Sackcloth at the gate
When Mordecai learned everything that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. But he only went as far as the king's gate, because nobody in sackcloth was allowed through it. And in every province where the king's order and edict arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and wailing. Many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes. When Esther's maids and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he wouldn't accept them. Then Esther called for Hathak, one of the king's eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why. So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king's gate. And Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their destruction, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king's presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people. Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said.
When Mordecai learned everything that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly.
But he only went as far as the king's gate, because nobody in sackcloth was allowed through it.
And in every province where the king's order and edict arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and wailing. Many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.
When Esther's maids and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he wouldn't accept them.
Then Esther called for Hathak, one of the king's eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.
So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king's gate.
And Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews.
He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their destruction, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king's presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.
Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said.
The law about the sceptre
Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, “All the king's officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned, the king has only one law: that they be put to death. The only exception is for the one to whom the king holds out the gold sceptre and spares his life. But thirty days have gone by since I was called to go to the king.” When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai,
Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai,
“All the king's officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned, the king has only one law: that they be put to death. The only exception is for the one to whom the king holds out the gold sceptre and spares his life. But thirty days have gone by since I was called to go to the king.”
When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai,
For a time like this
he sent back this answer. “Don't think that because you're in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. Because if you stay silent at a time like this, relief and rescue for the Jews will come from somewhere else, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you've come to your royal position for a time like this?”
he sent back this answer. “Don't think that because you're in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape.
Because if you stay silent at a time like this, relief and rescue for the Jews will come from somewhere else, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you've come to your royal position for a time like this?”
If I die, I die
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather all the Jews in Susa, and fast for me. Don't eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast the same way. And then I'll go to the king, even though it's against the law. And if I die, I die.” So Mordecai went away and did everything Esther had told him.
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:
“Go and gather all the Jews in Susa, and fast for me. Don't eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast the same way. And then I'll go to the king, even though it's against the law. And if I die, I die.”
So Mordecai went away and did everything Esther had told him.