[Today’s English Version C.30; Revised Standard Version 14.19]

Throughout her prayer, Esther has invoked O Lord, but in her final appeal, she calls upon “God the one being strong” or “prevailing over all.” She thereby repeats a theme that has been dominant throughout the two prayers, namely, that God is all powerful, he is the Lord over all.

The voice of the despairing: in Greek the word despairing is plural and refers to the Jewish people and not just to Esther, as Today’s English Version indicates: “your people.” While Today’s English Version does make clear that these words refer to the Jewish people, it misses the element of despair felt by the Jews. The Jews are in a state of hopelessness; their “hearts are weighed down with heaviness.” Revised English Bible says “the voice of those driven to despair.” Though the Greek is literally voice, translators may choose to translate this as “prayer” (Today’s English Version), “cry [or, shout]” (Revised English Bible, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), or “outcry” (Nueva Biblia Española) in this context.

Save us and save me is the same verb that Mordecai used in 4.8, when he sent his message begging Esther to save them from death (see Greek version). The Greek verb implies strong action, as expressed by words like “rescue” or “deliver” (see comments on LXX 4.8).

Save us from the hands of evildoers is figurative language that is not to be taken literally. Hands represents the power of evildoers, literally “the ones who do bad.” Esther is pleading for rescue, for deliverance from the enemies of the Jews (see Septuagint 4.8; 14.14 [C.25]). Many languages will be able to retain the Greek expression “from the hand of,” while others will need to make the meaning of power explicit. Today’s English Version omits the figurative language and makes its meaning explicit by saying “rescue from.”

Save me from my fear: Esther’s final plea is translated literally by Revised Standard Version (so also Chouraqui, New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Other translations interpret this plea to refer to the object of her fear, which seems more likely the intended meaning. Revised English Bible translates it as “rescue me from what I dread.” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy provides another useful model: “free me from the danger that I fear.”

The text of the Septuagint continues with Addition D as the next chapter, without returning to chapter 5.

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 .