Mordecai Persuades Esther to Help
1When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. 2But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. 3In 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.
4When 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. 5Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.
6So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. 7Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.
9Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. 10Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, 11“All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”
12When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
15Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16“Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
17So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.
末底改求以斯帖幫忙
1末底改得知這事，就撕裂衣服，披上麻衣，頭蒙灰塵，在城中行走，放聲痛哭， 2一直走到宮門前才停住，因為穿麻衣的不可進宮門。 3王的命令和諭旨傳到各省，各地的猶太人極其悲傷，他們禁食、哭泣、哀號，許多人身披麻衣躺在灰中。
4以斯帖王后的宮女和太監把這事稟告她，她非常難過，便為末底改送去衣服，讓他換下麻衣，他卻不肯接受。 5於是，以斯帖把王派來服侍她的一個名叫哈他革的太監召來，叫他去見末底改，查明事情的原委。 6哈他革就到宮門前的廣場見末底改， 7末底改便將自己的遭遇及哈曼為滅絕猶太人而捐入國庫的銀子數目都告訴了他。 8末底改還把一份在書珊城頒佈的要消滅猶太人的諭旨抄本交給哈他革，讓他給以斯帖看，並囑咐她去見王，為自己的同胞向王求情。 9哈他革回去把末底改的話告訴以斯帖。 10以斯帖便吩咐哈他革回覆末底改說： 11「王的所有臣僕和各省人民都知道有一條法令，不論男女，未蒙宣召擅入內院去見王的必被處死，除非王向他伸出金杖，他才能活命。現在我已有三十天未蒙王召見了。」
12末底改聽到以斯帖捎來的話後， 13便回覆她說：「你別以為在宮裡就比其他猶太人安全。 14如果此時你閉口不語，猶太人必從別處得解脫，蒙拯救，但你和你父親一家必滅亡。誰知道你得了王后之位不是為了今日之時呢？」
15以斯帖派人回覆末底改說： 16「你去召集書珊城所有的猶太人為我禁食，三天三夜不吃不喝，我和我的宮女也要這樣禁食。然後，我要違例去見王，我若死就死吧。」
17於是，末底改便去照以斯帖的一切吩咐行事。
