4 When Esther’s female servants and eunuchs came and told her, the queen was noticeably shaken after hearing the news. She sent someone to clothe Mordecai in regular clothes instead of mourning clothes, but he couldn’t be persuaded.
5 Esther then sent for Hathach the royal eunuch who served her. She sent him to discover from Mordecai what was going on.
7 Mordecai told him everything that had happened, how Haman had promised to contribute ten thousand sacks of silver to the royal treasury in exchange for the destruction of the Jews.
8 He also gave Hathach a copy of the king’s order made public in Susa concerning the Jews’ destruction so that Hathach could show it to Esther. Through him, Mordecai ordered her to go to the king to beg his help for her people: "Remember your more humble days when I raised you. Haman, a leader second to the king, has spoken against us to put us to death. Call on the Lord now and speak to the king about us. Deliver us from death!"
9 Hathach came back and told Esther what Mordecai had said.
10 In reply Esther ordered Hathach to tell Mordecai:
11 "All the nations of the empire know that there is no deliverance for the man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without an invitation. Only the person to whom the king holds out the gold scepter will be safe. In my case, I haven’t been called to come to the king for the past thirty days."