< 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.
모르드개가 이 모든 일을 알고 그 옷을 찢고 굵은 베를 입으며 재를 무릅쓰고 성중에 나가서 대성 통곡하며
2 He went as far as the palace gate, because no one was allowed to enter the palace gate wearing sackcloth.
대궐 문 앞까지 이르렀으니 굵은 베를 입은 자는 대궐 문에 들어가지 못함이라
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.
왕의 조명이 각 도에 이르매 유다인이 크게 애통하여 금식하며 곡읍하며 부르짖고 굵은 베를 입고 재에 누운 자가 무수하더라
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.
에스더의 시녀와 내시가 나아와 고하니 왕후가 심히 근심하여 입을 의복을 모르드개에게 보내어 그 굵은 베를 벗기고자 하나 모르드개가 받지 아니하는지라
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.
에스더가 왕의 명으로 자기에게 근시하는 내시 하닥을 불러 명하여 `모르드개에게 가서 이것이 무슨 일이며 무슨 연고인가 알아 보라' 하매
6 Hathatch went to Mordecai in the city square in front of the palace gate.
하닥이 대궐 문 앞 성중 광장에 있는 모르드개에게 이르니
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.
모르드개가 자기의 당한 모든 일과 하만이 유다인을 멸하려고 왕의 부고에 바치기로 한 은의 정확한 수효를 하닥에게 말하고
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.
또 유다인을 진멸하라고 수산궁에서 내린 조서 초본을 하닥에게 주어 에스더에게 뵈어 알게 하고 또 저에게 부탁하여 왕에게 나아가서 그 앞에서 자기의 민족을 위하여 간절히 구하라 하니
9 Hathatch went back and told Esther what Mordecai had said.
하닥이 돌아와 모르드개의 말을 에스더에게 고하매
10 Then Esther spoke with Hathatch and ordered him to deliver this message to Mordecai.
에스더가 하닥에게 이르되 너는 모르드개에게 고하기를
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.”
'왕의 신복과 왕의 각 도 백성이 다 알거니와 무론 남녀하고 부름을 받지 아니하고 안뜰에 들어가서 왕에게 나아가면 오직 죽이는 법이요 왕이 그 자에게 금홀을 내어 밀어야 살 것이라 이제 내가 부름을 입어 왕에게 나아가지 못한지가 이미 삼십일이라' 하라
12 When Mordecai was told what Esther said,
그가 에스더의 말로 모르드개에게 고하매
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!
모르드개가 그를 시켜 에스더에게 회답하되 `너는 왕궁에 있으니 모든 유다인 중에 홀로 면하리라 생각지 말라
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!”
이 때에 네가 만일 잠잠하여 말이 없으면 유다인은 다른 데로 말미암아 놓임과 구원을 얻으려니와 너와 네 아비 집은 멸망하리라 네가 왕후의 위를 얻은 것이 이 때를 위함이 아닌지 누가 아느냐?'
15 Esther replied to Mordecai, saying,
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.”
17 Mordecai went and did everything Esther had told him to do.

< Esther 4 >