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,
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.
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.
4 And the damsels, and the honest servants and chaste of Esther entered in, and told this thing to Esther; which thing she heard, and was astonied; and she sent a cloth to Mordecai, that when the sackcloth was taken away, he should clothe him therein; the which cloth he would not take.
5 And after that, Hatach, the honest servant and chaste, was called, whom the king had given as a minister or servant to her, and she commanded, that he should go to Mordecai, and learn of 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 of the palace;
7 and he showed to Hatach all things that had befallen, how Haman had promised to bring silver into the treasures [or treasuries] of the king, for the death of 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.
9 And Hatach went again, and told to Esther all things, which Mordecai had said.
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 lord-ship, 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?
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 Jews;
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?
15 And again Esther sent these words 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.
17 Therefore Mordecai went, and did all things, that Esther had com-manded to him.