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;
02 And came even before the king's gate: for none
might enter into the king's gate clothed with
sackcloth.
03 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.
04 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.
05 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.
06 So Hatach went forth to Mordecai unto the
street of the city, which was before the king's
gate.
07 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.
08 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.
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09 And Hatach came and told Esther the words of
Mordecai.
10 Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him
commandment unto Mordecai;
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.
12 And they told to Mordecai Esther's words.
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.
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?
15 Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this
answer,
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.
17 So Mordecai went his way, and did according to
all that Esther had commanded him.
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