< Esther 4 >
1 When Mordecai found out all that had happened, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and walked through the city, crying and wailing in grief.
And Mordecai hath known all that hath been done, and Mordecai rendeth his garments, and putteth on sackcloth and ashes, and goeth forth into the midst of the city and crieth — a cry loud and bitter,
2 He went as far as the palace gate, because no one was allowed to enter the palace gate wearing sackcloth.
and he cometh in unto the front of the gate of the king, but none is to come in unto the gate of the king with a sackcloth-garment.
3 When the king's decree and orders reached all the different provinces the Jews began to mourn in terrible distress. They fasted, they wept, and they wailed; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
And in every province and province, the place where the word of the king, even his law, is coming, a great mourning have the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and lamenting: sackcloth and ashes are spread for many.
4 Esther's maids and eunuchs came and told her, and the queen was very upset. She sent clothes to him so he could take off his sackcloth, but he refused to accept them.
And young women of Esther come in and her eunuchs, and declare [it] to her, and the queen is exceedingly pained, and sendeth garments to clothe Mordecai, and to turn aside his sackcloth from off him, and he hath not received [them].
5 She called Hathatch, one of the king's eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai and find out what he was doing and why.
And Esther calleth to Hatach, of the eunuchs of the king, whom he hath stationed before her, and giveth him a charge for Mordecai, to know what this [is], and wherefore this [is].
6 Hathatch went to Mordecai in the city square in front of the palace gate.
And Hatach goeth out unto Mordecai, unto a broad place of the city, that [is] before the gate of the king,
7 Mordecai explained to him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money that Haman had promised to pay the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews.
and Mordecai declareth to him all that hath met him, and the explanation of the money that Haman said to weigh to the treasuries of the king for the Jews, to destroy them,
8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the decree that had been issued in Susa for their destruction to show Esther and explain it to her, and asked him to instruct her to go to the king and appeal for mercy and plead before him for her people.
and the copy of the writing of the law that had been given in Shushan to destroy them he hath given to him, to shew Esther, and to declare [it] to her, and to lay a charge on her to go in unto the king, to make supplication to him, and to seek from before him, for her people.
9 Hathatch went back and told Esther what Mordecai had said.
And Hatach cometh in and declareth to Esther the words of Mordecai,
10 Then Esther spoke with Hathatch and ordered him to deliver this message to Mordecai.
and Esther speaketh to Hatach, and chargeth him for Mordecai:
11 “All the king's officials, and even the people in the provinces of the king's empire, know that any man or any woman who goes to the king, entering his inner court without being summoned, is sentenced to death—that is the king's one law—unless the king holds out his golden scepter to them so they can live. In my case, I have not been called to go to the king for thirty days.”
'All servants of the king, and people of the provinces of the king, do know that any man and woman, who cometh in unto the king, unto the inner court, who is not called — one law [of] his [is] to put [them] to death, apart from him to whom the king holdeth out the golden sceptre, then he hath lived; and I — I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.'
12 When Mordecai was told what Esther said,
And they declare to Mordecai the words of Esther,
13 Mordecai sent a message back to Esther, saying, “Don't think that just because you live in the king's palace that your life is the only one that will be saved of all the Jews!
and Mordecai speaketh to send back unto Esther: 'Do not think in thy soul to be delivered [in] the house of the king, more than all the Jews,
14 If you stay silent right now, help and rescue will come to the Jews from some other place, and you and your relatives will die. Who knows—it could be you came to be queen for such a time as this!”
but if thou keep entirely silent at this time, respite and deliverance remaineth to the Jews from another place, and thou and the house of thy fathers are destroyed; and who knoweth whether for a time like this thou hast come to the kingdom?'
15 Esther replied to Mordecai, saying,
And Esther speaketh to send back unto Mordecai:
16 “Have all the Jews in Susa meet together and fast for me. Don't eat or drink anything for three days and nights. I and my girls will also fast. After that, I will go to the king, even though it's against the law, and if I die, I die.”
'Go, gather all the Jews who are found in Shushan, and fast for me, and do not eat nor drink three days, by night and by day; also I and my young women do fast likewise, and so I go in unto the king, that [is] not according to law, and when I have perished — I have perished.'
17 Mordecai went and did everything Esther had told him to do.
And Mordecai passeth on, and doth according to all that Esther hath charged upon him.