Esther, 14

1. Queen Esther also, being in fear of death, resorted unto the Lord:

1. Seized with anguish in her fear of death, Queen Esther likewise had recourse to the Lord.

2. And laid away her glorious apparel, and put on the garments of anguish and mourning: and instead of precious ointments, she covered her head with ashes and dung, and she humbled her body greatly, and all the places of her joy she filled with her torn hair.

2. Taking off her splendid robes, she put on garments of distress and mourning. In place of expensive perfumes, she covered her head with dirt and ashes. Humbling her body severely, she put aside all her festive adornments and left her hair disheveled.

3. And she prayed unto the Lord God of Israel, saying, O my Lord, thou only art our King: help me, desolate woman, which have no helper but thee:

3. Then she prayed to the Lord God of Israel:

4. For my danger is in mine hand.

4. My Lord, you who stand alone, come to my help; I am alone and have no help but you. Through my own choice I am endangering my life.

5. From my youth up I have heard in the tribe of my family that thou, O Lord, tookest Israel from among all people, and our fathers from all their predecessors, for a perpetual inheritance, and thou hast performed whatsoever thou didst promise them.

5. As a child I was wont to hear from the people of the land of my forebears that you, O Lord, chose Israel from among all peoples, and our fathers from among their ancestors to be your lasting heritage; that you did for them, all that you have promised.

6. And now we have sinned before thee: therefore hast thou given us into the hands of our enemies,

6. But we have sinned, and for this you have handed us over to our enemies;

7. Because we worshipped their gods: O Lord, thou art righteous.

7. we have worshiped their gods, but you, O Lord, are just.

8. Nevertheless it satisfieth them not, that we are in bitter captivity: but they have stricken hands with their idols,

8. Dissatisfied with our bitter servitude, they made a pact with their idols

9. That they will abolish the thing that thou with thy mouth hast ordained, and destroy thine inheritance, and stop the mouth of them that praise thee, and quench the glory of thy house, and of thine altar,

9. to abolish what you have decreed, to blot out your heritage,

10. And open the mouths of the heathen to set forth the praises of the idols, and to magnify a fleshly king for ever.

10. to shut the mouths that give you praise, to quench the glory of your Temple and your altar and instead to let the pagans sing the praise of worthless idols, and idolize forever a king of flesh.

11. O Lord, give not thy sceptre unto them that be nothing, and let them not laugh at our fall; but turn their device upon themselves, and make him an example, that hath begun this against us.

11. Do not give up your scepter, O Lord, to non-existent beings. Never let them gloat over our ruin, but turn their designs against themselves and make an example of our chief enemy.

12. Remember, O Lord, make thyself known in time of our affliction, and give me boldness, O King of the nations, and Lord of all power.

12. Remember us, Lord; reveal yourself in the time of our calamity. Give me courage, King of gods and master of all power.

13. Give me eloquent speech in my mouth before the lion: turn his heart to hate him that fighteth against us, that there may be an end of him, and of all that are likeminded to him:

13. Make my words persuasive when I face the lion; turn his heart against our enemy, that the latter and his like may be brought to their end.

14. But deliver us with thine hand, and help me that am desolate, and which have no other help but thee.

14. Save us by your hand; help me who am alone and have none but you, O Lord.

15. Thou knowest all things, O Lord; thou knowest that I hate the glory of the unrighteous, and abhor the bed of the uncircumcised, and of all the heathen.

15. You know everything; you know how I hate honor if from the impious, how I loathe the bed of the uncircumcised and of any foreigner.

16. Thou knowest my necessity: for I abhor the sign of my high estate, which is upon mine head in the days wherein I shew myself, and that I abhor it as a menstruous rag, and that I wear it not when I am private by myself.

16. You know I am here under constraint, that I loathe the diadem about my brow when I appear in public; as a filthy rag I loathe it and do not wear it in private.

17. And that thine handmaid hath not eaten at Aman's table, and that I have not greatly esteemed the king's feast, nor drunk the wine of the drink offerings.

17. Your handmaid has never eaten at Haman's table, nor has taken pleasure in royal banquets, nor drunk the wine offered to their gods.

18. Neither had thine handmaid any joy since the day that I was brought hither to this present, but in thee, O Lord God of Abraham.

18. Neither has your handmaid found pleasure from the day of her promotion till now except in you, Lord God of Abraham.

19. O thou mighty God above all, hear the voice of the forlorn and deliver us out of the hands of the mischievous, and deliver me out of my fear.

19. O God, more powerful than all, hear the voice of those in despair; save us from the evil man's power, and deliver me from my fear.