וַתַּ֨עַן אֶסְתֵּ֤ר הַמַּלְכָּה֙ וַתֹּאמַ֔ר אִם־מָצָ֨אתִי חֵ֤ן בְּעֵינֶ֙יךָ֙ הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ וְאִם־עַל־הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ ט֑וֹב תִּנָּֽתֶן־לִ֤י נַפְשִׁי֙ בִּשְׁאֵ֣לָתִ֔י וְעַמִּ֖י בְּבַקָּשָׁתִֽי׃
At sumagot si Reyna Ester at nagsabi: “Kung ako'y nakasumpong ng lingap sa iyong paningin, O hari, at kung mamarapatin ng hari, ibigay nawa sa akin ang aking buhay bilang aking kahilingan, at ang aking bayan bilang aking pakiusap.
Rashi
Let my life be granted me. That I should not be slain on the thirteenth of Adar, for you have issued an edict of massacre upon my people and my heritage.
Rashi
And my people. Shall be given me in my request, that they should not be slain. Now if you ask, “What does it concern you?” [my answer is] “For how can I see, etc.?”1Below 8:6.
Tze'enah Ure'enah
“Let my life be granted as my wish, and my people as my request” [7:3]. Here one asks a question. Why is it that Esther should plead for herself before she pleaded for all of Israel? One asks another question. Concerning herself she says, a wish, and for all of Israel she says, a request. The answer is that Esther spoke about herself first because the king said that she should only ask about herself, and Esther said, a request for the people. That is, she strongly pleaded for Israel, more than for herself. Therefore she says, I am only asking for myself, but I am requesting strongly for Israel.