^14:15I have now come to speak with my lord the king about this matter, because the people have made me fearful.¹⁶ But your servant said, ‘I will speak to the king! Perhaps the king will do what his female servant¹⁷ asks. ^14:16Yes!¹⁸ The king may¹⁹ listen and deliver his female servant²⁰ from the hand of the man who seeks to remove²¹ both me and my son from the inheritance God has given us!’²²

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Footnotes

16 The (ὄψεταί με, opsetai me) has misunderstood the Hebrew יֵרְאֻנִי (yeré’uni, Piel perfect, “they have made me fearful”), taking the verb to be a form of the verb רָאָה (ra’ah, “to see”) rather than the verb יָרֵא (yare’, “to fear”). The fact that the Greek translators were working with an unvocalized Hebrew text (i.e., consonants only) made them very susceptible to this type of error.
17 Here and in v. 16 the woman refers to herself as the king’s אָמָה (’amah), a term that refers to a higher level female servant toward whom the master might have some obligation. Like the other term, this word expresses her humility, but it also suggests that the king might have some obligation to treat her in accordance with the principles of justice.
18 Or “for.”
19 Or “will.” The imperfect verbal form can have either an indicative or modal nuance. The use of “perhaps” in v. 15b suggests the latter here.
20 Heb “in order to deliver his maid.”
21 Heb “destroy.”
22 Heb “from the inheritance of God.” The expression refers to the property that was granted to her family line in the division of the land authorized by God.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid, and your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant. For the king will hear and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the heritage of God.’

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“And now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king; perhaps he will grant his servant’s request. Perhaps the king will agree to deliver his servant from the hand of the man who is trying to cut off both me and my son from God’s inheritance.’

CSBChristian Standard Bible

“Now therefore, I’ve come to present this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought: I must speak to the king. Perhaps the king will grant his servant’s request. The king will surely listen in order to keep his servant from the grasp of this man who would eliminate both me and my son from God’s inheritance.

NLTNew Living Translation

“I have come to plead with my lord the king because people have threatened me. I said to myself, ‘Perhaps the king will listen to me and rescue us from those who would cut us off from the inheritance God has given us.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Now I have come to speak this word to my lord the king, because the people made me afraid, and your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king, perhaps the king will grant the request of his servant. For the king will listen, to deliver his servant from the hand of the man who seeks to destroy me and my son together from the inheritance of God.’

KJV 1900King James Version

Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid. For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.

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