Esther 4:1--5:14

Esther Decides to Risk Everything in order to Help Her People

4:1 Now when Mordecai became aware of all that had been done, he ¹  tore his garments and put on sackcloth and ashes. He went out into the city, crying out in a loud ²  and bitter voice. 4:2 But he went no further than the king’s gate, for no one was permitted to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth. 4:3 Throughout each and every province where the king’s edict and law were announced ³  there was considerable ⁴  mourning among the Jews, along with fasting, weeping, and sorrow. ⁵  Sackcloth and ashes were characteristic ⁶  of many. 4:4 When Esther’s female attendants and her eunuchs came and informed her about Mordecai’s behavior, ⁷  the queen was overcome with anguish. Although she sent garments for Mordecai to put on so that he could remove his sackcloth, he would not accept them. 4:5 So Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who had been placed at her service, ⁸  and instructed him to find out the cause and reason for Mordecai’s behavior. ⁹  4:6 So Hathach went to Mordecai at the plaza of the city in front of the king’s gate. 4:7 Then Mordecai related to him everything that had happened to him, even the specific amount of money that Haman had offered to pay to the king’s treasuries for the Jews to be destroyed. 4:8 He also gave him a written copy of the law that had been disseminated ¹⁰  in Susa for their destruction so that he could show it to Esther and talk to her about it. He also gave instructions that she should go to the king to implore him and petition him on behalf of her people. 4:9 So Hathach returned and related Mordecai’s instructions ¹¹  to Esther.

4:10 Then Esther replied to Hathach with instructions for Mordecai: 4:11 “All the servants of the king and the people of the king’s provinces know that there is only one law applicable ¹²  to any man or woman who comes uninvited to the king in the inner court – that person will be put to death, unless the king extends to him the gold scepter, permitting him to be spared. ¹³  Now I have not been invited to come to the king for some thirty days!”

4:12 When Esther’s reply ¹⁴  was conveyed to Mordecai, 4:13 he ¹⁵  said to take back this answer to Esther: 4:14 “Don’t imagine that because you are part of the king’s household you will be the one Jew ¹⁶  who will escape. If you keep quiet at this time, liberation and protection for the Jews will appear ¹⁷  from another source, ¹⁸  while you and your father’s household perish. It may very well be ¹⁹  that you have achieved royal status ²⁰  for such a time as this!”

4:15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 4:16 “Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa and fast in my behalf. Don’t eat and don’t drink for three days, night or day. My female attendants and I ²¹  will also fast in the same way. Afterward I will go to the king, even though it violates the law. ²²  If I perish, I perish!”

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

Esther Appeals to the King for Help

5:1 It so happened that on the third day Esther put on her royal attire and stood in the inner court of the palace, ²³  opposite the king’s quarters. ²⁴  The king was sitting on his royal throne in the palace, opposite the entrance. ²⁵  5:2 When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she met with his approval. ²⁶  The king extended to Esther the gold scepter that was in his hand, and Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter.

5:3 The king said to her, “What is on your mind, ²⁷  Queen Esther? What is your request? Even as much as half the kingdom will be given to you!”

5:4 Esther replied, “If the king is so inclined, ²⁸  let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.” 5:5 The king replied, “Find Haman quickly so that we can do as Esther requests.”

So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared. 5:6 While at the banquet of wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your request? It shall be given to you. What is your petition? Ask for as much as half the kingdom, ²⁹  and it shall be done!”

5:7 Esther responded, ³⁰  “My request and my petition is this: 5:8 If I have found favor in the king’s sight and if the king is inclined ³¹  to grant my request and perform my petition, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet that I will prepare for them. At that time ³²  I will do as the king wishes. ³³ 

Haman Expresses His Hatred of Mordecai

5:9 Now Haman went forth that day pleased and very much encouraged. ³⁴  But when Haman saw Mordecai at the king’s gate, and he did not rise nor tremble in his presence, ³⁵  Haman was filled with rage toward Mordecai. 5:10 But Haman restrained himself and went on to his home.

He then sent for his friends to join him, ³⁶  along with his wife Zeresh. 5:11 Haman then recounted to them his fabulous wealth, ³⁷  his many sons, ³⁸  and how the king had magnified him and exalted him over the king’s other officials and servants. 5:12 Haman said, “Furthermore, Queen Esther invited ³⁹  only me to accompany the king to the banquet that she prepared! And also tomorrow I am invited ⁴⁰  along with the king. 5:13 Yet all of this fails to satisfy me so long as I have to see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

5:14 Haman’s ⁴¹  wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a gallows seventy-five feet ⁴²  high built, and in the morning tell the king that Mordecai should be hanged on it. Then go with the king to the banquet contented.” ⁴³ 

It seemed like a good idea to Haman, so he had the gallows built.

[4:1]  ¹ tn Heb “Mordecai.” The pronoun (“he”) was used in the translation for stylistic reasons. A repetition of the proper name here is redundant in terms of contemporary English style.

[4:1]  ² tn Heb “great.”

[4:3]  ³ tn Heb “reached” (so NAB, NLT); KJV, NASB, NIV “came”; TEV “wherever the king’s proclamation was made known.”

[4:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the Jews went into deep mourning.”

[4:3]  ⁵ sn Although prayer is not specifically mentioned here, it is highly unlikely that appeals to God for help were not a part of this reaction to devastating news. As elsewhere in the book of Esther, the writer seems deliberately to keep religious actions in the background.

[4:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “were spread to many”; KJV, NIV “many (+ people NLT) lay in sackcloth and ashes.”

[4:4]  ⁷ tn The words “about Mordecai’s behavior” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in translation for the sake of clarity. Cf. NIV, NLT “about Mordecai”; TEV, CEV “what Mordecai was doing.”

[4:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “whom he caused to stand before her”; NASB “whom the king had appointed to attend her.”

[4:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “concerning Mordecai, to know what this was, and why this was.”

[4:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “given” (so KJV); NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT “issued”; NIV “published”; NAB “promulgated.”

[4:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the words of Mordecai” (so KJV); NIV, NRSV, CEV “what Mordecai had said”; NLT “with Mordecai’s message.”

[4:11]  ¹² tn Heb “one is his law”; NASB “he (the king NIV) has but one law”

[4:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “and he will live”; KJV, ASV “that he may live”; NIV “and spare his life.”

[4:12]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the words of Esther”; TEV, NLT “Esther’s message.”

[4:13]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Mordecai.” The pronoun (“he”) was used in the translation for stylistic reasons. A repetition of the proper name here is redundant in terms of contemporary English style.

[4:14]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “from all the Jews”; KJV “more than all the Jews”; NIV “you alone of all the Jews.”

[4:14]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “stand”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT “arise.”

[4:14]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “place” (so KJV, NIV, NLT); NRSV “from another quarter.” This is probably an oblique reference to help coming from God. D. J. A. Clines disagrees; in his view a contrast between deliverance by Esther and deliverance by God is inappropriate (Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther [NCBC], 302). But Clines’ suggestion that perhaps the reference is to deliverance by Jewish officials or by armed Jewish revolt is less attractive than seeing this veiled reference as part of the literary strategy of the book, which deliberately keeps God’s providential dealings entirely in the background.

[4:14]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “And who knows whether” (so NASB). The question is one of hope, but free of presumption. Cf. Jonah 3:9.

[4:14]  ²⁰ tn Heb “have come to the kingdom”; NRSV “to royal dignity”; NIV “to royal position”; NLT “have been elevated to the palace.”

[4:16]  ²¹ tn Heb “I and my female attendants.” The translation reverses the order for stylistic reasons.

[4:16]  ²² tn Heb “which is not according to the law” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “contrary to the law.”

[5:1]  ²³ tn Heb “of the house of the king”; NASB, NRSV “of the king’s palace.”

[5:1]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the house of the king”; NASB “the king’s rooms”; NIV, NLT “the king’s hall.” This expression is used twice in this verse. In the first instance, it is apparently the larger palace complex that is in view, whereas in the second instance the expression seems to refer specifically to the quarters from which the king governed.

[5:1]  ²⁵ tn Heb “the entrance of the house” (so ASV).

[5:2]  ²⁶ tn Heb “she obtained grace in his eyes”; NASB “she obtained favor in his sight”; NIV “he was pleased with her”; NLT “he welcomed her.”

[5:3]  ²⁷ tn Heb “What to you?”; NAB, NIV NRSV “What is it, Queen Esther?”

[5:4]  ²⁸ tn Heb “If upon the king it is good”; NASB “If it please the king.”

[5:6]  ²⁹ sn As much as half the kingdom. Such a statement would no doubt have been understood for the exaggeration that it clearly was. Cf. the similar NT scene recorded in Mark 6:23, where Herod makes a similar promise to the daughter of Herodias. In that case the request was for the head of John the Baptist, which is a lot less than half the kingdom.

[5:7]  ³⁰ tn Heb “answered and said.” This is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.

[5:8]  ³¹ tn Heb “if upon the king it is good.” Cf. the similar expression in v. 4, which also occurs in 7:3; 8:5; 9:13.

[5:8]  ³² tn Heb “and tomorrow” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV “and then.”

[5:8]  ³³ tn Heb “I will do according to the word of the king,” i.e., answer the question that he has posed. Cf. NCV “Then I will answer your question about what I want.”

[5:9]  ³⁴ tn Heb “happy and good of heart”; NASB “glad and pleased of heart”; NIV “happy and in high spirits.”

[5:9]  ³⁵ tn Heb “tremble from before him”; NIV “nor showed fear in his presence”; TEV “or show any sign of respect as he passed.”

[5:10]  ³⁶ tn Heb “sent and brought.” The expression is probably a hendiadys (a figure of speech in which a single idea is expressed through two words or phrases), in which case the two verbs could be translated simply as “summoned” (so NAB) or “sent for” (NASB).

[5:11]  ³⁷ tn Heb “the glory of his riches” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “the splendor of his riches.”

[5:11]  ³⁸ sn According to Esth 9:10 Haman had ten sons.

[5:12]  ³⁹ tn Heb “caused to come”; KJV “did let no man come in…but myself.”

[5:12]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “called to her”; KJV “invited unto her”; NAB “I am to be her guest.”

[5:14]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Haman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:14]  ⁴² tn Heb “fifty cubits.” Assuming a standard length for the cubit of about 18 inches (45 cm), this would be about seventy-five feet (22.5 meters), which is a surprisingly tall height for the gallows. Perhaps the number assumes the gallows was built on a large supporting platform or a natural hill for visual effect, in which case the structure itself may have been considerably smaller. Cf. NCV “a seventy-five foot platform”; CEV “a tower built about seventy-five feet high.”

[5:14]  ⁴³ tn Or “joyful”; NRSV “in good spirits”; TEV “happy.”