Ester 4
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4 Da Mordokaj fik at vide alt, hvad der var sket, sønderrev han sine Klæder, klædte sig i Sæk og Aske og gik ud i Byen og udstødte høje Veråb; 2 og han kom hen på Pladsen foran Kongens Port, men heller ikke længere, fordi det ikke var tilladt at gå ind i Kongens Port, når man var klædt i Sæk. 3 Og i hver eneste Landsdel, overalt, hvor Kongens Bud og Forordning nåede hen, var der blandt Jøderne stor Sorg og Faste, Gråd og Klage, og mange af dem redte sig et Leje af Sæk og Aske.
4 Da nu Esters Piger og Hofmænd kom og fortalte hende det, grebes Dronningen af heftig Smerte; og hun sendte Klæder ud til Mordokaj, for at man skulde give ham dem på og tage Sørgeklæderne af ham; men han tog ikke imod dem. 5 Da lod Ester Hatak, en af Kongens Hofmænd, som han havde stillet til hendes Tjeneste, kalde, og sendte ham til Mordokaj for at få at vide, hvad det skulde betyde, og hvad Grunden var dertil. 6 Da Hatak kom ud til Mordokaj på Byens Torv foran Kongens Port, 7 fortalte Mordokaj ham alt, hvad der var hændt ham, og opgav ham nøje, hvor meget Sølv Haman havde lovet at tilveje Kongens Skatkamre for at få Lov til at tilintetgøre Jøderne. 8 Desuden gav han ham en Afskrift af Skrivelsen med den den i Susan udgåede Forordning om at udrydde dem, for at han skulde vise Ester den og tilkendegive hende det og pålægge hende at gå ind til Kongen og bede ham om Nåde og gå i Forbøn hos ham for sit Folk.
9 Halak gik så ind og lod Ester vide, hvad Mordokaj havde sagt. 10 Men Ester sendte Halak til Mordokaj med følgende Svar: 11 Alle Kongens Tjenere og Folkene i Kongeos Lande ved, at der for enhver, Mand eller Kvinde, som ukaldet går ind til Kongen i den inderste Gård, kun gælder een Lov, den, at han skal lide Døden, medmindre Kongen rækker sit gyldne Septer ud imod ham; i så Fald beholder han Livet. Men jeg har nu i tredive Dage ikke været kaldt til Kongen!
12 Da han havde meddelt Mordokaj Esters Ord, 13 bød Mordokaj ham svare Ester: "Tro ikke, at du alene af alle Jøder skal undslippe, fordi du er i Kongens Hus! 14 Nej, dersom du virkelig tier ved denne Lejlighed, så kommer der andetsteds fra Hjælp og Redning til Jøderne; men du og din Slægt skal omkomme. Hvem ved, om det ikke netop er for sligt Tilfældes Skyld, at du er kommet til kongelig Værdighed! 15 Da sendte Ester Mordokaj det Svar: 16 Gå hen og kald alle Susans Jøder sammen og hold Faste for mig, således at I hverken spiser eller drikker Dag eller Nat i tre Døgn; på samme Måde vil også jeg og mine Terner faste; og derefter vil jeg gå ind til Kongen, skønt det er imod Loven; skal jeg omkomme, så lad mig da omkomme! 17 Så gik Mordokaj hen og gjorde ganske som Ester havde pålagt ham.
Esther 4
English Standard Version
Esther Agrees to Help the Jews
4 When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes (A)and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry. 2 He went up to the entrance of the king's gate, for no one was allowed to enter the king's gate clothed in sackcloth. 3 And in every province, wherever the king's command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, (B)with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them (C)lay in sackcloth and ashes.
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. 5 Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was. 6 Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king's gate, 7 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, (D)and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. 8 Mordecai also gave him (E)a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction,[a] that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him[b] on behalf of her people. 9 And Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, 11 “All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside (F)the inner court without being called, (G)there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one (H)to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”
12 And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. 13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for (I)three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, (J)and if I perish, I perish.”[c] 17 Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.
Footnotes
- Esther 4:8 Or annihilation
- Esther 4:8 Hebrew and seek from before his face
- Esther 4:16 Hebrew if I am destroyed, then I will be destroyed
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
