1
When
Mordecai learned all that had been
done, he
tore his
clothes,
put on
sackcloth and
ashes, and
went out into the
midst of the
city and
wailed loudly and
bitterly.
[;r.qiY;w h'f][;n r,v]a -l'K -t,a [;d'y y;k\D.r'm.W ? aeceY;w r,pea'w q;f v;B.liY;w wy'd'g.B -t,a y;k\D.r'm ? h'r'm.W h'l{d.g h'q'[.z q;[.ziY;w ryi['h .$w{t.B
2
He
went as
far as the
king's gate, for
no one was to
enter the
king's gate clothed in
sackcloth.
!yea yiK .$,l,M;h -r;[;v yen.pil d;[ aw{b'Y;w ? q'f v.Wb.liB .$,l,M;h r;[;v -l,a aw{b'l
3
In
each and
every province where * the
command and
decree of the
king came, there was
great mourning among the
Jews, with
fasting,
weeping and
wailing; and
many lay on
sackcloth and
ashes.
.$,l,M;h -r;b.D r,v]a ~w{q.m h'nyid.m.W h'nyid.m -l'k.b.W ? ~w{c.w ~yid.Wh.Y;l lw{d'G l,bea ;[yiG;m w{t'd.w ? ~yiB;r'l [;CUy r,pea'w q;f deP.sim.W yik.b.W
4
Then
Esther's maidens and her
eunuchs came and
told her, and the
queen writhed in
great anguish. And she
sent garments to
clothe Mordecai that he might
remove his
sackcloth from him, but he did not
accept them.
.WdyiG;Y;w 'hy,syir's.w reT.s,a tw{r][;n h'ny,aw{b.T;w ? ~yid'g.B x;l.viT;w d{a.m h'K.l;M;h l;x.l;x.tiT;w H'l ? wy'l'[em w{Q;f ryis'h.l.W y;k\D.r'm -t,a vyiB.l;h.l ? leBiq a{l.w
5
Then
Esther summoned Hathach from the
king's eunuchs,
whom the king had
appointed to
attend her, and
ordered him to go to
Mordecai to
learn what this was and
why it was.
r,v]a .$,l,M;h yesyir'Sim .$'t]h;l reT.s,a a'r.qiT;w ? t;[;d'l y'k\D.r'm -l;[ .Whe.W;c.T;w 'hy,n'p.l dyim/[,h ? h,Z -h;m -l;[.w h,Z -h;m
6
So
Hathach went out to
Mordecai to the
city square in
front of the
king's gate.
ryi['h bw{x.r -l,a y'k\D.r'm -l,a .$'t]h aeceY;w ? .$,l,M;h -r;[;v yen.pil r,v]a
7
Mordecai told him
all that had
happened to him, and the
exact amount of
money that
Haman had
promised to
pay to the
king's treasuries for the
destruction of the
Jews.
.Wh'r'q r,v]a -l'K tea y;k\D.r'm w{l -d,G;Y;w ? lw{q.vil !'m'h r;m'a r,v]a @,s,K;h t;v'r'P tea.w ? ~'d.B;a.l ~yiYid.Wh.Y;B .$,l,M;h yez.niG -l;[
8
He also
gave him a
copy of the
text of the
edict which had been
issued in
Susa for their
destruction, that he might
show Esther and
inform her, and to
order her to
go in to the
king to
implore his
favor and to
plead with him for her
people.
!'v.Wv.B !;Tin -r,v]a t'D;h -b't.K !,g,v.t;P -t,a.w ? reT.s,a -t,a tw{a.r;h.l w{l !;t'n ~'dyim.v;h.l ? .$,l,M;h -l,a aw{b'l 'hy,l'[ tw{.W;c.l.W H'l dyiG;h.l.W ? H'M;[ -l;[ wy'n'p.Lim veQ;b.l.W w{l -n,N;x.tih.l
9
Hathach came back and
related Mordecai's words to
Esther.
y'k\D.r'm yer.biD tea reT.s,a.l deG;Y;w .$'t]h aw{b'Y;w
10
Then
Esther spoke to
Hathach and
ordered him to reply to
Mordecai:
y'k\D.r'm -l,a .Whe.W;c.T;w .$'t]h;l reT.s,a r,ma{T;w
11
"All the
king's servants and the
people of the
king's provinces know that for
any man or
woman who comes to the
king to the
inner court who is not
summoned, he has but
one law, that he be
put to
death,
unless * * the
king holds out to him the
golden scepter so that he may
live. And I have not been
summoned to
come to the
king for
these thirty days."
.$,l,M;h tw{nyid.m -m;[.w .$,l,M;h yed.b;[ -l'K ? -l,a -aw{b'y r,v]a h'Via.w vyia -l'K r,v]a ~yi[.dw{y ? aer'QIy -a{l r,v]a tyimyin.P;h rec'x,h -l,a .$,l,M;h ? w{l -jyivw{y r,v]aem d;b.l tyim'h.l w{t'D t;x;a ? a{l yin]a;w h'y'x.w b'h'Z;h jyib.r;v -t,a .$,l,M;h ? ~yivw{l.v h,z .$,l,M;h -l,a aw{b'l yitaer.qin ? ~w{y
12
They
related Esther's words to
Mordecai.
@ reT.s,a yer.biD tea y'k\D.r'm.l .WdyiG;Y;w
13
Then
Mordecai told them to
reply to
Esther, "Do not
imagine that you in the
king's palace can
escape any
more than all the
Jews.
yiM;d.T -l;a reT.s,a -l,a byiv'h.l y;k\D.r'm r,ma{Y;w ? ~yid.Wh.Y;h -l'Kim .$,l,M;h -tyeB jel'Mih.l .$ev.p;n.b
14
"For
if you
remain silent at
this time,
relief and
deliverance will
arise for the
Jews from
another place and you and your
father's house will
perish. And
who knows whether you have not
attained royalty for such a
time as
this?"
x;w,r ta{Z;h te['B yivyir]x;T ver]x;h -mia yiK ? .T;a.w rex;a ~w{q'Mim ~yid.Wh.Y;l dw{m][;y h'l'C;h.w ? te[.l -mia ;[edw{y yim.W .Wdeba{T .$yib'a -tyeb.W ? t.Wk.l;M;l .T;[;Gih ta{z'K
15
Then
Esther told them to
reply to
Mordecai,
y'k\D.r'm -l,a byiv'h.l reT.s,a r,ma{T;w
16
"Go,
assemble all the
Jews who are
found in
Susa, and
fast for me; do not
eat or
drink for
three days,
night or
day. I and my
maidens also will
fast in the
same way. And
thus I will
go in to the
king,
which is not according to the
law; and
if I
perish, I
perish."
~yia.c.miN;h ~yid.Wh.Y;h -l'K -t,a sw{n.K .$el ? .WT.viT -l;a.w .Wl.ka{T -l;a.w y;l'[ .Wm.Wc.w !'v.Wv.B ? y;t{r][;n.w yin]a -m;G ~w{y'w h'l.y;l ~yim'y t,v{l.v ? r,v]a .$,l,M;h -l,a aw{b'a !ek.b.W !eK ~.Wc'a ? yiT.d'b'a yiT.d;b'a r,v]a;k.w t'D;k -a{l
17
So
Mordecai went away and
did just * as
Esther had
commanded him.
h't..Wic -r,v]a l{k.K f;[;Y;w y'k\D.r'm r{b][;Y;w ? reT.s,a wy'l'[