1 و َحِينَ عَلِمَ مُرْدَخايُ بَكُلِّ ما حَدَثَ، مَزَّقَ ثِيابَهُ، وَارتَدَى الخَيْشِ وَتَمَرَّغَ بِالرَّمادِ، وَخَرَجَ إلَى وَسَطِ المَدِينَةِ وَناحَ بِمَرارَةٍ.

Now when Mordecai found out all that was done, Mordecai tore his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the middle of the city, and wailed loudly and a bitterly.

2 ث ُمَّ جاءَ وَوَقَفَ أمامَ بَوّابَةِ المَلِكِ، فَلَمْ يُسْمَحْ لَهُ بِالدُّخُولِ. فَقَدْ كانَ مَحْظُوراً أنْ يَدْخُلَ أحَدٌ إلَى المَلِكِ وَهُوَ يَلبَسُ الخَيْشَ.

He came even before the king’s gate, for no one is allowed inside the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.

3 و َحَزِنَ اليَهُودُ كَثَيراً، وَصامُوا وَبَكَوْا وَناحُوا وَلَبِسوا الخَيْشَ وَتَمَرَّغُوا بِالرَّمادِ فِي كُلِّ بِلادِ المَلِكِ أحَشْوِيرُوشَ وَمُقاطَعاتِهِ التِي سَمِعَتْ بِالقَرارِ.

In every province, wherever the king’s commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

4 و َأخْبَرَتِ الخادِماتُ وَالخُدّامُ أسْتِيرَ بِما حَدَثَ، فَاكتَأبَتِ المَلِكَةُ وَاضْطَرَبَتْ. وَأرسَلَت لِمُرْدَخايَ ثِياباً لِيَرتَدِيها بَدَلَ الخَيشِ، وَلَكِنَّ مُرْدَخايَ رَفَضَ ذَلِكَ.

Esther’s maidens and her eunuchs came and told her this, and the queen was exceedingly grieved. She sent clothing to Mordecai, to replace his sackcloth; but he didn’t receive it.

5 ف َاسْتَدعَتْ أسْتِيرُ هَتاخَ، وَهُوَ أحَدُ خُدّامِ المَلِكِ عُيِّنَ خادِماً لأسْتِيرَ، وَأمَرَتْهُ أنْ يَعرِفَ مِنْ مُرْدَخايَ ما الذِي جَعَلَهُ يَفْعَلُ هَذا.

Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs, whom he had appointed to attend her, and commanded him to go to Mordecai, to find out what this was, and why it was.

6 ف َخَرَجَ هَتاخُ إلَى مُرْدَخايَ فِي ساحَةِ المَدِينَةِ المُقابِلَةِ لِبَوّابَةِ المَلِكِ.

So Hathach went out to Mordecai, to city square which was before the king’s gate.

7 ف َأخْبَرَهُ مُرْدَخايُ بِكُلِّ ما حَصَلَ مَعهُ، وَبِأمرِ المالِ الذِي سَيَدفَعُهُ هامانُ لِخَزِينَةِ المَلِكِ لِيَقتُلَ اليَهُودَ.

Mordecai told him of all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews.

8 و َأعطاهُ نُسْخَةً مِنَ القَرارِ الذِي صَدَرَ فِي مَدِينَةِ شُوشَنَ بِخُصُوصِ قَتلِ اليَهُودِ، لِيُرِيهِ لأسْتِيرَ وَيَشرَحَهُ لَها. وَأوصَى مُرْدَخايُ أسْتِيرَ أنْ تَذهَبَ إلَى المَلِكِ وَتَطلُبَ مِنهُ الرَّحمَةَ، وَأنْ تَتَوَسَّلَ إلَيهِ مِنْ أجلِ شَعبِها.

He also gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given out in Shushan to destroy them, to show it to Esther, and to declare it to her, and to urge her to go in to the king, to make supplication to him, and to make request before him, for her people.

9 ف َذَهَبَ هَتاخُ وَأخبَرَ أسْتِيرَ بِما قالَهُ مُرْدَخايَ.

Hathach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.

10 ف َأمَرَتْ أسْتِيرُ هَتاخَ أنْ يَقُولَ لِمُرْدَخايَ:

Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a message to Mordecai:

11 « كُلُّ خُدّامَ المَلِكِ وَكُلُّ النّاسِ فِي بِلادِهِ يَعْرِفُونَ أنَّ عُقُوبَةَ مَنْ يَدخُلُ إلَى المَلِكِ فِي مَجلِسِهِ دَونَ دَعوَةٍ هِيَ المَوتُ. لَكِنْ إنْ مَدَّ المَلِكُ صَولَجانَهُ الذَهَبيَّ نَحْوَ الذِي يَدْخُلُ إلَيهِ بِلا دَعْوةٍ، يُعْفَى عَنْهُ فَلا يُقْتَلُ. وَلَكِنَّهُ لَمْ يَدْعُنِي للدُخُولِ إلَيهِ مُنْذُ ثَلاثِينَ يَوماً.»

“All the king’s servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, know, that whoever, whether man or woman, comes to the king into the inner court without being called, there is one law for him, that he be put to death, except those to whom the king might hold out the golden scepter, that he may live. I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”

12 و َعِنْدَما سَمِعَ مُرْدَخايُ جَوابَ أسْتِيرَ،

They told to Mordecai Esther’s words.

13 أ رْسَلَ إلَيها رِسالَةً قالَ فِيها: «لا تَظُنِّي بأنَّكِ سَتَنجِينَ مِنَ العِقابِ لأنَكِ تَعِيشِينَ فِي قَصرِ المَلِكِ.

Then Mordecai asked them return answer to Esther, “Don’t think to yourself that you will escape in the king’s house any more than all the Jews.

14 إ نْ لَمْ تَفعَلِي شَيئاً الآنَ، فَإنَّ إنْقاذَ اليَهُودِ وَنَجاتَهُم سَتَأتِي مِنْ مَكانٍ آخَرَ. أمّا أنْتِ وَعائِلَتُكِ فسَتَمُوتُونَ. وَمَنْ يَعلَمُ، فَرُبَّما أصبَحتِ مَلِكَةً لأجلِ وَقْتٍ مِثلِ هَذا.»

For if you remain silent now, then relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Who knows if you haven’t come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

15 ف َأرسَلَت أسْتِيرُ بِالرَّدِّ التّالِي إلَى مُرْدَخايَ:

Then Esther asked them to answer Mordecai,

16 « اجمَعْ كُلَّ اليَهُودِ الَّذِينَ فِي شُوشَنَ، وَصُومُوا مِنْ أجلِي ثَلاثَةَ أيّامٍ وَثَلاثَ لَيالٍ، وَسَأصُومُ أنا وَجَوارِيَّ أيضاً، ثُمَّ سَأدخُلُ إلَى المَلِكِ، عَلَى الرُّغمِ مِنْ أنَّ هَذا يُخالِفُ أمرَهُ. فَإذا مِتُّ، فَليَكُنْ!»

“Go, gather together all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day. I and my maidens will also fast the same way. Then I will go in to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.”

17 ف َذَهَبَ مُرْدَخايُ وَفَعَلَ ما أوْصَتْهُ بِهِ أسْتِيرُ.

So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.