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.
1 Mordekai sho a koneke shoka sha ningwa po, okwa tuula oonguwo dhe moluhodhi. Okwa zala ehahi, i igundu omutoko momutse e te endagula noshilando ta kugu mokule a lulilwa, 2 sigo ta thiki peelo lyuuwa. Ina ya mo muuwa, oshoka ihamu yio muntu a zala ehahi. 3 Kiitopolwa ayihe, nkoka eutho lyomukwaniilwa lya tseyithwa, okwa li elilagano enene mokati kAajuda. Oyi idhilike iikulya, ya lili nokukuga; oyendji oya zala omahahi e taa lala momutoko.
4 Aadhike yaEster naathonwantu oye mu hokololele shoka tashi ningwa kuMordekai. Ester okwa si oluhodhi olunene. Okwa tumine Mordekai oonguwo, e dhi zale peha lyehahi, ihe ine dhi taamba. 5 Nena Ester okwi ithana Hatak, gumwe gwomaathonwantu yomuuwa, ngoka a tulwa po komukwaniilwa a kale omupiya gwe, e te mu lombwele, a ye kuMordekai a uve shoka sha ningwa po nomolwashike. 6 Hatak okwa yi kuMordekai mehalandjandja lyoshilando peelo lyuuwa. 7 Mordekai okwe mu hokololele ashihe shoka she mu ningilwa. Okwe mu tseyithile wo ondjundo yoshisiliveli Haman e yi uvaneka, yi tulwe moompungulilo dhuuwa, ngele Aajuda ayehe oya dhipagwa po. 8 Okwa pe Hatak ombapila yenyolululo lyeutho ndyoka lya gandjwa muSusa lyokudhipaga Aajuda, opo e yi fale kuEster noku mu tseyithila oshinima ashihe. Ester ne ki ikumbe omukwaniilwa noku mu indila, opo a sile ohenda oshigwana she Oshijuda. 9 Hatak okwe shi ningi, 10 naEster okwe mu pe elaka, e li fale kuMordekai, tali ti: 11 “Shaa ngoka, omulumentu nenge omukiintu, ta yi kehale lyomeni a mone omukwaniilwa ye ini ithanwa, oku na okusa. Ndjika ompango; omalenga gomukwaniilwa agehe naantu ayehe miitopolwa yoshilongo she oye yi tseya. Ope na ompito yimwe ayike okukala nomwenyo. Omuntu ngoka omukwaniilwa te mu ganeke nondhimbo ye yuukwaniilwa yoshingoli, ita dhipagwa. Ihe opwa piti omwedhi omukwaniilwa ini ithana ndje, ndi ye kuye.”
12 Mordekai sho u uvu oohapu dhaEster, 13 okwe mu tumine eyamukulo tali ti: “Ino ifundjaleka kutya ou li megameno u vule Aajuda yalwe, sho u li muuwa womukwaniilwa. 14 Ngele to mwenene ompito ndjika, ekwatho otali zile Aajuda palwe e taa ka hupithwa, ihe ngoye nezimo lyaho otamu ka yonuka po. Olye e shi tseya kutya ino ninga omunyekadhi omolwompito ndjika?”
15 Ester okwa tumine Mordekai eyamukulo tali ti: 16 “Inda, u ka gongele Aajuda ayehe muSusa; idhilikeni iikulya ne mu galikanene ndje. Inamu lya ne inamu nwa sha omasiku gatatu, uusiku nomutenya. Nangame osho te ningi pamwe naadhike yandje. Konima yaambika otandi ka ya komukwaniilwa, nando nashi kale sha pingathana nompango. Ngele ote si, nandi se.”
17 Mordekai okwa yi e ta ningi, ngaashi Ester e mu lombwele.
