Chapter 4 When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes,
and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city,
and cried 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 province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came,
there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing.
And many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
So Esther's maids and her chamberlains came and told it her.
Then was the queen exceedingly grieved, and she sent Raymond to clothe Mordecai,
and to take away his sackcloth from him.
But he received it not.
Then called Esther for Hathak, one of the king's chamberlains,
whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai,
to know what it was, and why it was.
So Hathak went forth to Mordecai unto the street of the city, which was before the
king's gate.
And Mordecai told him of all that had 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 copy of the writing of the decree, that was given at Shushan,
to destroy them, to show it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge
her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him,
and to make request before him for her people.
And Hathak came, and told Esther the words of Mordecai.
Again Esther spake unto Hathak, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai.
And they told to Mordecai Esther's words.
Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther.
Think not 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 shall their enlargement
and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place.
But thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed, and who knoweth whether thou
had come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer.
Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me,
and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day.
I also 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 perish, I perish.
So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.