Esther Agrees to Help the Jews
1 When Mordecai learned all that had happened, hetore his clothes and put on sackclothand ashes, and went out into the midst of the city. Hecried out with a loud and bitter cry.
2 He went as far as the front of the king’s gate, for no onemightenter the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.
3 And in every province where the king’s command and decree arrived,therewasgreat mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
4 So Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her, and the queen was deeply distressed. Then she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and take his sackcloth away from him, but he would not acceptthem.
5 Then Esther called Hathach,oneof the king’s eunuchs whom he had appointed to attend her, and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai, to learn what and why thiswas.
6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square thatwasin front of the king’s gate.
7 And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, andthe sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries to destroy the Jews.
8 He also gave hima copy of the written decree for their destruction, which was given at Shushan, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her, and that he might command her to go in to the king to make supplication to him and plead before him for her people.
9 So Hathach returned and told Esther the words of Mordecai.
10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai:
11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes intothe inner court to the king, who has not been called,hehasbut one law: putallto death, except the oneto whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not beencalled to go in to the king these thirty days.”
12 So they told Mordecai Esther’s words.
13 And Mordecai toldthemto answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews.
14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom forsucha time as this?”
15 Then Esther toldthemto reply to Mordecai:
16 “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink forthree days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, whichisagainst the law;and if I perish, I perish!”
17 So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him.