¶ When Mordecai perceived all that¹ was done, Mordecai rent² his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes³, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried⁴ with a loud and a bitter cry;

And came even before the king's gate: for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.

And in every province⁷, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning⁸ among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping⁹, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes¹⁰.

So Esther's maids and her chamberlains¹¹ came and told it her. Then was the queen exceedingly grieved; and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him: but he received it not¹².

¶ Then called Esther for Hatach, one of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her,¹³ and gave him a commandment to Mordecai, to know¹⁴ what it was, and why it was.

So Hatach went forth to Mordecai unto the street of the city, which was before the king's gate.

And Mordecai told him of all that had¹⁶ happened unto him, and of the sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them.

Also he gave him the copy¹⁷ of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge¹⁸ her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication¹⁹ unto him, and to make request²⁰ before him for her people.

And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.

¶ Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai;

All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come²⁶ unto the king into the inner court²⁷, who is not called, there is one law²⁸ of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall²⁹ hold out the golden sceptre³⁰, that he may live: but I³¹ have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.

And they told to Mordecai Esther's words.

Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not³² with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews.

For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall³³ there enlargement³⁴ and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou³⁵ and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether³⁶ thou art come to the kingdom for such a time³⁷ as this?

Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,

Go, gather together all the Jews that are present³⁸ in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink³⁹ three days, night or day: I also⁴⁰ and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish⁴¹, I perish.

So Mordecai went⁴² his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.