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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>Esther 4 ISV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/esther/4.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/esther/4-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">ISV</a> > Esther 4</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../esther/3.htm" title="Esther 3">◄</a> Esther 4 <a href="../esther/5.htm" title="Esther 5">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">International Standard Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/isv/esv/esther/4.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="heading">Mordecai Seeks Esther’s Help</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/4-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>When Mordecai learned all that had been done, he tore his garments and clothed himself in sackcloth and ashes. He went into the middle of the city and cried out with a loud and bitter cry. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/4-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>He came as far as<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:2 Lit. came to">a</a></span> the front of the king’s gate, because no one was allowed to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/4-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>In every province where the order of the king and his edict reached, among the Jewish people there was great mourning, fasting, weeping, and lamenting, and many lay down on sackcloth and ashes.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/4-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>When Esther’s young women and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was greatly distressed. She sent clothes for Mordecai to put on so he could take off the sackcloth that he had on, but he would not take them. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/4-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>Then Esther summoned Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs, whom he had assigned to her, and she ordered him to go to Mordecai to find out what was happening and why it was happening. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/4-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>Hathach went to Mordecai in the city square that was in front of the king’s gate. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/4-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>Mordecai told him everything that had happened and the exact amount of money that Haman had said he would pay into the king’s treasury in order to destroy the Jewish people. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/4-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>Mordecai<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:8 Lit. He">b</a></span> gave Hathach<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:8 Lit. him">c</a></span> a copy of the written decree ordering the Jews’ destruction that had been issued in Susa. Mordecai<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:8 Lit. He">d</a></span> wanted him to show it to Esther, to explain it to her, and then to instruct her to go in to the king to seek his favor and plead with him for her people.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/4-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said.<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:9 Lit. the words of Mordecai">e</a></span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/4-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Then Esther spoke to Hathach, instructing him<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:10 Lit. and she instructed him">f</a></span> to go back<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:10 The Heb. lacks to go back">g</a></span> to Mordecai with this message:<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:10 The Heb. lacks with this message:">h</a></span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/4-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>“Every servant of the king and every person in the king’s provinces knows that for any man or woman who goes to the king in the inner court without being summoned there is only<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:11 The Heb. lacks only">i</a></span> one law—that he be put to death—unless the king holds out the golden scepter to him. Only<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:11 The Heb. lacks Only">j</a></span> then he will live. For these last<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:11 The Heb. lacks last ">k</a></span> 30 days I’ve not been summoned to come to the king.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/4-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>They reported Esther’s message to Mordecai.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/4-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Don’t suppose that because you are in the palace, you will escape any more than the other Jewish people.<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="4:13 Lit. than all the Jews">l</a></span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/4-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>Indeed, if you are silent at this time, relief and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows but that you were brought to the kingdom for a time like this?”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/4-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>Then Esther replied to Mordecai, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/4-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>“Go and gather all the Jewish people who are in Susa and fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, night or day. Both I and my young women will also fast in the same way, and then I’ll go in to the king, even though it’s against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/4-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>Then Mordecai left and did everything that Esther had ordered him.</p><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><A name="ftn"></a><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="fn1"><span class="fnb">a</span> 4:2 Lit. <i>came to</i><br /><span class="fnb">b</span> 4:8 Lit. <i>He</i><br /><span class="fnb">c</span> 4:8 Lit. <i>him</i><br /><span class="fnb">d</span> 4:8 Lit. <i>He</i><br /><span class="fnb">e</span> 4:9 Lit. <i>the words of Mordecai</i><br /><span class="fnb">f</span> 4:10 Lit. <i>and she instructed him</i><br /><span class="fnb">g</span> 4:10 The Heb. lacks <i>to go back</i><br /><span class="fnb">h</span> 4:10 The Heb. lacks<i> with this message:</i><br /><span class="fnb">i</span> 4:11 The Heb. lacks <i>only</i><br /><span class="fnb">j</span> 4:11 The Heb. lacks <i>Only</i><br /><span class="fnb">k</span> 4:11 The Heb. lacks <i>last </i><br /><span class="fnb">l</span> 4:13 Lit. <i>than all the Jews</i><br /></span><br><br><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><div align="center"><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1<br />Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation<br />ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/">Bible Hub</a></div></div></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../esther/3.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Esther 3"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Esther 3" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../esther/5.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Esther 5"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Esther 5" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="rightbox"><div class="padright"><div id="pic"><iframe width="100%" height="860" scrolling="no" src="//biblescan.com/mpc/esther/4-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div></div><div id="rightbox4"><div class="padright2"><div id="spons1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td class="sp1"><iframe width="122" height="860" scrolling="no" src="../sidemenu.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="bot"><div align="center" style="background-color:#F2FAFF"><br /><br /><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>  <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="6710025936" data-ad-format="auto"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>  <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="6710025936" data-ad-format="auto"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script></td></tr></table></div><br /><br /> </div><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="//biblehu.com/botmenubhnm2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe><div align="center"><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span></div></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>