⁶ 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)

Mordecai Persuades Esther to Help

4 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. ² But he went only as far as the king’s gate,^(D) because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. ³ 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.

⁴ 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.

⁶ But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,^(B) and he will flee from you. ⁸ 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) 9} 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)

⁸ Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.^(A)

⁹ 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)

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.

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)

³ So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting,^(A) and in sackcloth and ashes.^(B)