1 When Mordecai found out all that had happened, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and walked through the city, crying and wailing in grief. 2 He went as far as the palace gate, because no one was allowed to enter the palace gate wearing sackcloth.

3 When the king's decree and orders reached all the different provinces the Jews began to mourn in terrible distress. They fasted, they wept, and they wailed; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

4 Esther's maids and eunuchs came and told her,* Clearly they told Esther what her cousin was doing, but did not give any explanation. and the queen was very upset. She sent clothes to him so he could take off his sackcloth, but he refused to accept them. 5 She called Hathatch, one of the king's eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai and find out what he was doing and why.

6 Hathatch went to Mordecai in the city square in front of the palace gate. 7 Mordecai explained to him everything that had happened to him,† This would surely have also included Haman's issue with Mordecai that had precipitated the crisis. including the exact amount of money that Haman had promised to pay the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the decree that had been issued in Susa for their destruction to show Esther and explain it to her, and asked him to instruct her to go to the king and appeal for mercy and plead before him for her people. 9 Hathatch went back and told Esther what Mordecai had said.

10 Then Esther spoke with Hathatch and ordered him to deliver this message to Mordecai. 11 “All the king's officials, and even the people in the provinces of the king's empire, know that any man or any woman who goes to the king, entering his inner court without being summoned, is sentenced to death—that is the king's one law—unless the king holds out his golden scepter to them so they can live. In my case, I have not been called to go to the king for thirty days.”

12 When Mordecai was told what Esther said, 13 Mordecai sent a message back to Esther, saying, “Don't think that just because you live in the king's palace that your life is the only one that will be saved of all the Jews! 14 If you stay silent right now, help and rescue will come to the Jews from some other place, and you and your relatives will die. Who knows—it could be you came to be queen for such a time as this!”

15 Esther replied to Mordecai, saying, 16 “Have all the Jews in Susa meet together and fast for me. Don't eat or drink anything for three days and nights. I and my girls will also fast. After that, I will go to the king, even though it's against the law, and if I die, I die.”

17 Mordecai went and did everything Esther had told him to do.