Zeresh
[Aside.]
Through Esther you
Have slain a million souls.
Mordecai
When Jepthah vowed
A vow unto the Lord he kept his pledge
And slew the only daughter of his flesh
For a burnt offering unto God, because
The Ammonites, his enemy, had been
Delivered to the hands of Israel.
Now Esther was my only child.
Zeresh
[A little sarcastically.]
You have
Not sacrificed, but elevated her.
Although she does not understand your heart,
She can but bless her uncle Mordecai.
Mordecai
But why should Esther weep? She risked her life
At my behest, but did she not obtain
Great favor with the king?