1 Queene Esther also being in feare of death, resorted vnto the Lord,
2 And layd away her glorious apparel, and put on the garments of anguish, & mourning: and in stead of pretious oyntments, she couered her head with ashes, & doung, and she humbled her body greatly, and all the places of her ioy she filled with her torne haire.
3 And shee prayed vnto the Lord God of Israel, saying, O my Lord, thou onely art our king: helpe me desolate woman, which haue no helper but thee:
4 For my danger is in mine hand.
5 From my youth vp I haue heard in the tribe of my family, that thou, O Lord, tookest Israel from among all people, and our fathers from all their predecessours, for a perpetuall inheritance, and thou hast performed whatsoeuer thou didst promise them.
6 And now we haue sinned before thee: therefore hast thou giuen vs into the hands of our enemies,
7 Because wee worshipped their gods: O Lord, thou art righteous.
8 Neuertheles it satisfieth them not, that we are in bitter captiuitie, but they haue striken hands 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,
10 And open the mouthes of the heathen to set foorth the praises of the Idoles, and to magnifie a fleshly king for euer.
11 O Lord, giue not thy scepter vnto them that be nothing, and let them not laugh at our fall, but turne their deuice vpon themselues, and make him an example that hath begunne this against vs.
12 Remember, O Lord, make thy selfe knowen in time of our affliction, and giue mee boldnesse, O King of the nations, and Lord of all power.
13 Giue me eloquent speech in my mouth before the lyon: turne his heart to hate him that fighteth against vs, that there may be an end of him, and of all that are like minded to him:
14 But deliuer vs with thine hand, and helpe me that am desolate, & which haue no other helper but thee.
15 Thou knowest all things, O Lord, thou knowest that I hate the glory of the vnrighteous, and abhorre the bed of the vncircumcised, and of all the heathen.
16 Thou knowest my necessitie: for I abhorre the signe of my high estate, which is vpon mine head, in the dayes wherein I shewe my selfe, and that I abhorre it as a menstruous ragge, and that I weare it not when I am priuate by my selfe.
17 And that thine handmaid hath not eaten at Amans table, and that I haue not greatly esteemed the Kings feast, nor drunke the wine of the drinke offerings:
18 Neither had thine handmaid any ioy, since the day that I was brought hither to this present, but in thee, O Lord God of Abraham.
19 O thou mightie God aboue all, heare the voice of the forlorne, and deliuer vs out of the handes of the mischieuous, and deliuer me out of my feare.
