Esther 4:10

4:10 Then Esther replied to Hathach with instructions for Mordecai:

Esther 4:15

4:15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:

Esther 9:4

9:4 Mordecai was of high rank ¹  in the king’s palace, and word about him was spreading throughout all the provinces. His influence ²  continued to become greater and greater.

Esther 4:9

4:9 So Hathach returned and related Mordecai’s instructions ³  to Esther.

Esther 4:17

4:17 So Mordecai set out to do everything that Esther had instructed him.

Esther 2:22

2:22 When Mordecai learned of the conspiracy, ⁴  he informed Queen Esther, ⁵  and Esther told the king in Mordecai’s behalf. ⁶ 

Esther 3:5

3:5 When Haman saw that Mordecai was not bowing or paying homage to him, he ⁷  was filled with rage.

Esther 4:6

4:6 So Hathach went to Mordecai at the plaza of the city in front of the king’s gate.

Esther 6:12

6:12 Then Mordecai again sat at the king’s gate, while Haman hurried away to his home, mournful and with a veil over his head.

Esther 9:23

9:23 So the Jews committed themselves to continue what they had begun to do and to what Mordecai had written to them.

Esther 2:20

2:20 Esther was still not divulging her lineage or her people, ⁸  just as Mordecai had instructed her. ⁹  Esther continued to do whatever Mordecai said, just as she had done when he was raising her.

Esther 3:6

3:6 But the thought of striking out against ¹⁰  Mordecai alone was repugnant to him, for he had been informed ¹¹  of the identity of Mordecai’s people. ¹²  So Haman sought to destroy all the Jews (that is, the people of Mordecai) ¹³  who were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus.

Esther 5:9

Haman Expresses His Hatred of Mordecai

5:9 Now Haman went forth that day pleased and very much encouraged. ¹⁴  But when Haman saw Mordecai at the king’s gate, and he did not rise nor tremble in his presence, ¹⁵  Haman was filled with rage toward Mordecai.

[9:4]  ¹ tn Heb “great”; NRSV “powerful”; NIV “prominent”; NCV “very important.”

[9:4]  ² tn Heb “the man Mordecai” (so NASB, NRSV).

[4:9]  ¹ tn Heb “the words of Mordecai” (so KJV); NIV, NRSV, CEV “what Mordecai had said”; NLT “with Mordecai’s message.”

[2:22]  ¹ sn The text of Esther does not disclose exactly how Mordecai learned about the plot against the king’s life. Ancient Jewish traditions state that Mordecai overheard conspiratorial conversation, or that an informant brought this information to him, or that it came to him as a result of divine prompting. These conjectures are all without adequate support from the biblical text. The author simply does not tell the source of Mordecai’s insight into this momentous event.

[2:22]  ² tc The LXX simply reads “Esther” and does not include “the queen.”

[2:22]  ³ tc The LXX adds here “the things concerning the plot.”

[3:5]  ¹ tn Heb “Haman.” The pronoun (“he”) was used in the translation for stylistic reasons. Repeating the proper name here is redundant according to contemporary English style, although the name is repeated in NASB and NRSV.

[2:20]  ¹ sn That Esther was able so effectively to conceal her Jewish heritage suggests that she was not consistently observing Jewish dietary and religious requirements. As C. A. Moore observes, “In order for Esther to have concealed her ethnic and religious identity…in the harem, she must have eaten…, dressed, and lived like a Persian rather than an observant Jewess” (Esther [AB], 28.) In this regard her public behavior stands in contrast to that of Daniel, for example.

[2:20]  ² tc The LXX adds the words “to fear God.”

[3:6]  ¹ tn Heb “to send a hand against”; KJV, NRSV “to lay hands on.”

[3:6]  ² tn Heb “they had related to him.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a passive construction.

[3:6]  ³ tc The entire first half of the verse is not included in the LXX.

[3:6]  ⁴ tc This parenthetical phrase is not included in the LXX. Some scholars emend the MT reading עַם (’am, “people”) to עִם (’im, “with”), arguing that the phrase is awkwardly placed and syntactically inappropriate. While there is some truth to their complaint, the MT makes sufficient sense to be acceptable here, and is followed by most English versions.

[5:9]  ¹ tn Heb “happy and good of heart”; NASB “glad and pleased of heart”; NIV “happy and in high spirits.”

[5:9]  ² tn Heb “tremble from before him”; NIV “nor showed fear in his presence”; TEV “or show any sign of respect as he passed.”