Esther 4

₁When they told Mordecai what had happened, he tore his clothes, put on sack-cloth and put ash on his head. He walked through the city and he cried very loudly. ₂He went to the gate of the palace and stopped there because people who wore sack-cloth could not go into the palace. ₃All the Jews started to mourn, in every province and everywhere that they read about the law and what the king had decided. They fasted and cried loudly and complained and many people of Judah put on sack-cloth and ash on their heads.

₄The young servant girls and the emasculated men told Esther what Mordecai had done and the queen became upset and she sent clothes to Mordecai so that he could take off the sack-cloth and put on the clothes. But Mordecai did not want to take the clothes. ₅Then Esther called Hathach. He was one of the king's emasculated men who worked for Esther. Esther told Hathach to go to Mordecai to find out why he was doing this and what the problem was.

₆Hathach went to Mordecai at the open ground in front of the king's gate before the palace, ₇and Mordecai told him everything that had happened and also told him how much silver Haman had promised to give to the king if all the Jews were killed. ₈Mordecai gave Hathach one of the letters that the king had sent to all the people in the city of Susa, the letters that said what the king had decided. ₉Hathach told Esther what Mordecai had said, ₁₀and Esther told Hathach to go to Mordecai and say to him:

₁₁‘All the officials and all the people in the king's provinces know that any man or woman can go into the palace to see the king only if the king has called him. If anyone goes to the king when the king has not called him, then there is one law for all people: That person must die. He will stay alive only if the king points his golden sceptre at him. The king has not asked me to go to him for 30 days.’

₁₂When Hathach told Mordecai what Esther said, ₁₃Mordecai asked him to tell Esther: ‘You must not think that you will stay alive because you are in the king's palace. You will die with the other Jews. ₁₄If you really want to keep quiet now, then someone else will help the Jews, and then they will be free and live, but you and your family will die. Why do you think you became queen? Maybe it is so that you can help your people in a difficult time like this.’

₁₅Esther then told Hathach to tell Mordecai: ₁₆‘You must get all the Jews together in the city of Susa and you must fast and pray for me. For 3 days you must eat and drink nothing, day and night. My servant girls and I will also fast and then I will go to the king. I know the law says I may not go to the king if he has not called me, but I will go, and if I die, then I die.’

₁₇Mordecai went away and he did what Esther had asked him to do.