Esther Agrees to Help the Jews

¹ When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry.

² He went up to the entrance of the king’s gate, for no one was allowed to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth.

³ And in every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.

⁴ When Esther’s young women and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth, but he would not accept them.

⁵ Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was.

⁶ Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate,

⁷ and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, rand the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews.

⁸ Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favour and plead with him on behalf of her people.

^8a “Remembering the days of your lowliness, when you were cared for by me, because Haman, who is next to the king, spoke against us for our destruction. Ask the Lord and speak to the king concerning us and deliver us from death.”

⁹ And Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said.

¹⁰ Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say,

¹¹ “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden sceptre so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”

¹² And they told Mordecai what Esther had said.

¹³ Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews.

¹⁴ For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliver ance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

¹⁵ Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai,

¹⁶ “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”

¹⁷ Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

^17a Then Mordecai prayed to the Lord, calling to remembrance all the works of the Lord. He said: ^17b “O Lord, Lord, King who rules over all things, for the universe is in your power and there is no one who can oppose you when it is your will to save Israel.

^17c For you have made heaven and earth and every wonderful thing in it under heaven,

^17d and you are Lord of all, and there is no one who can resist you, the Lord.

^17e You know all things; you know, O Lord, that it was not in insolence or pride or for any love of glory that I did this and refused to bow down to this proud Haman.

^17f For I would have been willing to kiss the soles of his feet, to save Israel!

^17g But I did this that I might not set the glory of man above the glory of God, and I will not bow down to anyone but you, my Lord; and I will not do these things in pride.

^17h And now, O Lord God and King, God of Abraham, spare your people; for they are looking to annihilate us, and they desire to destroy the inheritance that has been yours from the beginning.

¹⁷ⁱ Do not neglect your portion, which you redeemed for yourself out of the land of Egypt.

^17k Hear my prayer and have mercy upon your allotment and turn our mourning into feasting, that we may live and sing praise to your name, O Lord; do not destroy the mouth of those who praise you.”

^17l And all Israel cried out mightily, for their death was before their eyes.Esther’s Prayer

^17m And Esther the queen, seized with deathly anxiety, fled to the Lord;

¹⁷ⁿ she took off her splendid apparel and put on the garments of distress and mourning, and instead of costly perfumes she covered her head with ashes and dung, and she utterly humbled her body and every part that she loved to adorn she covered with her tangled hair.

^17o And she prayed to the Lord God of Israel and said: “O my Lord, you only are our King; help me, who am alone and have no helper but you,

^17p for my danger is in my hand.

^17q Ever since I was born I have heard in the tribe of my family that you, O Lord, took Israel out of all the nations and our fathers from among all their ancestors for an everlasting inheritance and that you did for them all that you promised.

^17r And now we have sinned before you, and you have given us into the hands of our enemies,

^17s because we glorified their gods. You are righteous, O Lord!

^17t And now they were not satisfied that we are in bitter slavery, but they have covenanted with their idols

^17u to abolish what your mouth has ordained and to destroy your inheritance, to stop the mouths of those who praise you and to quench your altar and the glory of your house,

^17v to open the mouth of the nations for the praise of vain idols and to magnify forever a mortal king.

^17w O Lord, do not surrender your scepter to what has no being; and do not let them mock at our downfall; but turn their plan against them and make an example of the man who began this against us.

^17x Remember, O Lord; make yourself known in this time of our affliction and give me courage, O King of the gods and Master of all dominion!

^17y Put eloquent speech in my mouth before the lion and turn his heart to hate the man who is fighting against us, so that there may be an end of him and those who agree with him.

^17z But save us by your hand and help me, who am alone and have no helper but you, O Lord.

^17aa You have knowledge of all things; and you know that I hate the splendor of the wicked and abhor the bed of the uncircumcised and of any alien.

^17bb You know my necessity‚ Äîthat I abhor the sign of my proud position, which is upon my head on the days when I appear in public. I abhor it like a menstrual rag, and I do not wear it on the days when I am at leisure.

^17cc And your servant has not eaten at Haman‚ Äôs table, and I have not honored the king‚ Äôs feast or drunk the wine of the libations.

^17dd Your servant has had no joy since the day that I was brought here until now, except in you, O Lord God of Abraham.

^17ee O God, whose might is over all, hear the voice of the despairing and save us from the hands of evildoers. And save me from my fear!”