Esther 7:1-6
Esther’s Petition to the King
7Then the king and Haman came to drink wine with Esther the queen. 2And the king said to Esther on the second day also 1as they drank their wine at the feast, “aWhat is 2your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be given you. And what is 3your request? bEven to half of the kingdom it shall be done.” 3Then Queen Esther answered and said, “aIf I have found favor in your eyes, O king, and if it seems good to the king, let my life be given to me as 1my petition, and my people as 2my request; 4for awe have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, bto be killed, and to be caused to perish. Now if we had only been sold as slaves, men and women, I would have remained silent, for the 1adversity would not be worth the 2annoyance to the king.” 5Then King Ahasuerus said—he said to Esther the Queen, “Who is this one, and where is this one, who fills his heart to do thus?” 6So Esther said, “aAn adversary and an enemy is this evil Haman!” Then Haman became terrified before the king and queen.