New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Esther 4
1
Mordecai found out about everything that had been done. So he tore his clothes. He put on black clothes. He sat down in ashes. Then he went out into the city. He sobbed out loud. He cried bitter tears.
Reference
2
But he only went as far as the palace gate. That's because no one who was dressed in black clothes was allowed to go through it.
3
All of the Jews were very sad. They didn't eat anything. They sobbed and cried. Many of them put on black clothes. They were lying down in ashes. They did all of those things in every territory where the king's order and law had been sent.
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4
Esther's eunuchs and female attendants came to her. They told her about Mordecai. So she became very troubled. She wanted him to take his black clothes off. So she sent him other clothes to wear. But he wouldn't accept them.
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5
Then Esther sent for Hathach. He was one of the king's eunuchs. He had been appointed to take care of her. She ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai. She wanted to know why he was so upset.
Reference
People
6
So Hathach went out to see Mordecai. He was in the open area in front of the palace gate.
Reference
7
Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him. He told him about the exact amount of money Haman had promised to add to the royal treasures. He said Haman wanted it to be used to pay some men to destroy the Jews.
8
Mordecai also gave Hathach a copy of the order. It commanded people to wipe out the Jews. The order had been sent from Susa. Mordecai told Hathach to show the order to Esther. He wanted him to explain it to her. He told him to try and get her to go to the king. He wanted her to beg for mercy. He wanted her to make an appeal to the king for her people.
Reference
9
Hathach went back. He reported to Esther what Mordecai had said.
10
Then Esther directed him to give an answer to Mordecai. She told him to say,
11
"There is a certain law that everyone knows about. All of the king's officials know about it. The people in the royal territories know about it. It applies to any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner courtyard without being sent for. It says they must be put to death. But there is a way out. Suppose the king reaches out his gold rod toward them. Then their lives will be spared. But 30 days have gone by since the king sent for me."
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12
Esther's words were reported to Mordecai.
13
Then he sent back an answer. He said, "You live in the king's palace. But don't think that just because you are there you will be the only Jew who will escape.
Reference
14
What if you don't say anything at this time? Then help for the Jews will come from another place. But you and your family will die. Who knows? It's possible that you became queen for a time just like this."
Reference
Kingdom
Ezra 9:9
Isaiah 49:23
Esther 2:15
Parallel theme
1 Samuel 12:22
Deuteronomy 32:36
Jeremiah 30:11
Jeremiah 46:28
Matthew 16:18
Matthew 24:22
Resurrection
Isaiah 54:17
15
Then Esther sent a reply to Mordecai. She said,
16
"Go. Gather together all of the Jews who are in Susa. And fast for my benefit. Don't eat or drink anything for three days. Don't do it night or day. I and my attendants will fast just as you do. Then I'll go to the king. I'll do it even though it's against the law. And if I have to die, I'll die."
Reference
17
So Mordecai went away. He carried out all of Esther's directions.
Summary of Esther 4
Esther Chapter 4 is the emotional and spiritual turning point of the book. The previous chapter ended with Haman's decree ordering the destruction of every Jew throughout the Persian Empire. Chapter 4 shows the devastating effect of that decree and forces Esther to decide whether she will risk her life to protect her people.
When Mordecai learns about the decree, he responds with intense mourning. He tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth and ashes, and cries out publicly. Jews throughout the Persian Empire respond in the same way, fasting, weeping, and mourning. The situation is no longer a political disagreement involving one Jewish man; an entire people has been placed under an official death sentence.
Esther hears that Mordecai is grieving and initially tries to send him clothing so he can remove his sackcloth. When he refuses, she sends Hathach, one of her trusted servants, to discover what has happened. Mordecai explains the entire situation. He tells Esther about Haman's plan, the money Haman promised to the king, and the official decree ordering the destruction of the Jews. He also gives Esther a copy of the decree so she can see the danger for herself.
Esther now faces a terrible problem. She is queen, but her royal position does not give her unlimited access to the king. Persian court law states that anyone who enters the king's inner court without being summoned can be executed unless the king extends his golden scepter. Esther has not been called by Ahasuerus for thirty days.
Mordecai therefore sends Esther a powerful message. He warns her not to believe that living inside the palace will protect her. If Haman's plan succeeds, Esther herself will eventually be in danger because she is secretly Jewish.
Mordecai then expresses confidence that the Jewish people will somehow receive deliverance even if Esther refuses to act. But he also challenges her with the possibility that she may have become queen precisely for this moment. His words force Esther to look beyond her personal safety and consider the purpose of her position.
Esther's response shows a dramatic change. At first, she is afraid and explains why approaching the king is dangerous. After Mordecai's challenge, however, she accepts the responsibility. She asks Mordecai to gather the Jews of Susa and have them fast for three days and nights. Esther and her attendants will fast as well.
Then she makes the crucial decision: she will go to the king even though she has not been summoned. She understands that doing so could result in her death, but she is willing to accept the risk. Her statement, essentially meaning if I die, I die, demonstrates that she has placed the survival of her people above her own safety.
The chapter is especially significant because God is not mentioned by name, yet the entire chapter is filled with themes of faith, providence, prayer, fasting, courage, and deliverance. Mordecai's confidence that help will arise from another place suggests that he believes the Jewish people will not ultimately be abandoned. Esther's fasting also indicates that the community is seeking divine help before she takes action.
The chapter also transforms Esther from a relatively passive character into the central agent of the story. In chapter 2, she was selected to become queen. In chapter 3, her hidden identity became a potential danger. In chapter 4, she consciously chooses to use her position to protect her people.
Historically, the events take place around 474 BC, during the reign of Xerxes I. The Persian royal court was highly controlled, making Esther's decision to approach the king without an invitation genuinely dangerous.
The chapter's central message is about courage in the face of responsibility. Esther cannot control Haman, the king, or the royal law. What she can control is whether she remains silent or uses the position she has been given.
The famous idea behind Mordecai's challenge is that Esther may have been placed where she was for a purpose. Her position, which initially seemed to be a matter of beauty and royal preference, now becomes the means through which an entire people may be saved.
By the end of the chapter, Esther has moved from fear to determination. The Jewish community is fasting, Mordecai is carrying out her instructions, and Esther is preparing to enter the king's presence. The next chapter will reveal whether the king will extend his golden scepter—or whether Esther's decision will cost her life.
When Mordecai learns about the decree, he responds with intense mourning. He tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth and ashes, and cries out publicly. Jews throughout the Persian Empire respond in the same way, fasting, weeping, and mourning. The situation is no longer a political disagreement involving one Jewish man; an entire people has been placed under an official death sentence.
Esther hears that Mordecai is grieving and initially tries to send him clothing so he can remove his sackcloth. When he refuses, she sends Hathach, one of her trusted servants, to discover what has happened. Mordecai explains the entire situation. He tells Esther about Haman's plan, the money Haman promised to the king, and the official decree ordering the destruction of the Jews. He also gives Esther a copy of the decree so she can see the danger for herself.
Esther now faces a terrible problem. She is queen, but her royal position does not give her unlimited access to the king. Persian court law states that anyone who enters the king's inner court without being summoned can be executed unless the king extends his golden scepter. Esther has not been called by Ahasuerus for thirty days.
Mordecai therefore sends Esther a powerful message. He warns her not to believe that living inside the palace will protect her. If Haman's plan succeeds, Esther herself will eventually be in danger because she is secretly Jewish.
Mordecai then expresses confidence that the Jewish people will somehow receive deliverance even if Esther refuses to act. But he also challenges her with the possibility that she may have become queen precisely for this moment. His words force Esther to look beyond her personal safety and consider the purpose of her position.
Esther's response shows a dramatic change. At first, she is afraid and explains why approaching the king is dangerous. After Mordecai's challenge, however, she accepts the responsibility. She asks Mordecai to gather the Jews of Susa and have them fast for three days and nights. Esther and her attendants will fast as well.
Then she makes the crucial decision: she will go to the king even though she has not been summoned. She understands that doing so could result in her death, but she is willing to accept the risk. Her statement, essentially meaning if I die, I die, demonstrates that she has placed the survival of her people above her own safety.
The chapter is especially significant because God is not mentioned by name, yet the entire chapter is filled with themes of faith, providence, prayer, fasting, courage, and deliverance. Mordecai's confidence that help will arise from another place suggests that he believes the Jewish people will not ultimately be abandoned. Esther's fasting also indicates that the community is seeking divine help before she takes action.
The chapter also transforms Esther from a relatively passive character into the central agent of the story. In chapter 2, she was selected to become queen. In chapter 3, her hidden identity became a potential danger. In chapter 4, she consciously chooses to use her position to protect her people.
Historically, the events take place around 474 BC, during the reign of Xerxes I. The Persian royal court was highly controlled, making Esther's decision to approach the king without an invitation genuinely dangerous.
The chapter's central message is about courage in the face of responsibility. Esther cannot control Haman, the king, or the royal law. What she can control is whether she remains silent or uses the position she has been given.
The famous idea behind Mordecai's challenge is that Esther may have been placed where she was for a purpose. Her position, which initially seemed to be a matter of beauty and royal preference, now becomes the means through which an entire people may be saved.
By the end of the chapter, Esther has moved from fear to determination. The Jewish community is fasting, Mordecai is carrying out her instructions, and Esther is preparing to enter the king's presence. The next chapter will reveal whether the king will extend his golden scepter—or whether Esther's decision will cost her life.