Esther Chapter 4
King James Version (KJV)
Other Translations
asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM
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month, which is the month Adar.
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And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from
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those of every people; neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore it is not for the king’s profit to suffer them.
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If it please the king, let it be written that they be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those that have the charge of the
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king’s business, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.
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And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews’ enemy.
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And the king said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee.
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Then were the king’s scribes called in the first month, on the thirteenth day thereof; and there was written according to all that Haman commanded unto the king’s satraps, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the princes of every people, to every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and it was sealed with the king’s ring.
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And letters were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth
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day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.
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A copy of the writing, that the decree should be given out in every province, was published unto all the peoples, that they should be ready against that day.
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The posts went forth in haste by the king’s commandment, and the decree was given out in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city of Shushan was perplexed.
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Now when Mordecai knew 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;
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and he came even before the king’s gate: for none might enter within the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.
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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.
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And Esther’s maidens and her chamberlains came and told it her; and the queen was exceedingly grieved: and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take his sackcloth from off him; but he received it not.
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Then called Esther for Hathach, one of the king’s chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and charged him to go to Mordecai, to know what this was, and why it was.
darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext
1
And 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,
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and came even before the king's gate; for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.
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And 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.
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And 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.
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Then 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.
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And Hatach went forth to Mordecai, unto the public place of the city which was before the king's gate.
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And 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.
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And 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.
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And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.
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And Esther spoke to Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai:
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All 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.
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And they told Mordecai Esther's words.
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And Mordecai bade to answer Esther: Imagine not in thy heart that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews.
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For 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?
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And Esther bade to answer Mordecai:
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Go, 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.
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And Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.
vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)
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Quæ cum audisset Mardochæus, scidit vestimenta sua, et indutus est sacco, spargens cinerem capiti: et in platea mediæ civitatis voce magna clamabat, ostendens amaritudinem animi sui,
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et hoc eiulatu usque ad fores palatii gradiens. Non enim erat licitum indutum sacco aulam regis intrare.
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In omnibus quoque provinciis, oppidis, ac locis, ad quæ crudele regis dogma pervenerat, planctus ingens erat apud Iudæos, ieiunium, ululatus, et fletus, sacco et cinere multis pro strato utentibus.
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Ingressæ autem sunt puellæ Esther et eunuchi, nuntiaveruntque ei. Quod audiens consternata est: et vestem misit, ut ablato sacco induerent eum: quam accipere noluit.
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Accitoque Athach eunucho, quem rex ministrum ei dederat, præcepit ei ut iret ad Mardochæum, et disceret ab eo cur hoc faceret.
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Egressusque Athach, ivit ad Mardochæum stantem in platea civitatis, ante ostium palatii:
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qui indicavit ei omnia, quæ acciderant, quo modo Aman promisisset, ut in thesauros regis pro Iudæorum nece inferret argentum.
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exemplar quoque edicti, quod pendebat in Susan, dedit ei, ut reginæ ostenderet, et moneret eam, ut intraret ad regem, et deprecaretur eum pro populo suo.
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Regressus Athach, nuntiavit Esther omnia, quæ Mardochæus dixerat.
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Quæ respondit ei, et iussit ut diceret Mardochæo:
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Omnes servi regis, et cunctæ, quæ sub ditione eius sunt, norunt provinciæ, quod sive vir, sive mulier non vocatus, interius atrium regis intraverit, absque ulla cunctatione statim interficiatur: nisi forte rex auream virgam ad eum tetenderit pro signo clementiæ, atque ita possit vivere. Ego igitur quo modo ad regem intrare potero, quæ triginta iam diebus non sum vocata ad eum?
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Quod cum audisset Mardochæus,
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rursum mandavit Esther, dicens: Ne putes quod animam tuam tantum liberes, quia in domo regis es præ cunctis Iudæis:
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si enim nunc silueris, per aliam occasionem liberabuntur Iudæi: et tu, et domus patris tui peribitis. Et quis novit utrum idcirco ad regnum veneris, ut in tali tempore parareris?
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Rursumque Esther hæc Mardochæo verba mandavit:
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Vade et congrega omnes Iudæos, quos in Susan repereris, et orate pro me. Non comedatis, et non bibatis tribus diebus, et tribus noctibus: et ego cum ancillis meis similiter ieiunabo, et tunc ingrediar ad regem contra legem faciens, non vocata, tradensque me morti et periculo.
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Ivit itaque Mardochæus, et fecit omnia, quæ ei Esther præceperat.
web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV
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Now when Mordecai found out all that was done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the middle of the city, and wailed loudly and bitterly.
2
He came even before the king’s gate, for no one is allowed inside the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.
3
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; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
4
Esther’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.
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Then 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.
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So Hathach went out to Mordecai, to the city square which was before the king’s gate.
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Mordecai 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.
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He also gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given out in Susa 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.
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Hathach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.
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Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a message to Mordecai:
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“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.”
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They told Esther’s words to Mordecai.
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Then Mordecai asked them to return this answer to Esther: “Don’t think to yourself that you will escape in the king’s house any more than all the Jews.
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For 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?”
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Then Esther asked them to answer Mordecai,
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“Go, gather together all the Jews who are present in Susa, 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.”
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So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.
ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8
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And Mordecai hath known all that hath been done, and Mordecai rendeth his garments, and putteth on sackcloth and ashes, and goeth forth into the midst of the city and crieth--a cry loud and bitter,
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and he cometh in unto the front of the gate of the king, but none is to come in unto the gate of the king with a sackcloth-garment.
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And in every province and province, the place where the word of the king, even his law, is coming, a great mourning have the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and lamenting: sackcloth and ashes are spread for many.
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And young women of Esther come in and her eunuchs, and declare <FI>it<Fi> to her, and the queen is exceedingly pained, and sendeth garments to clothe Mordecai, and to turn aside his sackcloth from off him, and he hath not received <FI> them<Fi> .
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And Esther calleth to Hatach, of the eunuchs of the king, whom he hath stationed before her, and giveth him a charge for Mordecai, to know what this <FI>is<Fi> , and wherefore this <FI>is<Fi> .
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And Hatach goeth out unto Mordecai, unto a broad place of the city, that <FI>is<Fi> before the gate of the king,
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and Mordecai declareth to him all that hath met him, and the explanation of the money that Haman said to weigh to the treasuries of the king for the Jews, to destroy them,
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and the copy of the writing of the law that had been given in Shushan to destroy them he hath given to him, to shew Esther, and to declare <FI>it<Fi> to her, and to lay a charge on her to go in unto the king, to make supplication to him, and to seek from before him, for her people.
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And Hatach cometh in and declareth to Esther the words of Mordecai,
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and Esther speaketh to Hatach, and chargeth him for Mordecai:
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`All servants of the king, and people of the provinces of the king, do know that any man and woman, who cometh in unto the king, unto the inner court, who is not called--one law <FI>of<Fi> his <FI>is<Fi> to put <FI>them<Fi> to death, apart from him to whom the king holdeth out the golden sceptre, then he hath lived; and I--I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.'
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And they declare to Mordecai the words of Esther,
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and Mordecai speaketh to send back unto Esther: `Do not think in thy soul to be delivered <FI>in<Fi> the house of the king, more than all the Jews,
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but if thou keep entirely silent at this time, respite and deliverance remaineth to the Jews from another place, and thou and the house of thy fathers are destroyed; and who knoweth whether for a time like this thou hast come to the kingdom?'
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And Esther speaketh to send back unto Mordecai:
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`Go, gather all the Jews who are found in Shushan, and fast for me, and do not eat nor drink three days, by night and by day; also I and my young women do fast likewise, and so I go in unto the king, that <FI>is<Fi> not according to law, and when I have perished--I have perished.'
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And Mordecai passeth on, and doth according to all that Esther hath charged upon him.
Explanations by Age Level
Explain Like I'm 5
A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!
Explain Like I'm 10
Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.
Explain Like I'm 15
Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).