1 Queen Esther also was in fear of death and resorted to the Lord. 2 And she put 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 aspects of her beauty she covered with her torn hair.

3 And she prayed to the Lord God of Israel, saying, “O my Lord, you alone are our King. Help me, a desolate woman, who has no helper but you, 4 for my danger is close at hand. 5 From my youth I have heard, in the tribe of my family, how you, O Lord, took Israel from among all peoples, and our fathers from all their predecessors, for a perpetual inheritance, and you have performed whatsoever you promised them. 6 And now we have sinned before you; therefore you have given us into the hands of our enemies, 7 because we worshiped their gods. O Lord, you are righteous!

8 “Nevertheless, it does not satisfy them that we are in bitter captivity, but they have struck a deal with their idols. 9 They will abolish the purpose that you with your mouth have ordained, and destroy your inheritance, and silence the mouth of those who praise you, and quench the glory of your house and of your altar, 10 and open the mouths of the heathen to bring forth the praises of the idols, to magnify a fleshly king for ever.

11 “O Lord, don’t give your scepter to those who are nothing, and let them not laugh at our fall; but turn their schemes upon themselves, and make an example of him who began this against us. 12 Remember, O Lord, make yourself known in the time of our affliction and give me boldness, O King of the nations and Lord of all power. 13 Give me eloquent speech in my mouth before the king; turn his heart to hate him that fights against us, so that there may be an end of him and of all that are likeminded to him. 14 But deliver us with your hand and help me, for I am desolate and have no other help but you.

15 “You know all things, O Lord; you know that I hate the glory of the unrighteous and abhor the bed of the uncircumcised and of all the heathen. 16 You know my necessity, for I abhor the sign of my high estate, which is upon my head in the days when I show myself, and that I abhor it as a menstruous rag, and that I wear it not when I am in private by myself. 17 You know that your handmaid has not eaten at Haman’s table, and that I have not greatly esteemed the king’s feast, nor drunk the wine of the drink offerings. 18 Neither has your handmaid had any joy, since the day that I was brought here to the present, except in you, O Lord God of Abraham. 19 O 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.”