مردخاي يستعين بأستير
1 فلمَّا عَلِمَ مُرْدخايُ بِكُلِّ ما حدَثَ مَزَّقَ ثيابَهُ وألقَى علَيهِ مِسْحا ورَمادا وخرَجَ إلى وسَطِ المدينةِ وصرَخَ صُراخا عظيما مُرًّا، 2 وجاءَ إلى أمامِ بابِ الملِكِ وكانَ لا يَدخُلُهُ أحدٌ وهوَ لابِسٌ المِسْحَ. 3 وكانَ في كُلِّ إقليمٍ ورَدَ إليهِ أمرُ المَلِكِ وحُكْمُهُ حُزنٌ عظيمٌ عِندَ اليهودِ وصَومٌ وبُكاءٌ وعَويلٌ، وألقى الكثيرونَ علَيهِمِ الرَّمادَ والمِسْحَ.
4 فجاءَت جواري أستيرَ وخِصْيانُها وأخبَروها بالأمرِ، فاغتمَّت جِدًّا وأرسَلَت ثيابا ليَلبَسَها مُرْدخايُ ويَنزعَ عَنهُ مِسْحَهُ فرَفَضَ. 5 فاستَدعَت أستيرُ هَتاخَ، أحَدَ خِصيانِ المَلِكِ الّذي كانَ عَيَّنَهُ لِخِدمَتِها، وأمَرَتْهُ أنْ يذهَبَ إلى مُرْدخاي ليَستَعلِمَ مِنهُ ما جَرى ولِماذا يتَصَرَّفُ هكذا. 6 فخَرجَ هَتاخُ إلى مُرْدخاي، إلى ساحةِ المدينةِ الّتي أمامَ بابِ المَلِكِ، 7 فأخبَرَه مُرْدخايُ بِكُلِّ ما حَدَثَ لَه وبمِقْدارِ الفِضَّةِ الّذي وعَدَ هامانُ بِبَذْلِهِ لِخَزائِنِ المَلِكِ تَعويضا عَنِ اليهودِ ليُبـيدَهُم، 8 وأعطاهُ نسخَةَ الحُكْمِ المُعطَى في شُوشَنَ والقاضي بإهلاكِ اليهودِ، وطلَبَ مِنهُ أنْ يُطلِـعَ علَيها أستيرَ ويُخبِرَها ويُوصيَها بِأنْ تَدخُلَ على المَلِكِ لتَتَضَرَّعَ إليهِ وتـتَوَسَّلَ بَين يَدَيهِ مِن أجلِ شعبِها. 9 فجاءَ هَتاخُ وأخبَرَ أستيرَ بِكلامِ مُرْدخاي. 10 فعادَتْ أستيرُ وقالَت لِهُتاخَ أنْ يُخبرَ مُردَخاي 11 بِأنَّ جميعَ عبـيدِ المَلِكَ وشُعوبِ أقاليمِ المَلِكِ يَعلَمونَ أنَّ أيَّ رَجُلٍ أوِ امرَأةٍ دخَلَ على المَلِكِ إلى السَّاحَةِ الدَّاخِليَّةِ مِنْ غَيرِ أنْ يُدعَى، فالقانونُ يقضي علَيهِ بالموتِ إلاَّ إذا مَدَّ لَه المَلِكُ صَولجانَ الذَّهبِ فيَحيا، وأنا ما دُعيتُ للدُّخولِ على المَلِكِ مُنذُ ثَلاثينَ يوما.
12 فلمَّا أُخبِرَ مُرْدخايُ بِكلامِ أستيرَ، 13 أرسَلَ إليها هذا الجوابَ: «لا تَظُنِّي أنَّكِ تَنجينَ في بَيتِ المَلِكِ دُونَ جميعِ اليهودِ. 14 إنْ سكَتِّ في هذا الوقتِ فسَيَجيءُ الفَرَجُ والخلاصُ لِليهودِ مِنْ مكانٍ آخَرَ، وأنتِ وبَيتُ أبـيكِ تَهلكونَ. ومَنْ يَدري؟ رُبَّما لِمِثْلِ هذا الوقتِ وصَلْتِ إلى المُلْكِ؟» 15 فأجابَت أستيرُ على مُرْدخاي: 16 «إذهَبْ واجمَعْ كُلَّ اليهودِ الّذينَ في شُوشَنَ وصُوموا لأجلي ولا تَأكُلوا ولا تَشرَبوا ثلاثةَ أيّامٍ بِلَياليها، وأنا وجواريَّ نصومُ مَعكُم وبَعدَ ذلِكَ أدخُلُ على المَلِكِ خِلافا لِلقانونِ، فإنْ هلَكْتُ فأكون هلَكْتُ». 17 فعَمِلَ مُرْدخايُ بِكُلِّ ما أمَرَتهُ بهِ أستيرُ.
Mordecai Asks for Esther's Help
1 When Mordecai heard about the letter, he tore his clothes in sorrow and put on sackcloth. Then he covered his head with ashes and went through the city, crying and weeping. 2 But he could go only as far as the palace gate, because no one wearing sackcloth was allowed inside the palace. 3 In every province where the king's orders were read, the Jews cried and mourned, and they went without eating. Many of them even put on sackcloth and sat in ashes.
4 When Esther's servant girls and her other servants told her what Mordecai was doing, she became very upset and sent Mordecai some clothes to wear in place of the sackcloth. But he refused to take them.
5 Esther had a servant named Hathach, who had been given to her by the king. So she called him in and said, “Find out what's wrong with Mordecai and why he's acting this way.”
6 Hathach went to Mordecai in the city square in front of the palace gate, 7 and Mordecai told him everything that had happened. He also told him how much money Haman had promised to add to the king's treasury, if all the Jews were killed.
8 Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the orders for the murder of the Jews and told him that these had been read in Susa. He said, “Show this to Esther and explain what it means. Ask her to go to the king and beg him to have pity on her people, the Jews!”
9 Hathach went back to Esther and told her what Mordecai had said. 10 She answered, “Tell Mordecai 11 there is a law about going in to see the king, and all his officials and his people know about this law. Anyone who goes in to see the king without being invited by him will be put to death. The only way that anyone can be saved is for the king to hold out the gold scepter to that person. And it's been thirty days since he has asked for me.”
12 When Mordecai was told what Esther had said, 13 he sent back this reply, “Don't think that you will escape being killed with the rest of the Jews, just because you live in the king's palace. 14 If you don't speak up now, we will somehow get help, but you and your family will be killed. It could be that you were made queen for a time like this!”
15 Esther sent a message to Mordecai, saying, 16 “Bring together all the Jews in Susa and tell them to go without eating for my sake! Don't eat or drink for three days and nights. My servant girls and I will do the same. Then I will go in to see the king, even if it means I must die.”
17 Mordecai did everything Esther told him to do.