4:1 But Mardochaeus having perceived what
was done, rent his garments, and put on sackcloth, and sprinkled dust upon
himself; and having rushed forth through the open street of the city, he
cried with a loud voice, A nation that has done no wrong is going to be
destroyed.
4:2 And he came to the king's gate, and stood; for it was not lawful for him
to enter into the palace, wearing sackcloth and ashes.
4:3 And in every province where the letters were published, [there was]
crying and lamentation and great mourning on the part of the Jews: they
spread for themselves sackcloth and ashes.
4:4 And the queen's maids and chamberlains went in and told her: and when
she had heard what was done, she was disturbed; and she sent to clothe
Mardochaeus, and take away his sackcloth; but he consented not.
4:5 So Esther called for her chamberlain Achrathaeus, who waited upon her;
and she sent to learn the truth from Mardochaeus.
4:6
4:7 And Mardochaeus shewed him what was done, and the promise which Aman had
made the king of ten thousand talents [to be paid] into the treasury, that
he might destroy the Jews.
4:8 And he gave him the copy [of the writing] that was published in Susa
concerning their destruction, to shew to Esther; and told him to charge her
to go in and intreat the king, and to beg him for the people, remembering,
[said he], the days of thy low estate, how thou wert nursed by my hand:
because Aman who holds the next place to the king has spoken against us for
death. Do thou call upon the Lord, and speak to the king concerning us, to
deliver us from death.
4:9 So Achrathaeus went in and told her all these words.
4:10 And Esther said to Achrathaeus, Go to Mardochaeus, and say,
4:11 All the nations of the empire know, that whoever, man or woman, shall
go in to the king into the inner court uncalled, that person cannot live:
only to whomsoever the king shall stretch out [his] golden sceptre, he shall
live: and I have not been called to go into the king, for these thirty days.
4:12 And Achrathaeus reported to Mardochaeus all the words of Esther.
4:13 Then Mardochaeus said to Achrathaeus, Go, and say to her, Esther, say
not to thyself that thou alone wilt escape in the kingdom, more than all the
[other] Jews.
4:14 For if thou shalt refuse to hearken on this occasion, help and
protection will be to the Jews from another quarter; but thou and thy
father's house will perish: and who knows, if thou hast been made queen for
this [very] occasion?
4:15 And Esther sent the [man] that came to her to Mardochaeus, saying,
4:16 Go and assemble the Jews that are in Susa, and fast ye for me, and eat
not and drink not for three days, night and day: and I also and my maidens
will fast; and then I will go in to the king contrary to the law, even if I
must die.
4:17 So Mardochaeus went and did all that Esther commanded him.
[And he besought the Lord, making mention of all the works of the Lord; and
he said, Lord God, king ruling over all, for all things are in thy power,
and there is no one that shall oppose thee, in thy purpose to save Israel. -
For thou hast made the heaven and the earth and every wonderful thing in the
world under heaven. And thou art Lord of all, and there is no one who shall
resist thee Lord. Thou knowest all things: thou knowest, Lord, that it is
not in insolence, nor haughtiness, nor love of glory, that I have done this,
to refuse obeisance to the haughty Aman. For I would gladly have kissed the
soles of his feet for the safety of Israel. But I have done this, that I
might not set the glory of man above the glory of God: and I will not
worship any one except thee, my Lord, and I will not do these things in
haughtiness. And now, O Lord God, the King, the God of Abraam, spare thy
people, for our enemies are looking upon us to our destruction, and they
have desired to destroy thine ancient inheritance. Do not overlook thy
peculiar people, whom thou hast redeemed for thyself out of the land of
Egypt. Hearken to my prayer, and be propitious to thine inheritance, and
turn our mourning into gladness, that we may live and sing praise to thy
name, O Lord; and do not utterly destroy the mouth of them that praise thee,
O Lord.
And all Israel cried with all their might, for death was before their eyes.
And queen Esther betook herself for refuge to the Lord, being taken as it
were in the agony of death. And having taken off her glorious apparel, she
put on garments of distress and mourning; and instead of grand perfumes she
filled her head with ashes and dung, and she greatly brought down her body,
and she filled every place of her glad adorning with the torn curls of her
hair.
And she besought the Lord God of Israel, and said, O my Lord, thou alone art
our king: help me who am destitute, and have no helper but thee, for my
danger is near at hand. I have heard from my birth, in the tribe of my
kindred that thou, Lord, tookest Israel out of all the nations, and our
fathers out of all their kindred for a perpetual inheritance, and hast
wrought for them all that thou hast said. And now we have sinned before
thee, and thou hast delivered us into the hands of our enemies, because we
honoured their gods: thou art righteous, O Lord. But now they have not been
contented with the bitterness of our slavery, but have laid their hands on
the hands of their idols, in order to abolish the decree of thy mouth, and
utterly to destroy thine inheritances, and to stop the mouth of them that
praise thee, and to extinguish the glory of thine house and thine alter, and
to open the mouth of the Gentiles to speak the praises of vanities, and in
order that a mortal king should be admired for ever.
O Lord, do not resign thy scepter to them that are not, and let them not
laugh at our fall, but turn their counsel, against themselves, and make an
example of him who has begun to injure us. Remember us, O Lord, manifest
thyself in the time of our affliction, and encourage me, O King of gods, and
ruler of all dominion. Put harmonious speech into my mouth before the lion,
and turn his heart to hate him that fights against us, to the utter
destruction of him that consent with him. But deliver us by thine hand, and
help me who am destitute, and have none but the, O Lord. Thou knowest all
things, and knowest that I hate the glory of transgressors, and that I abhor
the couch of the uncircumcised, and of every stranger. Thou knowest my
necessity, for I abhor the symbol of my proud station, which is upon my head
in the days of my splendour: I abhor it as a menstruous cloth, and I wear it
not in the days of my tranquility. And thy handmaid has not eaten at the
table of Aman, and I have not honoured the banquet of the king, neither have
I drunk wine of libations. Neither has thy handmaid rejoiced since the day
of my promotion until now, except in thee, O Lord God of Abraam. O god, who
has power over all, hearken to the voice of the desperate, and deliver us
from the hand of them that devise mischief; and deliver me from my fear. |
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;
4:2 And came even before the king's gate: for none might enter into the
king's gate clothed with sackcloth.
4:3 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.
4:4 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.
4:5 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.
4:6 So Hatach went forth to Mordecai unto the street of the city, which was
before the king's gate.
4:7 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.
4:8 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.
4:9 And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.
4:10 Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai;
4:11 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.
4:12 And they told to Mordecai Esther's words.
4:13 Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that
thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews.
4:14 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?
4:15 Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,
4:16 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.
4:17 So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had
commanded him. |