² But he came to a halt at the entrance to the king’s gate because no one wearing sackcloth was allowed to go in. ³ (Similarly, in every province to which the king’s edict and order reached, the Jews went into great mourning, with fasting, mourning, and weeping. Many put on sackcloth and ashes.)

⁴ When Queen Esther’s maids and eunuchs went to her and told her about Mordecai, she became deeply troubled. She sent clothes for him to wear in place of the sackcloth, but he refused to do so. ⁵ Esther then called Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who had been assigned to her service, and ordered him to find out what this action of Mordecai meant and why it was being done.

⁶ So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the public square in front of the king’s gate.