4Mordecai found out about everything that had been done. So he tore his clothes. He put on black clothes. He sat down in ashes. Then he went out into the city. He sobbed out loud. He cried bitter tears. ²But he only went as far as the palace gate. That’s because no one who was dressed in black clothes was allowed to go through it.

³All of the Jews were very sad. They didn’t eat anything. They sobbed and cried. Many of them put on black clothes. They were lying down in ashes. They did all of those things in every territory where the king’s order and law had been sent.

⁴Esther’s eunuchs and female attendants came to her. They told her about Mordecai. So she became very troubled. She wanted him to take his black clothes off. So she sent him other clothes to wear. But he wouldn’t accept them. ⁵Then Esther sent for Hathach. He was one of the king’s eunuchs. He had been appointed to take care of her. She ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai. She wanted to know why he was so upset.

⁶So Hathach went out to see Mordecai. He was in the open area in front of the palace gate. ⁷Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him. He told him about the exact amount of money Haman had promised to add to the royal treasures. He said Haman wanted it to be used to pay some men to destroy the Jews.

⁸Mordecai also gave Hathach a copy of the order. It commanded people to wipe out the Jews. The order had been sent from Susa.

Mordecai told Hathach to show the order to Esther. He wanted him to explain it to her. He told him to try and get her to go to the king. He wanted her to beg for mercy. He wanted her to make an appeal to the king for her people.

⁹Hathach went back. He reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. ¹⁰Then Esther directed him to give an answer to Mordecai. She told him to say, ¹¹“There is a certain law that everyone knows about. All of the king’s officials know about it. The people in the royal territories know about it. It applies to any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner courtyard without being sent for. It says they must be put to death. But there is a way out. Suppose the king reaches out his gold rod toward them. Then their lives will be spared. But 30 days have gone by since the king sent for me.”

¹²Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai. ¹³Then he sent back an answer. He said, “You live in the king’s palace. But don’t think that just because you are there you will be the only Jew who will escape. ¹⁴What if you don’t say anything at this time? Then help for the Jews will come from another place. But you and your family will die. Who knows? It’s possible that you became queen for a time just like this.”

¹⁵Then Esther sent a reply to Mordecai. She said, ¹⁶“Go. Gather together all of the Jews who are in Susa. And fast for my benefit. Don’t eat or drink anything for three days. Don’t do it night or day. I and my attendants will fast just as you do. Then I’ll go to the king. I’ll do it even though it’s against the law. And if I have to die, I’ll die.”

¹⁷So Mordecai went away. He carried out all of Esther’s directions.

Esther Invites the King and Haman to a Big Dinner

5On the third day Esther put her royal robes on. She stood in the inner courtyard of the palace. It was in front of the king’s hall.

The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall. He was facing the entrance. ²He saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard. He was pleased with her. So he reached out toward her the gold rod that was in his hand. Then Esther approached him. She touched the tip of the rod.

³The king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What do you want? I’ll give it to you. I’ll even give you up to half of my kingdom.”

⁴Esther replied, “King Xerxes, if it pleases you, come to a big dinner today. I’ve prepared it for you. Please have Haman come with you.”

⁵“Bring Haman at once,” the king said to his servants. “Then we’ll do what Esther asks.”

So the king and Haman went to the big dinner Esther had prepared. ⁶As they were drinking wine, the king asked Esther the same question again. He said, “What do you want? I’ll give it to you. What do you want me to do for you? I’ll even give you up to half of my kingdom.”

⁷Esther replied, “Here is what I want. Here is my appeal to you. ⁸I hope you will show me your favor. I hope you will be pleased to give me what I want. And I hope you will be pleased to listen to my appeal. If you are, I’d like you and Haman to come tomorrow to the big dinner I’ll prepare for you. Then I’ll answer your question.”

Haman Brags About Being Invited to Esther’s Dinner

⁹That day Haman was happy. So he left the palace in a good mood. But then he saw Mordecai at the palace gate. He noticed that Mordecai didn’t stand up when he walked by. In fact, Mordecai didn’t have any respect for him at all. So he burned with anger against him. ¹⁰But Haman was able to control himself. He went on home.

Haman called his friends and his wife Zeresh together. ¹¹He bragged to them about how rich he was. He talked about how many sons he had. He spoke about all of the ways the king had honored him. He bragged about how the king had given him a higher position than any of the other nobles and officials had. ¹²“And that’s not all!” Haman added. “I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to come with the king to the big dinner she gave. Now she has invited me along with the king tomorrow.

¹³“But even all of that doesn’t satisfy me. I won’t be satisfied as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the palace gate.”

¹⁴Haman’s wife Zeresh and all of his friends spoke up. They said to him, “Get a pole. In the morning, ask the king to have Mordecai put to death. Have the pole stuck through his body. Set it up at a place where it will be 75 feet above the ground. Everyone will be able to see it there. Then go to the dinner with the king. Have a good time.”

Haman was delighted with that suggestion. So he got the pole ready.

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