Esther stripped off her royal garments and the ornaments of her majesty. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle translated by Moses Gaster in 1899, she clothed herself in sackcloth, disheveled her hair, covered her head with dust and ashes, and fell on her face in prayer. She called herself an orphan in a foreign palace, begging God's mercy "from one window to the other" in the house of Ahasuerus.
Her prayer recalled the entire history of Israel's deliverance. Her father had taught her how God redeemed the ancestors from Egypt, slew the firstborn, parted the sea, provided food from heaven and water from the rock. She invoked Moses's promise that even in the land of their enemies, God would never forsake His people. Then she made her request: "Stand at the right hand of this orphan. Grant me mercy in the presence of the king, for I fear him as a kid fears the lion. Cause his heart to hate our enemies and to love Thy servants, for the heart of kings is in Thy hand."
On the third day, Esther dressed in royal garments and walked into the throne room, leaning on one handmaiden while another carried her train so the gold and precious stones would not touch the ground. The courtiers whispered among themselves, already dividing her belongings. "This woman is sure to be killed," they said. "I will take her garments." "I shall take the ornaments on her feet."
Ahasuerus looked up, enraged that she had come without being summoned. Esther trembled and began to faint. But God intervened, adding beauty to her beauty and majesty to her majesty. The king leapt from his throne, ran to her, embraced her, and placed the golden scepter in her hand. Through Esther and Mordecai, God brought about the salvation of Israel. Haman and his sons were hanged on the gallows, and every person who had plotted against the Jews was put to the sword.