Esther 4

1 And Mordecai has known all that has been done, and Mordecai tears his garments, and puts on sackcloth and ashes, and goes forth into the midst of the city and cries—a cry loud and bitter,

When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai tore his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry;

2 and he comes to the front of the gate of the king, but none is to come to the gate of the king with a sackcloth-garment.

And came even before the king’s gate: for none might enter into the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.

3 And in each and every province, the place where the word of the king, even his law, is coming, the Jews have a great mourning, and fasting, and weeping, and lamenting: sackcloth and ashes are spread for many.

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; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

4 And young women of Esther come in and her eunuchs, and declare [it] to her, and the queen is exceedingly pained, and sends garments to clothe Mordecai, and to turn aside his sackcloth from off him, and he has not received [them].

So Esther’s maids and her chamberlains came and told it to her. Then was the queen exceedingly grieved; and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him: but he accepted it not.

5 And Esther calls to Hatach, of the eunuchs of the king, whom he has stationed before her, and gives him a charge for Mordecai, to know what this [is], and why this [is].

Then called Esther for Hatach, one of the king’s chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai, to learn what it was, and why it was.

6 And Hatach goes out to Mordecai, to a broad place of the city, that [is] before the gate of the king,

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

7 and Mordecai declares to him all that has 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,

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

8 and the copy of the writing of the law that had been given in Shushan to destroy them he has given to him, to show Esther, and to declare [it] to her, and to lay a charge on her to go in to the king, to make supplication to him, and to seek from before him, for her people.

Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to show it to Esther, and to tell it to her, and to charge her that she should go in to the king, to make supplication to him, and to make request before him for her people.

9 And Hatach comes in and declares to Esther the words of Mordecai,

And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.

10 and Esther speaks to Hatach, and charges him for Mordecai:

Again Esther spoke to Hatach, and gave him commandment to Mordecai;

11 “All servants of the king, and people of the provinces of the king, know that any man and woman who comes to the king, into the inner court, who is not called—one law of his [is] to put [them] to death, apart from him to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, then he has lived; and I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”

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 of his to put him to death, except him to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.

12 And they declare to Mordecai the words of Esther,

And they told to Mordecai Esther’s words.

13 and Mordecai commands to send back to Esther: “Do not think in your soul to be delivered [in] the house of the king, more than all the Jews,

Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews.

14 but if you keep entirely silent at this time, respite and deliverance remains to the Jews from another place, and you and the house of your fathers are destroyed; and who knows whether for a time like this you have come to the kingdom?”

For if thou shalt altogether hold thy peace at this time, then shall there relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou hast come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

15 And Esther commands to send back to Mordecai:

Then Esther told them return Mordecai this answer,

16 “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 fast likewise, and so I go in to the king, that [is] not according to law, and when I have perished—I have perished.”

Go, gather all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye 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 to the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

17 And Mordecai passes on, and does according to all that Esther has charged on him.

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