Mordecai Requests Esther to Talk to the King About His Decree to Kill the Jews |
Esther 4:1-17 The Book of Esther [in Smaller Chunks] |
When Mordecai [realized what] was done, Mordecai [tore] his clothes & put on sackcloth with ashes & went out into the [middle] of the city & cried [out] with a loud & bitter cry. |
And [He] even came [in front of] the king's gate. For [no one] might enter the king's gate [dressed] in sackcloth. And in every province, [wherever] the king's [command] & decree [went,] there was great mourning, fasting weeping, wailing among the Jews & many lay in sackcloth & ashes. |
So, Esther's maids & her chamberlains, [a.k.a. eunuchs] came & told [this to] her. Then, the queen was exceedingly grieved & she sent [garments] to clothe Mordecai & to take away his sackcloth from him; but he [wouldn't accept] it. |
Then, Esther called for Hatach, one of the king's chamberlains, whom [the king] had appointed to attend [to] her & [she] gave him a [command for] Mordecai, to know what it was & why it was. |
So, Hattach went [out into] the street of the city, [in front of] the king's gate, to Mordecai. And Mordecai told him of all that had happened to him & [about] the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's [treasury] to destroy the Jews. |
Also, [Mordecai] gave him the copy of the [written] decree, that was given [in] Shushan, to destroy them. [So, Hatach] could [show] it to Esther & [make it known] to her & to [give her the responsibility to] go in to the king, to make [a plea] to him, [requesting for] her people, before the king. And Hatach came & told Esther the words of Mordcai. |
Again, Esther [spoke] to Hatach & gave him [a command for] Mordecai: All the king's servants & the people of the king's provinces know there is [a] law: that [whoever wants to go] into the inner court to the king, whether man or woman, who isn't called, [shall be] put to death, [unless] the king [holds] out the golden scepter, that he may live. |
[Esther said,] But I haven't been called to come to the king these 30 days. And they told Esther's words to Mordecai. Then, Mordecai [commanded this] answer to Esther, Think not [of] yourself, that you shall escape [from this] in the king's house, more than all the Jews. |
For if you hold your peace altogether, at this time, then there shall be [relief] & deliverance [will] arise [for] the Jews from another place. But you & your father's house shall be destroyed. And who knows whether you [have] come into the kingdom for such a time as this? |
Then Esther [asked] them to return this answer [to] Mordecai. Go, gather together all the Jews [who] are present in Shushan, [a.k.a. Susa,] & [all of] you fast for me & [not] eat [or] drink [for] 3 days, night or day. |
Also, my maidens & I will fast [like this,] so I will go in to the king, which isn't according to the law & if I perish, I perish. So, Mordecail went his way & did according to all that Esther had commanded him. |