³ Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and wept and pleaded with him to avert the evil plan of Haman ^(A)the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews.

⁷ In the days of his flesh, ^(A)Jesus^[a] offered up prayers and supplications, ^(B)with loud cries and tears, to him ^(C)who was able to save him from death, and ^(D)he was heard because of his reverence.

² Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord,

^4 (A)For we have been sold, I and my people, ^(B)to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.”

⁸ Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. ^(A)Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king's laws, so that it is not to the king's profit to tolerate them. ⁹ If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents^[a] of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king's business, that they may put it into the king's treasuries.” ^10 (B)So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman ^(C)the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, ^(D)the enemy of the Jews. ¹¹ And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.”

^12 (E)Then the king's scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and an edict, according to all that Haman commanded, was written to the king's ^(F)satraps and to the governors over all the provinces and to the officials of all the peoples, ^(G)to every province in its own script and every people in its own language. It was written ^(H)in the name of King Ahasuerus ^(I)and sealed with the king's signet ring. ¹³ Letters were sent ^(J)by couriers to all the king's provinces with instruction ^(K)to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, ^(L)in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, ^(M)and to plunder their goods. ^14 (N)A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province by proclamation to all the peoples to be ready for that day. ^15 (O)The couriers went out hurriedly by order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa the citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, ^(P)but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.

²⁷ And when she came ^(A)to the mountain to the man of God, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came to push her away. But the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for she is in bitter distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me.”

²⁴ She fell at his feet and said, ^(A)“On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant.