Esther 4:1

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.

Esther 4:5

4:5 So Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who had been placed at her service, ³  and instructed him to find out the cause and reason for Mordecai’s behavior. ⁴ 

Esther 5:11

5:11 Haman then recounted to them his fabulous wealth, ⁵  his many sons, ⁶  and how the king had magnified him and exalted him over the king’s other officials and servants.

Esther 7:7

7:7 In rage the king arose from the banquet of wine and withdrew to the palace garden. Meanwhile, Haman stood to beg Queen Esther for his life, ⁷  for he realized that the king had now determined a catastrophic end for him. ⁸ 

Esther 8:2-3

8:2 The king then removed his signet ring (the very one he had taken back from Haman) and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther designated Mordecai to be in charge of Haman’s estate.

8:3 Then Esther again spoke with the king, falling at his feet. She wept and begged him for mercy, that he might nullify the evil of Haman the Agagite which he had intended against the Jews. ⁹ 

Esther 9:3

9:3 All the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and those who performed the king’s business were assisting the Jews, for the dread of Mordecai had fallen on them.

---

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.

² tn Heb “great.”

³ tn Heb “whom he caused to stand before her”; NASB “whom the king had appointed to attend her.”

⁴ tn Heb “concerning Mordecai, to know what this was, and why this was.”

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

⁶ sn According to Esth 9:10 Haman had ten sons.

⁷ sn There is great irony here in that the man who set out to destroy all the Jews now finds himself begging for his own life from a Jew.

⁸ tn Heb “for he saw that calamity was determined for him from the king”; NAB “the king had decided on his doom”; NRSV “the king had determined to destroy him.”

⁹ sn As in 7:4 Esther avoids implicating the king in this plot. Instead Haman is given sole responsibility for the plan to destroy the Jews.