Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
Go and bring together all the Jewish people who are here in Shushan, and fast for me, don't eat or drink anything for three days and nights. My servant girls and I will fast the same way. After that, I will go to the king, even though it's against the law. And if I die because of it, then I die.
Queen Esther is asking her people to fast and pray as she prepares to risk her life by approaching the king uninvited to save the Jewish people from destruction.
📚 Historical Context
In the Book of Esther, set during the Persian Empire under King Ahasuerus in the 5th century BC, the Jewish people face a plot of extermination orchestrated by the king's advisor Haman. Esther, a Jewish woman who has risen to become queen, is urged by her cousin Mordecai to intervene, but she knows that approaching the king uninvited could result in her death, as per Persian law. She calls for a three-day fast to seek God's help before taking this perilous step.
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