1 末底改知道了发生的一切事， 就撕裂自己的衣服， 披上麻衣， 撒上灰尘， 出到城中， 大声痛哭地呼叫。 2 他到了御门前， 就停住， 因为身穿麻衣的， 不可以进御门。 3 王的谕旨和命令传到的各省各地， 犹大人都大大悲哀， 禁食、哭泣、悲伤； 许多人披上麻衣， 躺在灰尘中。 4 以斯帖的婢女和太监把这事告诉以斯帖， 王后就非常惊慌， 就派人送衣服给末底改穿着， 要他脱下麻衣， 他却不接受。 5 以斯帖就把王派来侍候她的一个太监哈他革召了来， 吩咐他到末底改那里去， 探听这是什么一回事， 又是为了什么缘故。 6 于是哈他革出到御门前的广场去见末底改。 7 末底改把他遭遇的一切事， 以及哈曼为灭尽犹大人答应捐银给王库的数目， 都告诉了他。 8 末底改又把在书珊城颁布要毁灭犹大人的谕旨抄本， 交给了哈他革， 要他给以斯帖看， 并且要给她说明， 吩咐她进宫见王， 向王求情， 为自己的族人在王面前恳求。 9 哈他革回来， 把末底改的话都告诉了以斯帖。 10 以斯帖把以下的话告诉哈他革， 又吩咐他回复末底改说： 11 "王所有的臣仆和各省的人民， 都知道有一条法令： 无论男女， 没有奉召就擅入内院去见王的， 除非王向他伸出金杖， 赐他免死， 一律要处以死刑。现在我没有奉召进去见王已经三十天了。" 12 哈他革把以斯帖的话都告诉末底改。 13 末底改叫人回复以斯帖说： "你不要心里想， 你在王宫里比所有的犹大人都安全。 14 这时你若是缄默不言， 犹大人必会从别的地方得着解救， 那时你和你的父家就必灭亡。谁知你得了王后的位分， 不是为了挽救现今的危机吗？" 15 以斯帖吩咐人回复末底改说： 16 "你要去， 把书珊城所有的犹大人都召集起来， 为我禁食三天， 就是三日三夜不吃不喝； 我和我的婢女也要这样禁食。然后我就违例进去见王； 我若是死， 就死吧。" 17 于是末底改离开了， 照着以斯帖吩咐的一切去行。

1 And Mordecai hath known all that hath been done, and Mordecai rendeth his garments, and putteth on sackcloth and ashes, and goeth forth into the midst of the city and crieth -- a cry loud and bitter,2 and he cometh in unto the front of the gate of the king, but none is to come in unto the gate of the king with a sackcloth-garment.3 And in every province and province, the place where the word of the king, even his law, is coming, a great mourning have the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and lamenting: sackcloth and ashes are spread for many.4 And young women of Esther come in and her eunuchs, and declare [it] to her, and the queen is exceedingly pained, and sendeth garments to clothe Mordecai, and to turn aside his sackcloth from off him, and he hath not received [them].5 And Esther calleth to Hatach, of the eunuchs of the king, whom he hath stationed before her, and giveth him a charge for Mordecai, to know what this [is], and wherefore this [is].6 And Hatach goeth out unto Mordecai, unto a broad place of the city, that [is] before the gate of the king,7 and Mordecai declareth to him all that hath met him, and the explanation of the money that Haman said to weigh to the treasuries of the king for the Jews, to destroy them,8 and the copy of the writing of the law that had been given in Shushan to destroy them he hath given to him, to shew Esther, and to declare [it] to her, and to lay a charge on her to go in unto the king, to make supplication to him, and to seek from before him, for her people.9 And Hatach cometh in and declareth to Esther the words of Mordecai,10 and Esther speaketh to Hatach, and chargeth him for Mordecai:11 `All servants of the king, and people of the provinces of the king, do know that any man and woman, who cometh in unto the king, unto the inner court, who is not called -- one law [of] his [is] to put [them] to death, apart from him to whom the king holdeth out the golden sceptre, then he hath lived; and I -- I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.`12 And they declare to Mordecai the words of Esther,13 and Mordecai speaketh to send back unto Esther: `Do not think in thy soul to be delivered [in] the house of the king, more than all the Jews,14 but if thou keep entirely silent at this time, respite and deliverance remaineth to the Jews from another place, and thou and the house of thy fathers are destroyed; and who knoweth whether for a time like this thou hast come to the kingdom?`15 And Esther speaketh to send back unto Mordecai:16 `Go, gather all the Jews who are found in Shushan, and fast for me, and do not eat nor drink three days, by night and by day; also I and my young women do fast likewise, and so I go in unto the king, that [is] not according to law, and when I have perished -- I have perished.`17 And Mordecai passeth on, and doth according to all that Esther hath charged upon him.