3:14–4:14E sther149that all Jews—young and old, including women and children—must bekilled, slaughtered, and annihilated on a single day. This was scheduled tohappen on March 7 of the next year. The property of the Jews would begiven to those who killed them.A copy of this decree was to be issued as law in every province and proclaimed to all peoples, so that they would be ready to do their duty onthe appointed day. At the king’s command, the decree went out by swiftmessengers, and it was also proclaimed in the fortress of Susa. Then theking and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa fell into confusion.When Mordecai learned about all that had been done, he tore his clothes,put on burlap and ashes, and went out into the city, crying with a loud andbitter wail. He went as far as the gate of the palace, for no one was allowedto enter the palace gate while wearing clothes of mourning. And as newsof the king’s decree reached all the provinces, there was great mourningamong the Jews. They fasted, wept, and wailed, and many people lay inburlap and ashes.When Queen Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, she was deeply distressed. She sent clothing to him to replace theburlap, but he refused it. Then Esther sent for Hathach, one of the king’seunuchs who had been appointed as her attendant. She ordered him togo to Mordecai and find out what was troubling him and why he was inmourning. So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the square in front of thepalace gate.Mordecai told him the whole story, including the exact amount ofmoney Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the decree issuedin Susa that called for the death of all Jews. He asked Hathach to show itto Esther and explain the situation to her. He also asked Hathach to directher to go to the king to beg for mercy and plead for her people. So Hathachreturned to Esther with Mordecai’s message.Then Esther told Hathach to go back and relay this message to Mordecai: “All the king’s officials and even the people in the provinces knowthat anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without beinginvited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. Andthe king has not called for me to come to him for thirty days.” So Hathachgave Esther’s message to Mordecai.Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed.If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jewswill arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Whoknows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”ImmerseChronicles_NLT.indd 1496/21/2017 10:01:39 AM
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