The Book of Esther

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- Chapter 4 -

Esther agrees to help the Jews

When Mordecai found out about those letters, he was so anguished that he tore his clothes and put on the clothes of mourning, rough sackcloth, and he sat in ashes, to show his distress. Then he went into the city, crying very loudly with bitterness and sorrow.

He stood outside the king’s gate, he was not allowed to enter the palace, because the law forbid anyone dressed in sackcloth to be admitted through the king’s gate.

In every province of the empire, when the letter from the king was read to the Jewish people, they cried and mourned. They fasted, and wailed loudly, and were filled with sorrow. Many of them lay, dressed in sackcloth and sat in ashes.

When Esther’s servant women and the male servants came to her and told her about the king’s decree and the coming danger, she was very distressed. So she sent to Mordecai some good clothes so he could take off his sackcloth, but he refused to accept them.

Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s officials, whom he had appointed to serve and protect her. She told him to go out and talk to Mordecai to find out what the trouble was about.

Hathak went to Mordecai in the city square in front of the gate to the king’s palace.

Mordecai told him everything that had happened. He told him how much silver Haman had promised to deposit in the king’s treasury in order to kill the Jews.

Mordecai also gave Hathak a copy of the decree that had been issued in Susa, so that he might show it to Esther. Mordecai wanted to command Esther to take action about this order from the king and to beg favor from the king. He wanted her to go to the king and try to help the Jewish people.

So Hathak went to Esther and told her what Mordecai said.

Then Esther ordered Hathak to return to Mordecai, and to tell him this:

“All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that no one can come before the king unless the king invites him to come. There is only one result of breaking this law: The person is put to death. The only exception would be that the king would hold out his golden scepter to someone who came before him, and that would be the sign that the king would permit that person to live. About my own contact with the king, I have not been called to come to the king for thirty days.”

So Hathak went back to Mordecai and told him what Esther had said.

Mordecai told Hathak to tell this to Esther: “Do not think that just because you live there in the palace, you will escape when all the other Jews are killed.

If you remain silent at this time, someone else will rescue the Jews in some other way, but you and your father’s family will die. Who knows, perhaps it was just for a time like this that you were made queen.”

Then Esther sent this message to Mordecai,

“Go and gather together all the Jews here in Susa, and tell them to fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My young girls and I will fast in the same way. Then I will go to the king, even though I know it is against the law. And if I die, I die.”

Mordecai went and did what Esther told him to do.

Esther agrees to help the Jews

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.

He came even before the king’s gate, for no one is allowed inside the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.

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.

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.

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.

So Hathach went out to Mordecai, to the city square which was before the king’s gate.

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.

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.

Hathach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.

Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a message to Mordecai:

“ 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.

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.

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.