¹When Mordecai found out about everything that had been done, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes. He went into the middle of the city and cried loudly and bitterly. ²He even went right up to the king’s gate. (No one could enter it wearing sackcloth.)

³In every province touched by the king’s command and decree, the Jews went into mourning, fasting, weeping, and wailing. Many put on sackcloth and ashes.

Esther’s Problem

⁴Esther’s servants and eunuchs came and informed her ⸤about Mordecai⸥. The queen was stunned. She sent clothing for Mordecai to put on in place of his sackcloth, but he refused to accept it. ⁵Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs appointed to serve her. She commanded him to go to Mordecai and find out what was going on and why.

⁶So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square in front of the king’s gate. ⁷Mordecai informed him about everything that had happened to him. He told him the exact amount of silver that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasury to destroy the Jews. ⁸He also gave him a copy of the decree that was issued in Susa. The decree gave permission to exterminate the Jews. Hathach was supposed to show it to Esther to inform and command her to go to the king, beg him for mercy, and appeal to him for her people. ⁹So Hathach returned and told Esther what Mordecai had said.

¹⁰Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to say to Mordecai, ¹¹“All the king’s advisers and the people in the king’s provinces know that no one approaches the king in the throne room without being summoned. By law that person must be put to death. Only if the king holds out the golden scepter to him will he live. I, myself, have not been summoned to enter the king’s presence for 30 days now.” ¹²So Esther’s servants told Mordecai what Esther said.

¹³Mordecai sent this answer back to Esther, “Do not imagine that just because you are in the king’s palace you will be any safer than all the rest of the Jews. ¹⁴The fact is, even if you remain silent now, someone else will help and rescue the Jews, but you and your relatives will die. And who knows, you may have gained your royal position for a time like this.”

¹⁵Esther sent this reply back to Mordecai, ¹⁶“Assemble all the Jews in Susa. Fast for me: Do not eat or drink at all for three entire days. My servants and I will also fast. After that, I will go to the king, even if it is against a royal decree. If I die, I die.”

¹⁷Mordecai did just as Esther had commanded him.

5TH CHAPTER

Esther Brings Her Request to the King

¹On the third day Esther put on her royal robes. She stood in the courtyard of the king’s palace, facing the king’s throne room. The king was sitting on the royal throne inside the palace, facing the entrance.

²When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the entrance, she won his favor. So the king held out the golden scepter that was in his hand to Esther. Esther went up to him and touched the top of the scepter.

³Then the king asked her, “What is troubling you, Queen Esther? What would you like? Even if it is up to half of the kingdom, it will be granted to you.”

⁴So Esther answered, “If it pleases you, Your Majesty, come today with Haman to a dinner I have prepared for you.”

⁵The king replied, “Bring Haman right away, and do whatever Esther asks.” So the king and Haman came to the dinner that Esther had prepared.

⁶While they were drinking wine, the king asked Esther, “What is your request? It will be granted to you. What would you like? Even if it is up to half of the kingdom, it will be granted.”

⁷Esther answered, “My request? What would I like? ⁸Your Majesty, come with Haman to a dinner I will prepare for you. And tomorrow I will answer you, Your Majesty. If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, Your Majesty, may you ⸤then⸥ grant my request and do what I would like.”

Meanwhile, Haman Is Disgraced because of Mordecai

⁹When Haman left that day, he was happy and feeling good. But when Haman saw Mordecai at the king’s gate, neither getting up nor trembling in his presence, Haman was furious with Mordecai. ¹⁰However, Haman controlled himself. He went home and sent for his friends and his wife Zeresh.

¹¹Then Haman began to relate in detail to them how very rich he was, the many sons he had, and all about how the king promoted him to a position over the officials and the king’s advisers. ¹²Haman went on to say, “What’s more, Queen Esther allowed no one except me to come with the king to the dinner she had prepared. And again tomorrow I am her invited guest together with the king. ¹³Yet, all this is worth nothing to me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

¹⁴Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a pole set up, 75 feet high, and in the morning ask the king to have Mordecai’s ⸤dead body⸥ hung on it. Then go with the king to the dinner in good spirits.”

Haman liked the idea, so he had the pole set up.

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