¹Mordokaj doznade za sve što se dogodilo: razdera na sebi haljine, navuče kostrijet, posu se pepelom i prođe posred grada kukajući glasno i gorko.

¹And when Mordecai knew all that was done, Mordecai rent his garments, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and bitter cry,

²Dođe samo do kraljevih vrata, jer s onom kostrijeti na sebi ne mogaše kroz njih proći.

²and came even before the king's gate; for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.

³U svakoj je pokrajini, svuda gdje se doznala kraljeva riječ i njegov proglas, među Židovima zavladala žalost: postili su, plakali i jadikovali. Mnogima od njih kostrijet i pepeo posta ležaj.

³And in every province, wherever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing: many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

⁴Esterine djevojke i njezini eunusi dođoše da je o tome obavijeste. Kraljica se veoma uznemiri. Posla Mordokaju haljine da bi ih obukao a skinuo sa sebe kostrijet, ali on to odbi.

⁴And Esther's maids and her chamberlains came and told [it] her; and the queen was exceedingly grieved: and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him; but he received [it] not.

⁵Nato Estera pozva Hataka, jednog od kraljevih eunuha koji joj je bio određen za službu, pa ga posla k Mordokaju da dozna od njega što se dogodilo i zbog čega je takav.

⁵Then Esther called for Hatach, [one] of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to wait upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai, to know what it was, and why it was.

⁶Hatak ode do Mordokaja na gradski trg, pred vrata kraljeva.

⁶And Hatach went forth to Mordecai, unto the public place of the city which was before the king's gate.

⁷Mordokaj mu pripovjedi što mu se dogodilo i podrobno ga obavijesti o novcu koji je Haman obećao položiti u kraljevu riznicu da bi mogao uništiti Židove.

⁷And Mordecai told him of all that had happened to him, and of the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them.

⁸Dade mu i prijepis naredbe o njihovu zatoru, koja je objavljena u Suzi, da je pokaže Esteri te da joj javi i naloži neka ide kralju: neka ga moli za milost i posreduje kod njega za svoj narod.

⁸And he gave him a copy of the writing of the decree that had been given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew [it] to Esther, and to declare [it] to her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication to him, and to make request before him, for her people.

⁹Hatak se vrati i donese Esteri Mordokajevu poruku.

⁹And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.

¹⁰Estera odvrati Hataku i naredi mu da saopći Mordokaju:

¹⁰And Esther spoke to Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai:

¹¹"Svi službenici kraljevi i narod kraljevih pokrajina znaju kako svakoga onoga, bio on muškarac ili žena, koji nepozvan uđe kralju u unutrašnje predvorje čeka jedan jedini zakon: smrtna kazna, osim ako kralj ne pruži takvome svoje zlatno žezlo i poštedi mu život. A ja već trideset dana nisam bila pozvana kralju."

¹¹All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces do know that whoever, whether man or woman, shall come to the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is *one* law, to put [him] to death, except [such] to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live; and I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.

¹²Mordokaju bjehu saopćene Esterine riječi,

¹²And they told Mordecai Esther's words.

¹³pa on poruči Esteri: "Nemoj misliti da ćeš se zato što se nalaziš u kraljevoj palači spasiti jedina od svih Židova:

¹³And Mordecai bade to answer Esther: Imagine not in thy heart that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews.

¹⁴jer budeš li u ovoj prilici šutjela, doći će Židovima pomoć i spas s druge strane, a ti ćeš s kućom svoga oca propasti. Tko zna nisi li se baš i popela do kraljevske časti zbog časa kao što je ovaj?"

¹⁴For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there arise relief and deliverance to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall perish. And who knows whether thou art [not] come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

¹⁵Estera i opet poruči Mordokaju:

¹⁵And Esther bade to answer Mordecai:

¹⁶"Hajde, sakupi sve Židove koji se nalaze u Suzi. Postite za me: tri dana i tri noći ne jedite niti pijte. I ja ću tako postiti sa svojim djevojkama. Tako pripremljena ući ću kralju i unatoč zakonu, pa treba li da poginem, poginut ću."

¹⁶Go, gather together all the Jews that are found in Shushan, and fast 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.

¹⁷Mordokaj se onda povuče i učini što mu je naredila Estera.

¹⁷And Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.