Esther 7:2-4

Good News Translation

² for a second time. Over the wine the king asked her again, “Now, Queen Esther, what do you want? Tell me and you shall have it. I'll even give you half the empire.”

³ Queen Esther answered, “If it please Your Majesty to grant my humble request, my wish is that I may live and that my people may live. ⁴ My people and I have been sold for slaughter. If it were nothing more serious than being sold into slavery, I would have kept quiet and not bothered you about it;^[a] but we are about to be destroyed—exterminated!”