in Susa, and preie ye for me; ete ye not, nether drynke ye in thre daies and thre nyytis, and Y with myn handmaydis schal fast in lijk maner; and thanne Y not clepid schal entre to the kyng, and Y schal do ayens the lawe, and Y schal bitake me to deth and to perel.

17 And Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.

Therfor Mardochee yede, and dide alle thingis, whiche Hester hadde comaundid to hym.