26
Do not neglect thy portion, which thou didst redeem for thyself out of the land of Egypt.
27
Hear my prayer, and have mercy upon thy inheritance turn our mourning into feasting, that we may live and sing praise to thy name, O Lord; do not destroy the mouth of those who praise thee."
28
And all Israel cried out mightily, for their death was before their eyes.
29
And Esther the queen, seized with deathly anxiety, fled to the Lord;
30
she took off her splendid apparel and put on the garments of distress and mourning, and instead of costly perfumes she covered her head with ashes and dung, and she utterly humbled her body, and every part that she loved to adorn she covered with her tangled hair.
31
And she prayed to the Lord God of Israel, and said: Lord, thou only art our King; help me, who am alone and have no helper but thee,
32
for my danger is in my hand.
33
Ever since I was born I have heard in the tribe of my family that thou, O Lord, didst take Israel out of all the nations, and our fathers from among all their ancestors, for an everlasting inheritance, and that thou didst do for them all that thou didst promise.
34
And now we have sinned before thee, and thou hast given us into the hands of our enemies,
35
because we glorified their gods. Thou art righteous, O Lord!
36
And now they are not satisfied that we are in bitter slavery, but they have covenanted with their idols