Bible verse for August 23

¹¹ “The king’s officials, every one of them, and the people of the king’s provinces are aware that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being called, there is a single law: death—unless the king extends the gold scepter to that person, and then he will live. As for me, I have not been summoned to go to the king for thirty days now.” ¹² When they told Mordecai what Esther had said, ¹³ Mordecai had this answer taken back to Esther: “Do not tell yourself that being in the king’s house means you will escape when all the other Jews do not. ¹⁴ For if you insist on keeping silent at this time, relief and rescue will come for the Jews from somewhere else, but you and your father’s household will perish. And who knows whether it was for a time like this that you came into royal power?” ¹⁵ Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, ¹⁶ “Go and bring together all the Jews who can be found in Susa, and fast on my behalf. Take no food or drink for three days, night and day. My maids and I will fast the same way. After that I will go in to the king, which is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” ¹⁷ Mordecai left and carried out all of Esther’s instructions to him.

Read all of Esther 4