EST 4:2 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not necessarily natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for Bible-translators and others doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still early looks into the drafted texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal Speaker(s)=Narrator (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) But no one was wearing mourning garb was allowed inside the king’s gate, so when Mordekai reached the gate, he had to stay just outside it.

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX (ESG 4:2) Καὶ ἦλθεν ἕως τῆς πύλης τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἔστη· οὐ γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ ἐξὸν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν, σάκκον ἔχοντι καὶ σποδόν.
(Kai aʸlthen heōs taʸs pulaʸs tou basileōs, kai estaʸ; ou gar aʸn autōi exon eiselthein eis taʸn aulaʸn, sakkon eⱪonti kai spodon.)

BrTr (ESG 4:2) 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.

ULT And he came only as far as before the face of the gate of the king because no one was to come into the gate of the king while wearing sackcloth.

UST But no one who was wearing sackcloth was allowed inside the king’s gate. So when Mordecai reached the gate, he had to stay just outside of it.

BSB & MSB But he went only as far as the king ’s gate, because the law prohibited anyone wearing sackcloth from entering [that] gate.

OEB He went as far as the king’s gate, but no one could enter the gate clothed with sackcloth.

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

MSG ^(1-3)When 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.

NET But he went no further than the king’s gate, for no one was permitted to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth.

LSV and he comes to the front of the gate of the king, but none is to come to the gate of the king with a sackcloth-garment.

FBV He went as far as the palace gate, because no one was allowed to enter the palace gate wearing sackcloth.

T4T He stood outside the gate of the palace, because no one who was wearing sackcloth was allowed to enter the palace.

LEB 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.

BBE And he came even before the king's doorway; for no one might come inside the king's door clothed in haircloth.

Moff he even went in front of the king’s Gate (for inside the king’s Gate no person in sackcloth was allowed to pass).

JPS and he came even before the king's gate; for none might enter within the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.

ASV and he came even before the king’s gate: for none might enter within the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.

DRA Verse alignment unavailable (unsupported).

YLT 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.

Drby and came even before the king's gate; for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.

RV and he came even before the king’s gate: for none might enter within the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.

SLT And he will come even before the king’s gate: for none to come into the king’s gate in putting on sackcloth.

Wbstr And came even before the king's gate: for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.

KJB-1769 And came even before the king’s gate: for none might enter into the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.

KJB-1611 And came euen before the kings gate: for none might enter into the kings gate clothed with sackcloth.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps And came before the kinges gate: but he might not enter within the kinges gate, because he had sackcloth on.
(And came before the kings gate: but he might not enter within the kings gate, because he had sackcloth on.)

Gnva And he came euen before the Kings gate, but he might not enter within the Kings gate, being clothed with sackecloth.
(And he came even before the Kings gate, but he might not enter within the Kings gate, being clothed with sackcloth.)

Cvdl and came before the kynges gate: for there might no man entre within the kynges gate, that had a sack cloth on.
(and came before the kings gate: for there might no man enter within the kings gate, that had a sack cloth on.)

Wycl Verse alignment unavailable (unsupported).

Luth Und kam vor das Tor des Königs. Denn es mußte niemand zu des Königs Tor eingehen, der einen Sack anhätte.
(And came before/in_front_of the doorway the kings. Because it had_to no_one to/for the kings doorway enter, the/of_the a sack/bag would_have_on.)

ClVg Verse alignment unavailable (unsupported).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 4:1–17: Mordecai asked Esther to beg the king to save the Jews

When Mordecai heard about the order to kill the Jews, he dressed in the sort of clothes he would wear to mourn someone who had died and walked around the city weeping loudly. Esther sent him other clothes but he refused to wear them. She then sent a messenger to find out why he was behaving in this way. Mordecai gave the messenger a copy of the decree to show to Esther, and he pleaded with her to go and ask the king not to destroy the Jews. Esther hesitated, but finally agreed, although it was dangerous for her to approach the king in this way and she might be killed.

4:2a

But he went only as far as the king’s gate,

However, when he arrived at the palace entrance, he went no further,

the king’s gate: See note on 2:19b. Here however it refers literally to the palace entrance.

4:2b

because the law prohibited anyone wearing sackcloth from entering that gate.

because no person who was wearing rough cloth was allowed to go inside.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

וַ⁠יָּב֕וֹא

(Some words not found in UHB: and,he_went until to=(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before gate_of the=king that/for/because/then/when not to,go to/towards gate_of the=king in,clothing_of sackcloth )

He means Mordecai. Alternate translation: [Mordecai came]

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

עַ֖ד לִ⁠פְנֵ֣י שַֽׁעַר־הַ⁠מֶּ֑לֶךְ

until to=(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before (Some words not found in UHB: and,he_went until to=(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before gate_of the=king that/for/because/then/when not to,go to/towards gate_of the=king in,clothing_of sackcloth )

Here, face represents the front of an object. The phrase means that Mordecai could not come inside the gate to the king’s palace, but had to wait just outside of it.

שַֽׁעַר־הַ⁠מֶּ֑לֶךְ

(Some words not found in UHB: and,he_went until to=(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before gate_of the=king that/for/because/then/when not to,go to/towards gate_of the=king in,clothing_of sackcloth )

See how you translated this in [2:19](../02/19.md). Alternate translation: [the gate to the king’s palace]

Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

אֵ֥ין לָ⁠ב֛וֹא אֶל־שַׁ֥עַר הַ⁠מֶּ֖לֶךְ בִּ⁠לְב֥וּשׁ שָֽׂק

not to,go to/towards (Some words not found in UHB: and,he_went until to=(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before gate_of the=king that/for/because/then/when not to,go to/towards gate_of the=king in,clothing_of sackcloth )

If it would be helpful in your language, you could put this information first in the verse because it explains why Mordecai waited outside. See the UST. Alternate translation: [But no one who was wearing sackcloth was allowed inside the palace gates]

Parallel EST 4:2

Section 4:1–17: Mordecai asked Esther to beg the king to save the Jews

4:2a

4:2b