Esther Agrees to Help the Jews

4 When Mordecai learned all that had happened, ^[a]he ^(A)tore his clothes and put on sackcloth ^(B)and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city. He ^(C)cried out with a loud and bitter cry.

^3 (A)Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

¹⁹ Then Tamar put ^(A)ashes on her head, and tore her robe of many colors that was on her, and ^(B)laid her hand on her head and went away crying bitterly.

¹¹ Therefore David took hold of his own clothes and ^(A)tore them, and so did all the men who were with him.

^17 (A)For in one hour such great riches ^[a]came to nothing.’ ^(B)Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance ^18 (C)and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ^(D)‘What is like this great city?’

^19 (E)“They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! ^(F)For in one hour she ^[b]is made desolate.’

⁸ And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself ^(A)while he sat in the midst of the ashes.

¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, ^(A)they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out