< 에스더 4 >
1 모르드개가 이 모든 일을 알고 그 옷을 찢고 굵은 베를 입으며 재를 무릅쓰고 성중에 나가서 대성 통곡하며
Now when Mordecai found out all that was done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the middle of the city, and wailed loudly and bitterly.
2 대궐 문 앞까지 이르렀으니 굵은 베를 입은 자는 대궐 문에 들어가지 못함이라
He came even before the king’s gate, for no one is allowed inside the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.
3 왕의 조명이 각 도에 이르매 유다인이 크게 애통하여 금식하며 곡읍하며 부르짖고 굵은 베를 입고 재에 누운 자가 무수하더라
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 에스더의 시녀와 내시가 나아와 고하니 왕후가 심히 근심하여 입을 의복을 모르드개에게 보내어 그 굵은 베를 벗기고자 하나 모르드개가 받지 아니하는지라
Esther’s maidens and her eunuchs came and told her this, and the queen was exceedingly grieved. She sent clothing to Mordecai, to replace his sackcloth, but he didn’t receive it.
5 에스더가 왕의 명으로 자기에게 근시하는 내시 하닥을 불러 명하여 `모르드개에게 가서 이것이 무슨 일이며 무슨 연고인가 알아 보라' 하매
Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs, whom he had appointed to attend her, and commanded him to go to Mordecai, to find out what this was, and why it was.
6 하닥이 대궐 문 앞 성중 광장에 있는 모르드개에게 이르니
So Hathach went out to Mordecai, to the city square which was before the king’s gate.
7 모르드개가 자기의 당한 모든 일과 하만이 유다인을 멸하려고 왕의 부고에 바치기로 한 은의 정확한 수효를 하닥에게 말하고
Mordecai told him of all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews.
8 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
He also gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given out in Susa to destroy them, to show it to Esther, and to declare it to her, and to urge her to go in to the king to make supplication to him, and to make request before him for her people.
9 하닥이 돌아와 모르드개의 말을 에스더에게 고하매
Hathach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.
10 에스더가 하닥에게 이르되 너는 모르드개에게 고하기를
Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a message to Mordecai:
11 '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
“All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that whoever, whether man or woman, comes to the king into the inner court without being called, there is one law for him, that he be put to death, except those to whom the king might hold out the golden scepter, that he may live. I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”
They told Esther’s words to Mordecai.
13 모르드개가 그를 시켜 에스더에게 회답하되 `너는 왕궁에 있으니 모든 유다인 중에 홀로 면하리라 생각지 말라
Then Mordecai asked them to return this answer to Esther: “Don’t think to yourself that you will escape in the king’s house any more than all the Jews.
14 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?'
For if you remain silent now, then relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Who knows if you haven’t come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Then Esther asked them to answer Mordecai,
“Go, gather together all the Jews who are present in Susa, and fast for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day. I and my maidens will also fast the same way. Then I will go in to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.”
So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.