1猶大人因此悲哀、禁食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。
1Now when Mordecai found out all that was done, Mordecai tore his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and wailed loudly and a bitterly.
2他到了御門前，就停住，因為身穿麻衣的，不可以進御門。
2He came even before the king’s gate, for no one is allowed inside the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.
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。
3In every province, wherever 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.
4末底改求以斯帖向王求情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。
4Esther’s maidens and her eunuchs came and told her this, and the queen was exceedingly grieved. She sent clothing to Mordecai, to replace his sackcloth; but he didn’t receive it.
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。
5Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs, whom he had appointed to attend her, and commanded him to go to Mordecai, to find out what this was, and why it was.
6於是哈他革出到御門前的廣場去見末底改。
6So Hathach went out to Mordecai, to city square which was before the king’s gate.
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。
7Mordecai told him of all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews.
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。
8He also gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given out in Shushan to destroy them, to show it to Esther, and to declare it to her, and to urge her to go in to the king, to make supplication to him, and to make request before him, for her people.
9哈他革回來，把末底改的話都告訴了以斯帖。
9Hathach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.
10以斯帖把以下的話告訴哈他革，又吩咐他回覆末底改說：
10Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a message to Mordecai:
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。”
11“All the king’s servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, know, that whoever, whether man or woman, comes to the king into the inner court without being called, there is one law for him, that he be put to death, except those to whom the king might hold out the golden scepter, that he may live. I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”
12哈他革把以斯帖的話都告訴末底改。
12They told to Mordecai Esther’s words.
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。
13Then Mordecai asked them return answer to Esther, “Don’t think to yourself that you will escape in the king’s house any more than all the Jews.
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？”
14For if you remain silent now, then relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Who knows if you haven’t come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
15以斯帖吩咐人回覆末底改說：
15Then Esther asked them to answer Mordecai,
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。”
16“Go, gather together all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day. I and my maidens will also fast the same way. Then I will go in to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.”
17於是末底改離開了，照著以斯帖吩咐的一切去行。
17So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.