| Chapter 4 |
| 1 | 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; |
| 2 |
And came even before the king's gate: for none might enter
into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth. |
|
3 | 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. |
| 4 | 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. |
| 5 |
Then called Esther for Hatach, one of the king's chamberlains,
whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and gave him a commandment to
Mordecai, to know what it was, and why it was. |
| 6 | So Hatach went
forth to Mordecai unto the street of the city, which was before the king's
gate. |
| 7 |
And Mordecai told him of all that had happened unto him, and
of the sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries
for the Jews, to destroy them. |
|
8 | Also he gave him the copy of the
writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew it
unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her that she should go
in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him
for her people. |
|
9 | And Hatach came and told Esther the words of
Mordecai. |
| 10
| Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment
unto Mordecai; |
|
11 | All the king's servants, and the people of the
king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or women, shall come
unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his
to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden
sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king
these thirty days. |
| 12 | And they told to Mordecai Esther's
words. |
| 13
| Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with
thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the
Jews. |
| 14 |
For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then
shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place;
but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether
thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? |
| 15 | Then Esther
bade them return Mordecai this answer, |
| 16 | Go, gather together all the
Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink
three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will
I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I
perish. |
| 17
| So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that
Esther had commanded him. |
