Mordecai Asks for Esther's Help
1 When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes in anguish. Then he dressed in sackcloth, covered his head with ashes, and walked through the city, wailing loudly and bitterly, 2 until he came to the entrance of the palace. He did not go in because no one wearing sackcloth was allowed inside. 3 Throughout all the provinces, wherever the king's proclamation was made known, there was loud mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept, wailed, and most of them put on sackcloth and lay in ashes.
4 When Esther's servant women and eunuchs told her what Mordecai was doing, she was deeply disturbed. She sent Mordecai some clothes to put on instead of the sackcloth, but he would not accept them. 5 Then she called Hathach, one of the palace eunuchs appointed as her servant by the king, and told him to go to Mordecai and find out what was happening and why. 6 Hathach went to Mordecai in the city square at the entrance of the palace. 7 Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him and just how much money Haman had promised to put into the royal treasury if all the Jews were killed. 8 He gave Hathach a copy of the proclamation that had been issued in Susa, ordering the destruction of the Jews. Mordecai asked him to take it to Esther, explain the situation to her, and have her go and plead with the king and beg him to have mercy on her people. 9 Hathach did this, 10 and Esther gave him this message to take back to Mordecai: 11 “If anyone, man or woman, goes to the inner courtyard and sees the king without being summoned, that person must die. That is the law; everyone, from the king's advisers to the people in the provinces, knows that. There is only one way to get around this law: if the king holds out his gold scepter to someone, then that person's life is spared. But it has been a month since the king sent for me.”
12 When Mordecai received Esther's message, 13 he sent her this warning: “Don't imagine that you are safer than any other Jew just because you are in the royal palace. 14 If you keep quiet at a time like this, help will come from heaven to the Jews, and they will be saved, but you will die and your father's family will come to an end. Yet who knows—maybe it was for a time like this that you were made queen!”
15 Esther sent Mordecai this reply: 16 “Go and get all the Jews in Susa together; hold a fast and pray for me. Don't eat or drink anything for three days and nights. My servant women and I will be doing the same. After that, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. If I must die for doing it, I will die.”
17 Mordecai then left and did everything that Esther had told him to do.
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1 Kad Mordohajs uzzināja visu, kas bija noticis, viņš saplēsa savas drānas, tinās maisos, kaisījās pelniem un gāja pa pilsētu, skaļi un rūgti brēkdams, 2 bet tālāk par ķēniņa vārtu priekšu netika, jo neviens, kas ģērbies maisos, caur ķēniņa vārtiem neiet. 3 Un ikvienā pavalstī, kur vien pienāca ķēniņa likums un pavēle, jūdi sāka sērot, gavēt un vaimanāt, daudzi tinās maisos un gulēja pelnos. 4 Kad Esteres kalpones un einuhi nāca un viņai to pastāstīja, ķēniņiene nodrebēja un sūtīja Mordohajam drēbes, ko ģērbt, lai viņš varētu novilkt maisu, bet viņš tās neņēma. 5 Tad Estere pasauca ķēniņa einuhu Hatāhu, kurš kalpoja viņai, un sūtīja to pie Mordohaja, lai uzzinātu, kas un kā. 6 Hatāhs devās pie Mordohaja uz pilsētas laukumu, kas bija iepretī ķēniņa vārtiem. 7 Un Mordohajs viņam pastāstīja visu, kas noticis un cik daudz sudraba Hāmāns bija teicies iesvērt ķēniņa mantnīcā par jūdu izdeldēšanu. 8 Viņš iedeva tam norakstu no Sūsās izdotā likuma par jūdu iznīdēšanu, lai viņš to parāda un izskaidro Esterei un liek viņai iet iežēlināt ķēniņu un lūgties par savu tautu. 9 Un Hatāhs gāja un pastāstīja Esterei, ko bija teicis Mordohajs. 10 Estere runāja ar Hatāhu un lika teikt Mordohajam: 11 “Visi ķēniņa kalpi un ķēniņa pavalstu tautas – ik vīrs un sieva – zina, ka tam, kurš nesaukts iet ķēniņa iekšpagalmā, ir viens likums – nāve, ja vien ķēniņš neizstiepj pret to savu zelta zizli – ka tas paliktu dzīvs. Bet es pie ķēniņa neesmu saukta trīsdesmit dienas.”
12 Mordohajam pastāstīja, ko Estere teica, 13 un Mordohajs lika atbildēt Esterei: “Neiedomājies, ka tu vienīgā no visiem jūdiem paglābsies ķēniņa namā. 14 Ja tu tagad cietīsi klusu, tad atspaids un glābiņš jūdiem nāks no citurienes, bet tu un tava tēva nams ies bojā. Kas zina, vai ne šī laika dēļ tu esi kļuvusi ķēniņiene?” 15 Un Estere lika atbildēt Mordohajam: 16 “Ej, pulcini visus jūdus, ko vien atrodi Sūsās, un gavējiet manis dēļ. Trīs dienas neēdiet un nedzeriet ne nakti, ne dienu, un arī es gavēšu un manas kalpones. Es iešu pie ķēniņa, kaut arī tas ir pret likumu, un, ja man jāiet bojā, es aiziešu!” 17 Un Mordohajs gāja un darīja visu, ko Estere viņam pavēlēja.
