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Friday, July 18th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

Esther 4:2

This verse is not available in the MSG!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Readings, Select;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Sackcloth;  

Dictionaries:

- Easton Bible Dictionary - Sackcloth;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Gate;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Esther;  

Encyclopedias:

- The Jewish Encyclopedia - Esther, Apocryphal Book of;   Sackcloth;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for July 8;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He went only as far as the King’s Gate, since the law prohibited anyone wearing sackcloth from entering the King’s Gate.
Hebrew Names Version
and he came even before the king's gate: for none might enter within the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.
King James Version
And came even before the king's gate: for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.
English Standard Version
He went up to the entrance of the king's gate, for no one was allowed to enter the king's gate clothed in sackcloth.
New Century Version
But Mordecai went only as far as the king's gate, because no one was allowed to enter that gate dressed in rough cloth.
New English Translation
But he went no further than the king's gate, for no one was permitted to enter the king's gate clothed in sackcloth.
Amplified Bible
He went [only] as far as the king's gate, because no one was to enter the king's gate dressed in sackcloth.
New American Standard Bible
And he came as far as the king's gate, for no one was to enter the king's gate clothed in sackcloth.
World English Bible
and he came even before the king's gate: for none might enter within the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And he came euen before the Kings gate, but he might not enter within the Kings gate, being clothed with sackecloth.
Legacy Standard Bible
And he went as far as the king's gate, for no one was to enter the king's gate clothed in sackcloth.
Berean Standard Bible
But he went only as far as the King's Gate, because the law prohibited anyone wearing sackcloth from entering that gate.
Contemporary English Version
But he could go only as far as the palace gate, because no one wearing sackcloth was allowed inside the palace.
Complete Jewish Bible
He stopped before entering the King's Gate, since no one was allowed to go inside the King's Gate wearing sackcloth.
Darby Translation
and came even before the king's gate; for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.
Easy-to-Read Version
But Mordecai went only as far as the king's gate. No one was allowed to enter the gate dressed in sackcloth.
George Lamsa Translation
And came even as far as the kings gate; for it was unlawful for any man to enter into the kings gate clothed with sackcloth.
Good News Translation
until he came to the entrance of the palace. He did not go in because no one wearing sackcloth was allowed inside.
Lexham English Bible
he went up to the entrance of the gate of the king, for he could not go to the gate of the king in sackcloth.
Literal Translation
And he came until he was before the king's gate; for there was no entering into the king's gate in clothing of sackcloth.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and came before the kynges gate: for there might no man entre within the kynges gate, that had a sack cloth on.
American Standard Version
and he came even before the king's gate: for none might enter within the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.
Bible in Basic English
And he came even before the king's doorway; for no one might come inside the king's door clothed in haircloth.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And came before the kinges gate: but he might not enter within the kinges gate, because he had sackcloth on.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
and he came even before the king's gate; for none might enter within the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.
King James Version (1611)
And came euen before the kings gate: for none might enter into the kings gate clothed with sackcloth.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he came to the king’s gate, and stood; for it was not lawful for him to enter into the palace, wearing sackcloth and ashes.
English Revised Version
and he came even before the king's gate: for none might enter within the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and he yede with this yellyng `til to the yatis of the paleis; for it was not leueful a man clothid with a sak to entre in to the halle of the kyng.
Update Bible Version
and he came even before the king's gate: for none might enter inside the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.
Webster's Bible Translation
And came even before the king's gate: for none [might] enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.
New King James Version
He went as far as the front of the king's gate, for no one might enter the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.
New Living Translation
He went as far as the gate of the palace, for no one was allowed to enter the palace gate while wearing clothes of mourning.
New Life Bible
He went as far as the king's gate, for no one was to go through the king's gate wearing cloth made from hair.
New Revised Standard
he went up to the entrance of the king's gate, for no one might enter the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and went in as far as before the gate of the king, - for, none, might enter into the gate of the king, clothed with sackcloth.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he came lamenting in this manner even to the gate of the palace: for no one clothed with sackcloth might enter the king’s court.
Revised Standard Version
he went up to the entrance of the king's gate, for no one might enter the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.
Young's Literal Translation
and he cometh in unto the front of the gate of the king, but none is to come in unto the gate of the king with a sackcloth-garment.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He went as far as the king's gate, for no one was to enter the king's gate clothed in sackcloth.

Contextual Overview

1When Mordecai learned what had been done, he ripped his clothes to shreds and put on sackcloth and ashes. Then he went out in the streets of the city crying out in loud and bitter cries. He came only as far as the King's Gate, for no one dressed in sackcloth was allowed to enter the King's Gate. As the king's order was posted in every province, there was loud lament among the Jews—fasting, weeping, wailing. And most of them stretched out on sackcloth and ashes. 4Esther's maids and eunuchs came and told her. The queen was stunned. She sent fresh clothes to Mordecai so he could take off his sackcloth but he wouldn't accept them. Esther called for Hathach, one of the royal eunuchs whom the king had assigned to wait on her, and told him to go to Mordecai and get the full story of what was happening. So Hathach went to Mordecai in the town square in front of the King's Gate. Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him. He also told him the exact amount of money that Haman had promised to deposit in the royal bank to finance the massacre of the Jews. Mordecai also gave him a copy of the bulletin that had been posted in Susa ordering the massacre so he could show it to Esther when he reported back with instructions to go to the king and intercede and plead with him for her people.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Genesis 50:4 - Joseph Luke 7:25 - are in Revelation 11:3 - clothed

Cross-References

Genesis 3:23
So God expelled them from the Garden of Eden and sent them to work the ground, the same dirt out of which they'd been made. He threw them out of the garden and stationed angel-cherubim and a revolving sword of fire east of it, guarding the path to the Tree-of-Life.
Genesis 4:25
Adam slept with his wife again. She had a son whom she named Seth. She said, "God has given me another child in place of Abel whom Cain killed." And then Seth had a son whom he named Enosh. That's when men and women began praying and worshiping in the name of God .
Genesis 9:20
Noah, a farmer, was the first to plant a vineyard. He drank from its wine, got drunk and passed out, naked in his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and told his two brothers who were outside the tent. Shem and Japheth took a cloak, held it between them from their shoulders, walked backward and covered their father's nakedness, keeping their faces turned away so they did not see their father's exposed body.
Exodus 3:1
Moses was shepherding the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the west end of the wilderness and came to the mountain of God, Horeb. The angel of God appeared to him in flames of fire blazing out of the middle of a bush. He looked. The bush was blazing away but it didn't burn up.
Psalms 127:3
Don't you see that children are God 's best gift? the fruit of the womb his generous legacy? Like a warrior's fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth. Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quivers full of children! Your enemies don't stand a chance against you; you'll sweep them right off your doorstep.
1 John 3:12
We must not be like Cain, who joined the Evil One and then killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because he was deep in the practice of evil, while the acts of his brother were righteous. So don't be surprised, friends, when the world hates you. This has been going on a long time.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And came even before the king's gate,.... Or court, that Esther might if possible be made acquainted with this dreadful calamity coming upon her people:

for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth: or appear in such a dress at court, where nothing was admitted to damp the pleasures of it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

None might enter into the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth - This law is not elsewhere mentioned; but its principle - that nothing of evil omen is to be obtruded on the monarch - has been recognized throughout the East in all ages.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Esther 4:2. Before the king's gate — He could not enter into the gate, of the place where the officers waited, because he was in the habit of a mourner; for this would have been contrary to law.


 
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