以斯帖记 4
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
末底改求以斯帖帮忙
4 末底改得知这事,就撕裂衣服,披上麻衣,头蒙灰尘,在城中行走,放声痛哭, 2 一直走到宫门前才停住,因为穿麻衣的不可进宫门。 3 王的命令和谕旨传到各省,各地的犹太人极其悲伤,他们禁食、哭泣、哀号,许多人身披麻衣躺在灰中。
4 以斯帖王后的宫女和太监把这事禀告她,她非常难过,便为末底改送去衣服,让他换下麻衣,他却不肯接受。 5 于是,以斯帖把王派来服侍她的一个名叫哈他革的太监召来,叫他去见末底改,查明事情的原委。 6 哈他革就到宫门前的广场见末底改, 7 末底改便将自己的遭遇及哈曼为灭绝犹太人而捐入国库的银子数目都告诉了他。 8 末底改还把一份在书珊城颁布的要消灭犹太人的谕旨抄本交给哈他革,让他给以斯帖看,并嘱咐她去见王,为自己的同胞向王求情。 9 哈他革回去把末底改的话告诉以斯帖。 10 以斯帖便吩咐哈他革回复末底改说: 11 “王的所有臣仆和各省人民都知道有一条法令,不论男女,未蒙宣召擅入内院去见王的必被处死,除非王向他伸出金杖,他才能活命。现在我已有三十天未蒙王召见了。”
12 末底改听到以斯帖捎来的话后, 13 便回复她说:“你别以为在宫里就比其他犹太人安全。 14 如果此时你闭口不语,犹太人必从别处得解脱,蒙拯救,但你和你父亲一家必灭亡。谁知道你得了王后之位不是为了今日之时呢?”
15 以斯帖派人回复末底改说: 16 “你去召集书珊城所有的犹太人为我禁食,三天三夜不吃不喝,我和我的宫女也要这样禁食。然后,我要违例去见王,我若死就死吧。”
17 于是,末底改便去照以斯帖的一切吩咐行事。
Esther 4
Legacy Standard Bible
Esther Writhes in Anguish
4 Now Mordecai came to know of (A)all that had been done. And [a]he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city and cried out loudly and bitterly. 2 And he went as far as the king’s gate, for no one was to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth. 3 Now in each and every province where the word and law of the king reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with (B)fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many made their bed in sackcloth and ashes.
4 Then Esther’s young women and her eunuchs came and told her, and the queen writhed in great anguish. And she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and to remove his sackcloth from upon him, but he did not accept them. 5 Then Esther summoned Hathach from the king’s eunuchs, whom [b]the king had appointed to attend her, and commanded him to go to Mordecai to know what this was and why it was. 6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai to the city square in front of the king’s gate. 7 And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and (C)the exact amount of silver that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries to cause the Jews to perish. 8 He also gave him (D)a copy of the written law which had been given in Susa for their destruction, in order to show Esther and to tell her and to command her to go in to the king to implore his favor and to seek him out for her people.
9 Then Hathach came back and told Mordecai’s words to Esther. 10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to reply to Mordecai: 11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that for any man or woman who (E)comes to the king to the inner court who is not summoned, (F)he has but one law, that he be put to death, unless the king holds out (G)to him the golden scepter so that he may live. And I have not been summoned to come to the king for these thirty days.” 12 So they told Esther’s words to Mordecai.
13 Then Mordecai said for them to respond to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in the king’s [c]house can escape any more than all the Jews. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and (H)deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not reached royalty for such a time as this?”
Esther and the Jews Fast
15 Then Esther said for them to respond to Mordecai, 16 “Go, gather all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; (I)do not eat or drink for (J)three days, night or day. I and my young women also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.” 17 So Mordecai went away and did just as Esther had commanded him.
Footnotes
- Esther 4:1 Lit Mordecai
- Esther 4:5 Lit he
- Esther 4:13 Or palace
Esther 4
New International Version
Mordecai Persuades Esther to Help
4 When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes,(A) put on sackcloth and ashes,(B) and went out into the city, wailing(C) loudly and bitterly. 2 But he went only as far as the king’s gate,(D) because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. 3 In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
4 When Esther’s eunuchs and female attendants 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 would not accept them. 5 Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.
6 So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. 7 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.(E) 8 He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it 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.
9 Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, 11 “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(F) the king has but one law:(G) that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter(H) to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”
12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent(I) at this time, relief(J) and deliverance(K) for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”(L)
15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast(M) for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”(N)
17 So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.
Chinese Contemporary Bible Copyright © 1979, 2005, 2007, 2011 by Biblica® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
