Esther 4:3

4:3 Throughout each and every province where the king’s edict and law were announced ¹  there was considerable ²  mourning among the Jews, along with fasting, weeping, and sorrow. ³  Sackcloth and ashes were characteristic ⁴  of many.

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.

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¹ tn Heb “reached” (so NAB, NLT); KJV, NASB, NIV “came”; TEV “wherever the king’s proclamation was made known.”

² tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the Jews went into deep mourning.”

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

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.