1 When Mordecai found out about everything that had been done,
he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes. He went into
the middle of the city and cried loudly and bitterly. 2 He even
went right up to the king’s gate. (No one could enter it wearing
sackcloth.) 3 In every province touched by the king’s command
and decree, the Jews went into mourning, fasting, weeping, and
wailing. Many put on sackcloth and ashes. Esther’s Problem 4
Esther’s servants and eunuchs came and informed her ⌊about
Mordecai⌋. The queen was stunned. She sent clothing for Mordecai
to put on in place of his sackcloth, but he refused to accept
it. 5 Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs
appointed to serve her. She commanded him to go to Mordecai and
find out what was going on and why. 6 So Hathach went out to
Mordecai in the city square in front of the king’s gate. 7
Mordecai informed him about everything that had happened to him.
He told him the exact amount of silver that Haman had promised
to pay into the kin