Mordecai Asks for Esther's Help

¹Mordecai learned what had happened, and he tore his clothes in sorrow and put on clothes made of sackcloth. Then he sprinkled himself with ashes and ran through the city streets, shouting at the top of his voice, “An innocent nation is going to be destroyed!”[#4.1 A rough, dark-colored cloth made from goat or camel hair and used to make grain sacks. It was worn in times of trouble or sorrow.; #4.1 A way of showing sorrow.]

²But he could go only as far as the palace gate, because no one wearing sackcloth or sprinkled with ashes was allowed inside the palace courtyard.

³In every province, wherever the king's orders had been read, the Jews cried bitterly and mourned; they put on sackcloth and sprinkled themselves with ashes.

⁴When Esther's servant girls and her other servants told her what Mordecai was doing, she was terribly upset and sent Mordecai some clothes to wear instead of the sackcloth. But he refused.

^5-6Then Esther called in her personal servant Hachratheus and sent him to find out exactly what was the matter with Mordecai.[#4.5,6 Some manuscripts add “Hachratheus went to Mordecai, who was in the street across from the city gate.”]

⁷Mordecai told Hachratheus everything that had happened, and especially how Haman had promised to put over 340 tons of silver into the king's treasury if all the Jews were killed.

⁸Mordecai handed Hachratheus a copy of the orders posted in Susa for the murder of the Jews, then he said:

⁹Hachratheus went back to Esther and told her what Mordecai had said.

¹⁰Esther answered, “Tell Mordecai

¹¹that there is a law about going into the inner courtyard to see the king. Everyone in the kingdom knows that if you go in without being invited by him, the penalty is death. The only thing that can save you is for him to hold out his golden scepter to you. And it's been 30 days since he has asked for me.”[#4.11 A decorated rod, often made of gold, that a king held in his hand as a sign of his royal power.]

¹²When Hachratheus told Mordecai everything Esther had said,

¹³Mordecai told him to go back to Esther and say, “Esther, if all the Jews are going to be killed, don't think that you will escape.

¹⁴If you refuse to help us, we will find help and protection from someone else, but you and your family will be wiped out. It could be that you were made queen just for a time like this!”

¹⁵Esther sent Hachratheus back to Mordecai to tell him,[#4.15 Greek “the man who came.”]

¹⁶“Hurry and bring together all the Jews in Susa. Tell them to go without eating for my sake. Don't eat or drink for three days and nights, and my servant girls and I will do the same. Then I will break the law and go in to see the king, even if it means I must die!”

¹⁷Mordecai left and did everything Esther had told him to do.