³ Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?”^(A)

² And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and did obeisance to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or do obeisance.^(A)

² “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat.”^{(A) 3} He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

Mordecai Discovers a Plot

¹⁹ When the virgins were being gathered together,^[a] Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.

¹⁷ But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live.^(A)