Esther 4:1-8

1Mordecai discovered what Haman had done. He tore his clothes and he dressed in sackcloth and ashes, because he was very upset. He went into the city. He cried and he wept loudly as he went.

2Nobody who was wearing sackcloth could go into the yard of the palace. So Mordecai stopped at the king's gate.

3Jews who lived in all the regions of Xerxes' kingdom heard the king's command. So they were very sad. They were weeping and they were fasting. Many of them lay on sackcloth and ashes.

4Esther's female servants the eunuchs who took care of her told her what Mordecai was doing. So Esther was very upset. She sent clothes for Mordecai to put on instead of the sackcloth, but Mordecai refused to wear them.

5Hathach was one of the king's eunuchs who served Esther. Esther asked him to discover what was the matter with Mordecai.

6So Hathach went to speak to Mordecai. Mordecai was outside the king's gate, in an open place.

7Mordecai told Hathach everything that had happened. He told Hathach how much money Haman would pay to the king when people destroyed all the Jews.

8Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the law that they had read aloud to the people in Susa. He told Hathach to show the law to Esther and explain it to her. Mordecai also said that Esther must go and speak to the king. She must ask the king to let her people live.