Esther’s Request to the King

5 On the third day Esther put on her royal robes^(A) and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s^(B) hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance.

⁴ The king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to speak to the king about impaling Mordecai on the pole he had set up for him.

³ Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.^{(A) 4} Rather, it should be that of your inner self,^(B) the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.^{(C) 5} For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God^(D) used to adorn themselves.^(E) They submitted themselves to their own husbands,

¹⁶ “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast^(A) 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.”^(B)

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^(A) the king has but one law:^(B) that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter^(C) to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”

The Triumph of the Jews

¹⁵ When Mordecai^(A) left the king’s presence, he was wearing royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold^(B) and a purple robe of fine linen.^(C) And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration.^(D)

³⁰ so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom^(A) and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.^(B)

⁶⁴ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body^(A) and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”