1 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. 2 He came even before the king’s gate, for no one is allowed inside the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth. 3 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.

4 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. 5 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. 6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai, to city square which was before the king’s gate. 7 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. 8 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.

9 Hathach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai. 10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a message to Mordecai: 11 "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."

12 They told Esther’s words to Mordecai. 13 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. 14 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?"

15 Then Esther asked them to answer Mordecai, 16 "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." 17 So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.

1 末底改知道了发生的一切事， 就撕裂自己的衣服， 披上麻衣， 撒上灰尘， 出到城中， 大声痛哭地呼叫。

2 他到了御门前， 就停住， 因为身穿麻衣的， 不可以进御门。

3 王的谕旨和命令传到的各省各地， 犹大人都大大悲哀， 禁食、哭泣、悲伤； 许多人披上麻衣， 躺在灰尘中。

4 以斯帖的婢女和太监把这事告诉以斯帖， 王后就非常惊慌， 就派人送衣服给末底改穿着， 要他脱下麻衣， 他却不接受。

5 以斯帖就把王派来侍候她的一个太监哈他革召了来， 吩咐他到末底改那里去， 探听这是什么一回事， 又是为了什么缘故。

6 于是哈他革出到御门前的广场去见末底改。

7 末底改把他遭遇的一切事， 以及哈曼为灭尽犹大人答应捐银给王库的数目， 都告诉了他。

8 末底改又把在书珊城颁布要毁灭犹大人的谕旨抄本， 交给了哈他革， 要他给以斯帖看， 并且要给她说明， 吩咐她进宫见王， 向王求情， 为自己的族人在王面前恳求。

9 哈他革回来， 把末底改的话都告诉了以斯帖。

10 以斯帖把以下的话告诉哈他革， 又吩咐他回复末底改说：

11 "王所有的臣仆和各省的人民， 都知道有一条法令： 无论男女， 没有奉召就擅入内院去见王的， 除非王向他伸出金杖， 赐他免死， 一律要处以死刑。现在我没有奉召进去见王已经三十天了。"

12 哈他革把以斯帖的话都告诉末底改。

13 末底改叫人回复以斯帖说： "你不要心里想， 你在王宫里比所有的犹大人都安全。

14 这时你若是缄默不言， 犹大人必会从别的地方得着解救， 那时你和你的父家就必灭亡。谁知你得了王后的位分， 不是为了挽救现今的危机吗？"

15 以斯帖吩咐人回复末底改说：

16 "你要去， 把书珊城所有的犹大人都召集起来， 为我禁食三天， 就是三日三夜不吃不喝； 我和我的婢女也要这样禁食。然后我就违例进去见王； 我若是死， 就死吧。"

17 于是末底改离开了， 照着以斯帖吩咐的一切去行。