[Today’s English Version C.8-9; Revised Standard Version 13.15-16]
And now marks the beginning of the second part of Mordecai’s prayer, where he makes his plea to God. He addresses God by title and by epithet, “Lord, God, King, God of Abraham.” In the Greek only “Lord” is in the vocative form; each of the other names is in the nominative with the definite article. Bible en français courant therefore translates “Lord, you who are God and King, you, the God of Abraham.” This is the God whom Abraham obeyed and worshiped. Having begun his prayer with this invocation, Mordecai calls upon God to spare thy people (laos), or “rescue your people.” Today’s English Version adds the words “save us from our enemies,” which are not in the Greek text, though this is the implied meaning of the words that follow.
The eyes of our foes: Revised Standard Version uses figurative language, but the Greek says only “they are looking upon us.” To make clear who is referred to, Revised Standard Version says our foes. Today’s English Version identifies them as “our enemies” and then renders this clause as “they are looking for a chance.” The subject refers to the non-Jewish population of the Persian empire. The intent of their look is to annihilate, they desire to destroy (see comments on the Hebrew text of 3.13).
God’s inheritance is the Jewish people (see also the next verse). This does not imply that God inherited the Jews from some other god, as one inherits the belongings of someone who has died. The Old Testament frequently uses the term “inheritance” to affirm the relationship between God and his chosen people, but it is not used in the Hebrew text of Esther (see Deut 9.26; Jer 10.16; Psa 28.9). Today’s English Version renders this as “you chose us to be your people.”
From the beginning: here, as occasionally in other passages in the Old Testament, the word beginning is not used in precise terms to fix absolute time. The sense is better expressed as “long ago” (Today’s English Version), or perhaps better “they [the enemy] have planned to destroy the people who have always belonged to you” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).
Do not neglect thy portion: although portion here refers to the people of Israel (see also Deut 32.9; Jer 12.10, Zech 2.12), it is the same word that is found in 2.9, and 9.19, 22, where it refers to choice portions of food (see comments on those verses). It may not be acceptable to translate portion literally. Today’s English Version has substituted the pronoun “us,” leaving the statement “you chose … people” to reflect the meaning of both inheritance and portion. In this context an alternative may be to say “Do not abandon what is yours” or “Do not turn your back on the people that belong to you.”
Didst redeem for thyself out of the land of Egypt: the meaning of redeem in this context is not literally “to buy back” but rather “to rescue” or “to set free.” Mordecai reminds God that, just as God delivered the Jewish people “long ago” (Today’s English Version) from Egypt, so “now” God should not abandon his portion.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Noss, Philip A. A Handbook on the Book of Esther — Deuterocanon: The Greek Text. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .