CHAPTER 4
1 And when Mordecai had heard these things, he rent his clothes, and he was clothed in a sackcloth, and he sprinkled ashes upon his head, and he cried with great voice in the street of the midst of the city, and showed the bitterness of his soul, (And when Mordecai had heard these things, he tore his clothes, and then he was clothed in a sackcloth, and he sprinkled ashes on his head, and he cried with a great voice in the streets in the midst of the city, and told of the bitterness in his soul,)
2 and he went with this yelling unto the gates of the palace; for it was not leaveful (for) a man clothed with a sackcloth to enter into the hall of the king (or for it was not lawful for someone clothed in sackcloth to enter into the king’s hall).
3 Also in all provinces, cities, and places, to which the cruel sentence of the king was come, there was great wailing, fasting, and weeping, and yelling with the Jews, and many Jews used a sackcloth and ashes for their bed. (And in all the provinces, and cities, and places, to which the cruel sentence of the king had come, there was great wailing, and fasting, and weeping, and yelling from the Jews, and many Jews lay in sackcloth and ashes.)
4 And the damsels, and the honest servants and chaste of Esther entered in (or and the honest and chaste servants of Esther entered in), and told this thing to Esther; which thing she heard, and was astonished; and she sent a cloth (or a cloak)to Mordecai, that when the sackcloth was taken away, he should clothe him(self) therein; the which cloth he would not take. (And Esther’s young women, and the eunuchs, came in, and told her about (this); and when she had heard about it, she was astonished, (or shocked); and she sent some clothes (to Mordecai), so that he would put away the sackcloth, and clothe himself in them; but he would not take the clothes.)
5 And after that, Hatach, the honest servant and chaste (or the honest and chaste servant), was called, whom the king had given (as) a minister to her, and she commanded, that he should go to Mordecai, and learn of him, why he did this thing. (And after that, the eunuch Hatach was called, whom the king had given to her for a servant, and Esther commanded that he go to Mordecai, and learn from him why he did this thing.)
6 And Hatach went forth, and he came to Mordecai standing in the street of the city, before the gate(s) of the palace;
7 and he showed to Hatach all things that had befallen, how Haman had promised to bring silver into the treasures of the king, for the death of the Jews. (and he told Hatach about all the things that had happened to him, and how Haman had promised to pay a great deal of silver into the king’s treasury, for the death of all the Jews.)
8 Also Mordecai gave to Hatach the copy of the king’s behest, that hanged in Susa, to show to the queen, and to admonish her for to enter to the king, and to beseech him for her people. (And Mordecai gave Hatach a copy of theking’s order, which was hung up in Susa, and told him to show it to the queen, and then to admonish her to go to the king, and to beseech him for her people.)
9 And Hatach went again, and told to Esther all things, which Mordecai had said. (And Hatach came back, and told Esther all the things, which Mordecai had said to him.)
10 And she answered to Hatach, and said, that he should say to Mordecai,
11 All the servants of the king, and all the provinces which be under his lordship, know, that whether man either woman, not called of the king, entereth into the inner hall of the king, he shall be slain anon without any tarrying, but if in hap the king hold forth to him the golden rod for a token of mercy, and that he may live so; therefore how may I enter to the king, that am not called to him now by thirty days? (All the king’s servants, and all the people in the provinces that be under his rule, know that if a man or a woman, not calledby the king, entereth into the inner court of the king, that person shall be killed at once, without any tarrying, unless perhaps the king hold forth to him the gold sceptre as a token of mercy, and then he shall live; and so how can I go to the king, when I have not been called to him now for thirty days?)
12 And when Mordecai had heard this thing,
13 he sent again to Esther, and said, Guess thou not, that thou shalt deliver only thy life, for thou art in the house of the king, before all (the) Jews; (he sent back word to Esther, saying, Do not thou think, that since thou art in the king’s palace, thou shalt save thy own life, even though the other Jews shall not escape;)
14 for if thou art still now, the Jews shall be delivered by another way, and thou and the house of thy father shall perish; and who knoweth, whether therefore thou camest to the realm, that thou shouldest be made ready in such a time to help? (for if thou art silent now, the Jews shall be saved by another way, but thou and thy father’s house shall all perish; and who knoweth, whether thou camest to the kingdom, (that is, to thy crown), so that now thou couldest (help) in such a time of need?)
15 And again Esther sent these words to Mordecai, saying, (And Esther sent back an answer to Mordecai, saying,)
16 Go thou, and gather together all the Jews, which thou findest in Susa, and pray ye for me; eat ye not, that is, fast ye, neither drink ye, in three days and three nights, and I with mine handmaidens shall fast in like manner; and then I not called, shall enter in to the king, and I shall do against the law, and I shall betake me to death and to peril. (Go thou, and gather together all the Jews, whom thou findest in Susa, and pray ye for me; eat ye not, that is, fast ye, and drink ye not, for three days and three nights, and I shall fast with my servantesses in like manner; and then though I be not called, I shall go to the king, and I shall go against the law, and I shall deliver myself unto peril and even death.)
17 Therefore Mordecai went, and did all things, that Esther had commanded to him. (And so Mordecai went, and did everything, that Esther had bidden him to do.)