⁴ When Esther's young women and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth, but he would not accept them.

²⁷ And he rose and went. And there was an ^(A)Ethiopian, a ^(B)eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, ^(C)who was in charge of all her treasure. ^(D)He had come to Jerusalem to worship

¹² But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him.

³² And he lifted up his face to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked out at him.

¹⁵ He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants.

³⁵ All his sons and all his daughters ^(A)rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, ^(B)I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.