(In the Greek Esther, verses 1-19 below follow the preceding verses, prior to Chapter 5; in the Hebrew Esther, these 19 verses would also follow the preceding verses, prior to Chapter 5.)
CHAPTER 14
1 Also queen Esther fled [or flew] to the Lord, and dreaded the peril, that nighed (or approached).
2 And when she had put away the king’s clothes that pertained to the queen, she took clothes covenable to (or suitable for) weepings and mourn-ing; and for diverse ointments, she filled (or covered) her head with ashes and drit, or vile power, or dust, and she meeked (or humbled) her body with fastings; and with braiding, or twisting [or tearing or pulling] away of her hair, she filled all (the) places, in which she was wont to be glad;
3 and she besought the Lord God of Israel, and said, My Lord, which alone art our King, help me a woman left alone, and of whom none other helper is except thee; [And she pray-ed the Lord God of Israel, saying, My Lord, that art king alone, help me (who is) solitary (or alone), and of whom save thee is none other helper;]
4 my peril is in my hands.
5 I have heard of (or from) my father, that thou, Lord, hast taken away Israel from all folks [or shouldest have taken Israel from all Gentiles], and our fathers from all their greater men before, (so) that thou shouldest wield an everlast-ing heritage; and thou hast done to them, as thou hast spoken, or (hast) promised(them).
6 We have sinned in thy sight, and therefore thou hast betaken us into the hands of our enemies;
7 for we worshipped the gods of them. Lord, thou art just [or Rightwise thou art, Lord];
8 and now it sufficeth not to them, that they oppress us with hardest servage (or with the harshest servi-tude), but they reckon the strength of their hands to the power of (their) idols [or maumets],
9 and therefore they will change thy behests (or thy commands), and do away thine heritage, and close the mouths of men praising thee, and quench the glory of thy temple and [of thine] altar,
10 that they open the mouths of heathen men, or and they will open the mouths of heathen men, and praise the strength of (their) idols, and preach a fleshly king without end. [that they open the mouths of Gentiles, and praise the strength of maumets, and preach a fleshly king into evermore.]
11 Lord, give thou not thy king’s rod (or thy sceptre) to them, that be nought, lest they laugh at our falling; but turn thou the counsel of them upon themselves, and destroy thou him, that began to be cruel against us.
12 Lord, have thou mind, and show thee to us in the time of tribulation; and, Lord, King of gods, and King of all power, give thou trust to me; [Have mind, Lord, and show thee to us in time of our tribulation; and give to me trust, Lord, king of Jews, and of all power;]
13 give thou a word well (ad)dressed (or well-directed), [or a seemly word], in my mouth in the sight of the lion Ahasuerus*, and turn over his heart into the hatred of our enemy, (so) that both he perish, and other men that consented to him.
*“Ahasuerus” is here in the original text.
14 But deliver us in (or with) thine hand, and help me, having none other help but thee,
15 Lord, that hast the cunning (or the knowing, or the knowledge) of all things; and Lord, thou knowest that I hate the glory of wicked men, and that I loathe the bed of uncircumcised men, and of each alien [or of all (the) heathen].
16 Lord, thou knowest my frailty and my need, that I hold abominable the sign of my pride and of my glory, which is on mine head in the days of my showing, and that I loathe it as the cloth of a woman having unclean blood, and I bear (it) not, or use it, in the days of my stillness, [Thou know-est infirmity and my need, that I loathe the sign of pride and of my glory, that is upon mine head in the days of my showing, and I loathe it as the cloth of the woman in flux of blood, and I bear not in the days of my silence,]
17 and that I ate not in the board of Haman (or at Haman’s table), neither the feast of the king pleased me, and I drank not the wine of moist (or liquid) sacrifices (or the drink offerings),
18 and that thine handmaid was never glad, since I was translated (or brought) hither till into (the) present day, but in thee, Lord God of Abraham.
19 A! (or O) strong God above all, hear thou the voice of them, that have none other hope than thee, and deliver thou us from the hand(s) of wicked men, and deliver thou me from my dread.