And he commanded her to go in unto the king, and humble herself before him for her people and her land.

And he said, Remember the days of thy humiliation, wherein thou wast nourished by my hand; for Haman, the second in command to the king, hath spoken concerning our destruction.

Implore the Lord, and speak thou unto the king concerning us, and deliver us from death.

Then on the third day, she put off her mourning garments and put on her glorious apparel.

And when she had adorned herself with the royal raiment, and called upon the Governor and Saviour of all, God, she took two maidens with her.

And she leaned upon one, as though she could not bear up herself for her great delicacy and tenderness.

And the other maiden followed her mistress, bearing up her train as it trailed upon the ground.

And the redness of her face and the beauty and lustre of her eyes did hide the sadness of her soul, which was deeply contracted through her great fear.

So she entered through every door, door by door, then stood before the king, where he sat upon his royal throne, in his royal apparel, adorned with gold and precious stones, and his countenance was dreadful.

And when he lifted up his face, and the burning of his eyes indicated the anger of his heart, the queen fell, and the colour of her face changed to paleness, and she leaned her head upon the maiden, as if in a swoon.

Then God turned the spirit of the king to gentleness, and he rose quickly and came down from the throne, full of pity, and embraced her with his arms until she came to herself, and he soothed her with these words:

What aileth thee, Esther? I am thy brother; fear not.

Thou shalt not die, for this law is not against thee, but against the common people. Come, and touch the sceptre.

And as she still remained silent, he took the golden sceptre and placed it upon her neck, and kissed her, and said, Why dost thou not speak unto me?

Then she answered and said, I saw thee, my lord, as an angel of God, and my heart was troubled with awe of thy majesty.

For thou art wondrously glorious, my lord, and thy countenance is full of grace.

And as she spoke, she fell again and almost fainted.

And the king was troubled, and all his servants comforted her.