But Zerubbabel, when he learned of Haman’s decree, neither rent his
garments nor covered his head with ashes. His locks spread even more
spiritedly over his neck and his eyes blazed with a wild wrath. His
hands rolled up into iron fists and he fluttered them in the air like
the wings of an eagle. He raised his voice, and it was like the voice
of thunder.
“Oh, they shall regret it! The Jewish people is to them a shattered
heap, easy to destroy and to annihilate, a mob without rights, to
whom each may do as he pleases. But they will learn that it is not as
they have imagined. They will pay too dearly for every Jewish life,
and our defeat will be their greatest disaster. They shall regret it!
They shall regret it!”
And as he spoke with head raised proudly erect, waving fists that had
hardened to steel and iron, there arrived a messenger, bringing him
report of the conversation between Mordecai and Esther and calling
him to the meeting-house, where all Jews were beginning to assemble,
to fast for Esther three days and three nights. Zerubbabel’s eyes
lighted up with fury and he said to the messenger, “Go tell him who
sent you that the fate of a people cannot depend upon a woman and
the extent to which she pleases her husband. Go tell him that now is
no time for fasting and weeping. With weapons in their hands will
they destroy the Jews; with weapons in their hands must the Jews
make their stand.” And to those near him he turned, saying, “You
have heard what I said. Go and spread it among the people, that thus
spoke Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel the son of Jehoiachim, King of
Jerusalem: ‘Let them gather in the meeting-house if they will; not to
fast or weep, however, but to consider means of defence.’”
But those about him did not obey him willingly, and one of them said,
“Let us wait and see what Esther can do.” Zerubbabel grew red with
anger and cried to the speaker, “One can see that you are the son of
a servant and your soul is the soul of a born slave. Out of my sight
and let me never see you again!” And his messengers departed from
him to spread his words among the people, doing so, however, with
shrugging of the shoulders and hidden laughter. And Zerubbabel arose
and himself went to the meeting-house, to summon the Jews to battle
and self-defence. On the way thither he visited many houses, finding
in the majority of them only women and children or aged and infirm
persons who could not move their limbs. For all the men, young
and old, who possessed any strength in their loins, were gathered
in the meeting-place. And everywhere he went he found tears and
despair,—sackcloth upon their bodies and ashes upon the heads. And
everywhere he went he was greeted with the same wailing, stammered
question: What was Esther doing? Did he not have news of her? Or
hadn’t the king summoned Esther to him? And when he began to speak of
battle and self-defence he was looked upon as if he spoke an unknown
language.
One very old man said to him, with lips that scarcely could move and
in a voice barely audible, “You speak of resistance and self-defence.
Young man, I knew your grandfather Jehoiachim and your granduncle
Zedekiah. They, too, gave battle and raised their heads against
Nebuchadnezzar, and the result was our exile. No, my young man,
summon not to battle and self-defence. We must fast, only fast, and
Queen Esther will come to our rescue.” And Zerubbabel realised that
as the old man spoke, so spoke all his people, and he departed for
the meeting-house, with lowered head and lagging step.