Mordecai Asks for Esther's Help
1 When Mordecai heard about the letter, he tore his clothes in sorrow and put on sackcloth. Then he covered his head with ashes and went through the city, crying and weeping. 2 But he could go only as far as the palace gate, because no one wearing sackcloth was allowed inside the palace. 3 In every province where the king's orders were read, the Jews cried and mourned, and they went without eating. Many of them even put on sackcloth and sat in ashes.
4 When Esther's servant girls and her other servants told her what Mordecai was doing, she became very upset and sent Mordecai some clothes to wear in place of the sackcloth. But he refused to take them.
5 Esther had a servant named Hathach, who had been given to her by the king. So she called him in and said, “Find out what's wrong with Mordecai and why he's acting this way.”
6 Hathach went to Mordecai in the city square in front of the palace gate, 7 and Mordecai told him everything that had happened. He also told him how much money Haman had promised to add to the king's treasury, if all the Jews were killed.
8 Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the orders for the murder of the Jews and told him that these had been read in Susa. He said, “Show this to Esther and explain what it means. Ask her to go to the king and beg him to have pity on her people, the Jews!”
9 Hathach went back to Esther and told her what Mordecai had said. 10 She answered, “Tell Mordecai 11 there is a law about going in to see the king, and all his officials and his people know about this law. Anyone who goes in to see the king without being invited by him will be put to death. The only way that anyone can be saved is for the king to hold out the gold scepter to that person. And it's been thirty days since he has asked for me.”
12 When Mordecai was told what Esther had said, 13 he sent back this reply, “Don't think that you will escape being killed with the rest of the Jews, just because you live in the king's palace. 14 If you don't speak up now, we will somehow get help, but you and your family will be killed. It could be that you were made queen for a time like this!”
15 Esther sent a message to Mordecai, saying, 16 “Bring together all the Jews in Susa and tell them to go without eating for my sake! Don't eat or drink for three days and nights. My servant girls and I will do the same. Then I will go in to see the king, even if it means I must die.”
17 Mordecai did everything Esther told him to do.
Mordekaib ge Esters huiba ra ǂgan
1 Mordekaib ge taren hoan ge dīhe ǃkhaisab ge ǁnâu, o saran âba ǃoab ǃnâ ge ǀkhau. ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge ǃoab sarana ana, tsaoba danas ai tsoro tsî ǃgarise tsî tsûsase garu ra āse ǃās ǃnâ-u ge ǃgû, 2 gao-ommi dao-ams tawab ge sīs kōse. ǁÎb ge ǂgâ tama ge i, ǃoab sarana ana hâ khoe-i xare-i ge ǁnāpa ǂgâsa mā-amhe tama hâ i xui-ao. 3 Hoa ǀkharigu gao-aob mîmās ge ǂanǂanǃnâhegu ǃnâb ge kai ǃoaba Jodeǁîn ǃnâ ge hâ i. ǁÎn ge ǂûtama hâ, tsî ā tsî gere ǃgae; ǂguin ân ge ǃoab sarana ana tsî tsaob ǃnâ sī ge ǁgoe.
4 Esters ge ǁîs sîsenaodi tsî gao-aob ǂhunuma ǂamkhoegu xa Mordekaib tare-e ra dī ǃkhaisa a mîbahe, os ge kaise ge ǃhuri. ǁÎs ge Mordekaiba sarana ge sîba, ǃoab saran ǃās ǃnâb nî anase, xaweb ge ū ǂgao tama ge i. 5 Os ge Estersa Hataki, gao-ommi ǂamkhoeb, ǁîsab nî ǃoabase ge gao-aob xa ǁgaumâihe hâ iba ǂgai tsî ge mîmā, îb Mordekaib tawa sī tsî tare-i ra ī tsî tare-i ǃaromab ti ra dī ǃkhaisa sī ǁnâu. 6 Hataki ge Mordekaib, ǃās di ǀhaoǃkhaib ai gao-ommi dao-ams tawa hâb ǃoa ge ǃgû. 7 Mordekaib ge ǁîb ǀkha go ī xūn hoana ge mîba bi; tsî mâtikō ǀhaiǀuri maribab, Jodeǁîn nî ǃgamǂuihes karao, gaosi ǁuiǂgaes ǃnâ nî ǂgā ǃkhaisab ge Hamanna mîmâisa. 8 ǁÎb ge ǁgâiǁnâb ǂanǂans dib, Jodeǁîn nî ǃgamǂuihese ge Susas ǃnâ māǂuiheba Hataka ge mā. Mordekaib ge ǁîba ge ǂgan, îb ǁnâ ǁgâiǁnâba Estersa sī mā tsî mîǃāba tsî ǁîsa mîmā, îs gao-aoba sī ǀkhoma, îb ǁîs khoena ǀkhomxa.
9 Hataki ge Esters ǁga oa tsî ǁîsa Mordekaib ge mî xūna sī ge mîba, 10 tsîs ge Estersa sao ra haisi-amsa Hataki ǀkha ge sî, îb Mordekaiba sī mîba: 11 “Gao-aob ǂamkhoegu hoagu tsî gao-aob di ǀkharigu ǃnâ hâ khoen hoan tsîn ge a ǂan, aorekhoeb kas tarekhoes kas hoasa ga gao-aob ommi ǃnâ gao-aob ǃoa, ǂgaihe tama i hâse ǂgâ-i ǃaromab ǀgui ǂhanub ǀguiba hâsa; ǁî-i ge nî ǃgamhe, gao-aob ga ǁîb ǃhuniǀuri gaohaiba ǁî-e ǃoa ǀhōǂui, o ǀguib ge ûib â-e nî sâuhe. Xawe ta ge nēsi gao-aob xa ǃnonadisi tsēdi ǁaeba ǂgaihe tama hâ.”
12 Mordekaib ge Esters haisi-amsab ge ǃkhōǃoa, 13 o nē ǂgōǀausa ǁîsa ge sîba: “Esterse, tā nau Jodeǁîn nē gaosib ǃnâ hân ǃgâ-ais gao-ommi ǃnâs hâ ǃkhais ǃaroma ǃnāsase a ǃnorasa ti ǂâi. 14 Nēti ī ǁaeb ǃnâs ga ǃnō tsî xū-e khom tama i sa ǁaes ǃaroma, on ge Jodeǁîna ǀnî ǃkhai-e xu huiba hō tsî nîra sâuhe, xawe sas ge nî ǁō tsîb ge sa îb di suriba nî ǀam. Tari-e a ǂan, nēti ī ǁaeb ǃaromas kom ǀnîsis ge gao-ao kaisao?”
15 Os ge Estersa Mordekaiba nē ǃereamsa ge sîba: 16 “ǃGû, î hoaraga Jodeǁîn Susas ǃnâ hâna ǀhaoǀhao, î du ǂûtamase hâ. Tā xū-i xare-e ǃnona tsēdi tsî tsuxugu ǀgaiba ǂû tamas ka io ā. Tita tsî ti sîsenaodi tsîn ge ǁnās ǁkhāsa nî dī. ǁNās khaoǃgâ ta ge gao-aob ǃoa ǂhanub ǃoagus ǁnā ǃkhaisa hâ, xawe nî ǃgû. Nēs ǃaroma ta nî ǁōs karao, o ta kom a ǁō ǁkhāo.”
17 Ob ge Mordekaiba ǃgû tsî Esters ge mîmā bi xūn hoana ge dī.
