¹⁶ “Go, gather all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; ^(A)do not eat or drink for ^(B)three days, night or day. I and my attendants also will fast in the same way. And then I will go in to the king, which is not in accordance with the law; and if I perish, I perish.”

Protection of God Invoked

²¹ Then I proclaimed ^(A)a fast there at ^(B)the river of Ahava, to ^(C)humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him a ^[a]safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. ²² For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to ^[b]protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, “^(D)The hand of our God is ^[c]favorably disposed to all who seek Him, but ^(E)His power and His anger are against all those who ^(F)abandon Him.” ²³ So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He ^[d](G)listened to our pleading.

⁵ Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a ^(A)fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. ⁶ When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, removed his robe from himself, ^(B)covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the ^[a]dust. ⁷ And he issued a ^(C)proclamation, and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: No person, animal, herd, or flock is to taste anything. They are not to eat, or drink water. ⁸ But every person and animal must be covered with sackcloth; and people are to ^(D)call on God vehemently, and they are to ^(E)turn, each one from his evil way, and from the violence which is in their hands. ^9 (F)Who knows, God may turn and relent, and turn from His burning anger so that we will not perish.”