Esther 4
New English Translation
Esther Decides to Risk Everything in order to Help Her People
4 Now when Mordecai became aware of all that had been done, he[a] tore his garments and put on sackcloth and ashes. He went out into the city, crying out in a loud[b] and bitter voice. 2 But he went no farther than the king’s gate, for no one was permitted to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth. 3 Throughout each and every province where the king’s edict and law were announced[c] there was considerable[d] mourning among the Jews, along with fasting, weeping, and sorrow.[e] Sackcloth and ashes were characteristic[f] of many. 4 When Esther’s female attendants and her eunuchs came and informed her about Mordecai’s behavior,[g] the queen was overcome with anguish. Although she sent garments for Mordecai to put on so that he could remove his sackcloth, he would not accept them. 5 So Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who had been placed at her service,[h] and instructed him to find out the cause and reason for Mordecai’s behavior.[i] 6 So Hathach went to Mordecai at the plaza of the city in front of the king’s gate. 7 Then Mordecai related to him everything that had happened to him, even the specific amount of money that Haman had offered to pay to the king’s treasuries for the Jews to be destroyed. 8 He also gave him a written copy of the law that had been disseminated[j] in Susa for their destruction so that he could show it to Esther and talk to her about it. He also gave instructions that she should go to the king to implore him and petition him on behalf of her people. 9 So Hathach returned and related Mordecai’s instructions[k] to Esther.
10 Then Esther replied to Hathach with instructions for Mordecai: 11 “All the servants of the king and the people of the king’s provinces know that there is only one law applicable[l] to any man or woman who comes uninvited to the king in the inner court—that person will be put to death, unless the king extends to him the gold scepter, permitting him to be spared.[m] Now I have not been invited to come to the king for some thirty days.”
12 When Esther’s reply[n] was conveyed to Mordecai, 13 he[o] said to take back this answer to Esther: “Don’t imagine that because you are part of the king’s household you will be the one Jew[p] who will escape. 14 If you keep quiet at this time, liberation and protection for the Jews will appear[q] from another source,[r] while you and your father’s household perish. It may very well be[s] that you have achieved royal status[t] for such a time as this!”
15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast on my behalf. Don’t eat and don’t drink for three days, night or day. My female attendants and I[u] will also fast in the same way. Afterward I will go to the king, even though it violates the law.[v] If I perish, I perish.”
17 So Mordecai set out to do everything that Esther had instructed him.
Footnotes
- Esther 4:1 tn Heb “Mordecai.” The pronoun (“he”) was used in the translation for stylistic reasons. A repetition of the proper name here is redundant in terms of contemporary English style.
- Esther 4:1 tn Heb “great.”
- Esther 4:3 tn Heb “reached” (so NAB, NLT); KJV, NASB, NIV “came”; TEV “wherever the king’s proclamation was made known.”
- Esther 4:3 tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the Jews went into deep mourning.”
- Esther 4:3 sn Although prayer is not specifically mentioned here, it is highly unlikely that appeals to God for help were not a part of this reaction to devastating news. As elsewhere in the book of Esther, the writer seems deliberately to keep religious actions in the background.
- Esther 4:3 tn Heb “were spread to many”; KJV, NIV “many (+ people NLT) lay in sackcloth and ashes.”
- Esther 4:4 tn The words “about Mordecai’s behavior” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in translation for the sake of clarity. Cf. NIV, NLT “about Mordecai”; TEV, CEV “what Mordecai was doing.”
- Esther 4:5 tn Heb “whom he caused to stand before her”; NASB “whom the king had appointed to attend her.”
- Esther 4:5 tn Heb “concerning Mordecai, to know what this was, and why this was.”
- Esther 4:8 tn Heb “given” (so KJV); NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT “issued”; NIV “published”; NAB “promulgated.”
- Esther 4:9 tn Heb “the words of Mordecai” (so KJV); NIV, NRSV, CEV “what Mordecai had said”; NLT “with Mordecai’s message.”
- Esther 4:11 tn Heb “one is his law”; NASB “he (the king NIV) has but one law”
- Esther 4:11 tn Heb “and he will live”; KJV, ASV “that he may live”; NIV “and spare his life.”
- Esther 4:12 tn Heb “the words of Esther”; TEV, NLT “Esther’s message.”
- Esther 4:13 tn Heb “Mordecai.” The pronoun (“he”) was used in the translation for stylistic reasons. A repetition of the proper name here is redundant in terms of contemporary English style.
- Esther 4:13 tn Heb “from all the Jews”; KJV “more than all the Jews”; NIV “you alone of all the Jews.”
- Esther 4:14 tn Heb “stand”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT “arise.”
- Esther 4:14 tn Heb “place” (so KJV, NIV, NLT); NRSV “from another quarter.” This is probably an oblique reference to help coming from God. D. J. A. Clines disagrees; in his view a contrast between deliverance by Esther and deliverance by God is inappropriate (Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther [NCBC], 302). But Clines’ suggestion that perhaps the reference is to deliverance by Jewish officials or by armed Jewish revolt is less attractive than seeing this veiled reference as part of the literary strategy of the book, which deliberately keeps God’s providential dealings entirely in the background.
- Esther 4:14 tn Heb “And who knows whether” (so NASB). The question is one of hope, but free of presumption. Cf. Jonah 3:9.
- Esther 4:14 tn Heb “have come to the kingdom”; NRSV “to royal dignity”; NIV “to royal position”; NLT “have been elevated to the palace.”
- Esther 4:16 tn Heb “I and my female attendants.” The translation reverses the order for stylistic reasons.
- Esther 4:16 tn Heb “which is not according to the law” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “contrary to the law.”
以斯帖记 4
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
猶大人因此悲哀、禁食
4 末底改知道了發生的一切事，就撕裂自己的衣服，披上麻衣，撒上灰塵，出到城中，大聲痛哭地呼叫。 2 他到了御門前，就停住，因為身穿麻衣的，不可以進御門。 3 王的諭旨和命令傳到的各省各地，猶大人都大大悲哀，禁食、哭泣、悲傷；許多人披上麻衣，躺在灰塵中。
末底改求以斯帖向王求情
4 以斯帖的婢女和太監把這事告訴以斯帖，王后就非常驚慌，就派人送衣服給末底改穿著，要他脫下麻衣，他卻不接受。 5 以斯帖就把王派來侍候她的一個太監哈他革召了來，吩咐他到末底改那裡去，探聽這是甚麼一回事，又是為了甚麼緣故。 6 於是哈他革出到御門前的廣場去見末底改。 7 末底改把他遭遇的一切事，以及哈曼為滅盡猶大人答應捐銀給王庫的數目，都告訴了他。 8 末底改又把在書珊城頒布要毀滅猶大人的諭旨抄本，交給了哈他革，要他給以斯帖看，並且要給她說明，吩咐她進宮見王，向王求情，為自己的族人在王面前懇求。
9 哈他革回來，把末底改的話都告訴了以斯帖。 10 以斯帖把以下的話告訴哈他革，又吩咐他回覆末底改說： 11 “王所有的臣僕和各省的人民，都知道有一條法令：無論男女，沒有奉召就擅入內院去見王的，除非王向他伸出金杖，賜他免死，一律要處以死刑。現在我沒有奉召進去見王已經三十天了。” 12 哈他革把以斯帖的話都告訴末底改。
13 末底改叫人回覆以斯帖說：“你不要心裡想，你在王宮裡比所有的猶大人都安全。 14 這時你若是緘默不言，猶大人必會從別的地方得著解救，那時你和你的父家就必滅亡。誰知你得了王后的位分，不是為了挽救現今的危機嗎？” 15 以斯帖吩咐人回覆末底改說： 16 “你要去，把書珊城所有的猶大人都召集起來，為我禁食三天，就是三日三夜不吃不喝；我和我的婢女也要這樣禁食。然後我就違例進去見王；我若是死，就死吧。” 17 於是末底改離開了，照著以斯帖吩咐的一切去行。
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.
