When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.(A)

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For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

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Mordecai Persuades Esther to Help

When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes,(A) put on sackcloth and ashes,(B) and went out into the city, wailing(C) loudly and bitterly. But he went only as far as the king’s gate,(D) because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

When Esther’s eunuchs and female attendants came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them.

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When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry;

And came even before the king's gate: for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.

And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

So Esther's maids and her chamberlains came and told it her. Then was the queen exceedingly grieved; and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him: but he received it not.

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But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
    but shows favor to the humble.”[a](A)

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,(B) and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.(C) Wash your hands,(D) you sinners, and purify your hearts,(E) you double-minded.(F) Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.(G) 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.(H)

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Footnotes

  1. James 4:6 Prov. 3:34

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

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30 They will raise their voice
    and cry bitterly over you;
they will sprinkle dust(A) on their heads
    and roll(B) in ashes.(C)
31 They will shave their heads(D) because of you
    and will put on sackcloth.
They will weep(E) over you with anguish of soul
    and with bitter mourning.(F)

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30 And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes:

31 And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.

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Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.(A)

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And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

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Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position.(A) 10 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower.(B)

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Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:

10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.

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13 “Woe to you,(A) Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth(B) and ashes.

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13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

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21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!(A) For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon,(B) they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.(C)

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21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

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So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting,(A) and in sackcloth and ashes.(B)

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And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:

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18 Say to the king(A) and to the queen mother,(B)
    “Come down from your thrones,
for your glorious crowns(C)
    will fall from your heads.”

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18 Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.

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26 Put on sackcloth,(A) my people,
    and roll in ashes;(B)
mourn with bitter wailing(C)
    as for an only son,(D)
for suddenly the destroyer(E)
    will come upon us.

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26 O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.

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10 Tell it not in Gath[a];
    weep not at all.
In Beth Ophrah[b]
    roll in the dust.

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 1:10 Gath sounds like the Hebrew for tell.
  2. Micah 1:10 Beth Ophrah means house of dust.

10 Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust.

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29 Let him bury his face in the dust(A)
    there may yet be hope.(B)

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29 He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.

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