Esther 4
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
Mordecai Appeals to Esther
4 When Mordecai learned all that had occurred,(A) he tore his clothes,(B) put on sackcloth and ashes,(C) went into the middle of the city, and cried loudly and bitterly.(D) 2 He went only as far as the King’s Gate,(E) since the law prohibited anyone wearing sackcloth from entering the King’s Gate. 3 There was great mourning among the Jewish people in every province where the king’s command and edict(F) reached. They fasted, wept, and lamented, and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.(G)
4 Esther’s female servants and her eunuchs came and reported the news to her, and the queen was overcome with fear.(H) She sent clothes for Mordecai to wear so that he would take off his sackcloth, but he did not accept them. 5 Esther summoned Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who attended her, and dispatched him to Mordecai to learn what he was doing and why.[a] 6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square in front of the King’s Gate. 7 Mordecai told him everything that had happened as well as the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay the royal treasury for the slaughter of the Jews.(I)
8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa ordering their destruction, so that Hathach might show it to Esther, explain it to her, and command her to approach the king, implore his favour, and plead with him personally for her people.(J) 9 Hathach came and repeated Mordecai’s response to Esther.
10 Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to tell Mordecai, 11 ‘All the royal officials and the people of the royal provinces know that one law applies to every man or woman who approaches the king in the inner courtyard(K) and who has not been summoned – the death penalty(L) – unless the king extends the gold sceptre, allowing that person to live.(M) I have not been summoned to appear before the king(N) for the last[b] thirty days.’ 12 Esther’s response was reported to Mordecai.
13 Mordecai told the messenger to reply to Esther, ‘Don’t think that you will escape the fate of all the Jews because you are in the king’s palace. 14 If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place,(O) but you and your father’s family will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.’(P)
15 Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 ‘Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa and fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days,(Q) night or day. I and my female servants will also fast(R) in the same way. After that, I will go to the king even if it is against the law.(S) If I perish, I perish.’(T) 17 So Mordecai went and did everything Esther had commanded him.
Esther 4
New King James Version
Esther Agrees to Help the Jews
4 When Mordecai learned all that had happened, [a]he (A)tore his clothes and put on sackcloth (B)and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city. He (C)cried out with a loud and bitter cry. 2 He went as far as the front of the king’s gate, for no one might enter the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth. 3 And in every province where the king’s command and decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
4 So Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her, and the queen was deeply distressed. Then she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and take his sackcloth away from him, but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther called Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs whom he had appointed to attend her, and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai, to learn what and why this was. 6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square that was in front of the king’s gate. 7 And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and (D)the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries to destroy the Jews. 8 He also gave him (E)a copy of the written decree for their destruction, which was given at [b]Shushan, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her, and that he might command her to go in to the king to make supplication to him and plead before him for her people. 9 So Hathach returned and told Esther the words of Mordecai.
10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai: 11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into (F)the inner court to the king, who has not been called, (G)he has but one law: put all to death, except the one (H)to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been (I)called to go in to the king these thirty days.” 12 So they told Mordecai Esther’s words.
13 And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have 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 who are present in [c]Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for (J)three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; (K)and if I perish, I perish!”
17 So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded [d]him.
Footnotes
- Esther 4:1 Lit. Mordecai
- Esther 4:8 Or Susa
- Esther 4:16 Or Susa
- Esther 4:17 LXX adds a prayer of Mordecai here
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
Esther 4
Young's Literal Translation
4 And Mordecai hath known all that hath been done, and Mordecai rendeth his garments, and putteth on sackcloth and ashes, and goeth forth into the midst of the city and crieth -- a cry loud and bitter,
2 and he cometh in unto the front of the gate of the king, but none is to come in unto the gate of the king with a sackcloth-garment.
3 And in every province and province, the place where the word of the king, even his law, is coming, a great mourning have the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and lamenting: sackcloth and ashes are spread for many.
4 And young women of Esther come in and her eunuchs, and declare [it] to her, and the queen is exceedingly pained, and sendeth garments to clothe Mordecai, and to turn aside his sackcloth from off him, and he hath not received [them].
5 And Esther calleth to Hatach, of the eunuchs of the king, whom he hath stationed before her, and giveth him a charge for Mordecai, to know what this [is], and wherefore this [is].
6 And Hatach goeth out unto Mordecai, unto a broad place of the city, that [is] before the gate of the king,
7 and Mordecai declareth to him all that hath met him, and the explanation of the money that Haman said to weigh to the treasuries of the king for the Jews, to destroy them,
8 and the copy of the writing of the law that had been given in Shushan to destroy them he hath given to him, to shew Esther, and to declare [it] to her, and to lay a charge on her to go in unto the king, to make supplication to him, and to seek from before him, for her people.
9 And Hatach cometh in and declareth to Esther the words of Mordecai,
10 and Esther speaketh to Hatach, and chargeth him for Mordecai:
11 `All servants of the king, and people of the provinces of the king, do know that any man and woman, who cometh in unto the king, unto the inner court, who is not called -- one law [of] his [is] to put [them] to death, apart from him to whom the king holdeth out the golden sceptre, then he hath lived; and I -- I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.'
12 And they declare to Mordecai the words of Esther,
13 and Mordecai speaketh to send back unto Esther: `Do not think in thy soul to be delivered [in] the house of the king, more than all the Jews,
14 but if thou keep entirely silent at this time, respite and deliverance remaineth to the Jews from another place, and thou and the house of thy fathers are destroyed; and who knoweth whether for a time like this thou hast come to the kingdom?'
15 And Esther speaketh to send back unto Mordecai:
16 `Go, gather all the Jews who are found in Shushan, and fast for me, and do not eat nor drink three days, by night and by day; also I and my young women do fast likewise, and so I go in unto the king, that [is] not according to law, and when I have perished -- I have perished.'
17 And Mordecai passeth on, and doth according to all that Esther hath charged upon him.
Copyright © 2024 by Holman Bible Publishers.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
