Esther 4

1 and Mordecai to know [obj] all which to make: do and to tear Mordecai [obj] garment his and to clothe sackcloth and ashes and to come out: come in/on/with midst [the] city and to cry out outcry great: large and bitter

When Mordecai found out about those [letters, he was so anguished that] he tore his clothes and put on [rough] sackcloth and [threw] ashes over himself. Then he went into the city, crying very loudly.

2 and to come (in): come till to/for face: before gate [the] king for nothing to/for to come (in): come to(wards) gate [the] king in/on/with clothing sackcloth

He stood outside the gate of the palace, because no one who was wearing sackcloth was allowed to enter the palace.

3 and in/on/with all province and province place which word [the] king and law his to touch mourning great: large to/for Jew and fast and weeping and mourning sackcloth and ashes to lay to/for many

In every province [of the empire], when the letter from the king was read to the Jewish people, they cried and mourned. They (fasted/abstained from eating food), and wailed loudly. Many of them also put on sackcloth and threw ashes on themselves and lay [on the ground].

4 (and to come (in): come *Q(k)*) maiden Esther and eunuch her and to tell to/for her and to twist: tremble [the] queen much and to send: depart garment to/for to clothe [obj] Mordecai and to/for to turn aside: remove sackcloth his from upon him and not to receive

When Esther’s maids and other officials came to her and told her what Mordecai had done, she was very distressed. So she sent to Mordecai [some good] clothes to wear instead of the sackcloth, but he refused to take them.

5 and to call: call to Esther to/for Hathach from eunuch [the] king which to stand: appoint to/for face: before her and to command him upon Mordecai to/for to know what? this and upon what? this

Then Esther summoned Hathach, one of the king’s officials whom he had appointed to help take care of Esther. She told him to go [out and talk] to Mordecai to find out what was distressing him and why [he was wearing sackcloth to show] that he was grieving.

6 and to come out: come Hathach to(wards) Mordecai to(wards) street/plaza [the] city which to/for face: before gate [the] king

Hathach went to Mordecai, who was in the plaza in front of the palace gate.

7 and to tell to/for him Mordecai [obj] all which to meet him and [obj] declaration [the] silver: money which to say Haman to/for to weigh upon treasury [the] king (in/on/with Jew *Q(k)*) to/for to perish them

Mordecai told him everything that had happened. He told him how much money Haman had promised to give to the government if the king commanded that all the Jews be killed.

8 and [obj] copy writing [the] law which to give: give in/on/with Susa to/for to destroy them to give: give to/for him to/for to see: see [obj] Esther and to/for to tell to/for her and to/for to command upon her to/for to come (in): come to(wards) [the] king to/for be gracious to/for him and to/for to seek from to/for face: before his upon people her

Mordecai also gave to Hathach a copy of the decree that had been read in Susa, [in which it was stated] that all the Jews must be killed. He told Hathach to show the copy to Esther. He told Hathach to explain to Esther what (it meant/would happen). Then he told him to urge her to go to the king and request the king to act mercifully to her people.

9 and to come (in): come Hathach and to tell to/for Esther [obj] word: speaking Mordecai

So Hathach returned to Esther and told her what Mordecai said.

10 and to say Esther to/for Hathach and to command him to(wards) Mordecai

Then Esther told Hathach to [return to] Mordecai [and] tell this [to him]:

11 all servant/slave [the] king and people province [the] king to know which all man and woman which to come (in): come to(wards) [the] king to(wards) [the] court [the] inner which not to call: call to one law his to/for to die to/for alone from whence to extend to/for him [the] king [obj] scepter [the] gold and to live and I not (to call: call to *L(abh)*) to/for to come (in): come to(wards) [the] king this thirty day

“There is a law [about people going to talk to the king]. All the king’s officials and all the people in the empire know this law. [In that law it states that] anyone who goes to the king in his inner court without having been summoned by the king must be executed. Only those to whom the king has extended his scepter/staff will not be executed. And a month has passed since the king has summoned me, [so what will happen to me if I try to see him and he doesn’t want to see me?]”

12 and to tell to/for Mordecai [obj] word: speaking Esther

So Hathach [went back to] Mordecai [and] told [him] what Esther had said.

13 and to say Mordecai to/for to return: reply to(wards) Esther not to resemble in/on/with soul: myself your to/for to escape house: home [the] king from all [the] Jew

Mordecai replied, “[Go back and] tell this to Esther: 'Do not think that just because you live there in the palace, you will escape when all the other Jews [are killed].

14 that if: except if: except be quiet be quiet in/on/with time [the] this space and deliverance to stand: rise to/for Jew from place another and you(f. s.) and house: household father your to perish and who? to know if to/for time like/as this to touch to/for royalty

If you say nothing now, someone from some other place will rescue [many of] us Jews, but you and your relatives will be killed. Furthermore, (perhaps [God]/who knows if [God]) has put you here [as queen] (for a situation like this/to prevent this from happening to us)!'” [RHQ]

15 and to say Esther to/for to return: reply to(wards) Mordecai

Then [after Hathach told this to] Esther, [she] told him to return to Mordecai and say this to him:

16 to go: went to gather [obj] all [the] Jew [the] to find in/on/with Susa and to fast upon me and not to eat and not to drink three day night and day also I and maiden my to fast so and in/on/with so to come (in): come to(wards) [the] king which not like/as law and like/as as which to perish to perish

“Gather together all the Jews here in Susa, and tell them to (fast/abstain from food) for my sake. Tell them to not eat or drink anything for three days and nights. My maids and I will also fast. Then, I will go to talk to the king. Even if (I am executed/they execute me) for disobeying the law [by seeing him when he does not hold out the scepter/staff toward me, I am willing for that to happen”].

17 and to pass Mordecai and to make: do like/as all which to command upon him Esther

So [after Hathach told this to Mordecai, ] Mordecai went and did what Esther told him to do.