Esther 1:13

1:13 The king then inquired of the wise men who were discerners of the times – for it was the royal custom to confer with all those who were proficient in laws and legalities. ¹ 

Esther 4:3

4:3 Throughout each and every province where the king’s edict and law were announced ²  there was considerable ³  mourning among the Jews, along with fasting, weeping, and sorrow. ⁴  Sackcloth and ashes were characteristic ⁵  of many.

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¹ tn Heb “judgment” (so KJV); NASB, NIV “justice”; NRSV “custom.”

² tn Heb “reached” (so NAB, NLT); KJV, NASB, NIV “came”; TEV “wherever the king’s proclamation was made known.”

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

⁴ 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.

⁵ tn Heb “were spread to many”; KJV, NIV “many (+ people NLT) lay in sackcloth and ashes.”