Esther (Greek) 1:1 1 Esther (Greek) 1:1n

ESTHER1 [In the second year of the reign of Artaxerxes the

great king, on the first day of Nisan, Mardochæus theson of Jairus, the son of Semeias, the son of Cisæus, ofthe tribe of Benjamin, 1b a Jew dwelling in the city Susa,a great man, serving in the king's palace, saw a vision.1c Now he was of the captivity which Nabuchodonosorking of Babylon had carried captive from Jerusalem, withJechonias the king of Judea.

1d And this was his dream: Behold, voices and a noise,thunders and earthquake, tumult upon the earth. 1eAnd,behold, two great serpents came forth, both ready forconflict, and there came from them a great voice, 1f andby their voice every nation was prepared for battle, evento fight against the nation of the just. 1g And, behold, aday of darkness and blackness, tribulation and anguish,affliction and great tumult upon the earth. 1h And allthe righteous nation was troubled, fearing their ownafflictions; and they prepared to die, and cried to God:1i and from their cry there came as it were a great riverfrom a little fountain, even much water. 1k And light andthe sun arose, and the lowly were exalted, and devouredthe honourable.

1l And Mardochæus who had seen this vision andwhat God designed to do, having awoke, kept it in hisheart, and desired by all means to interpret it, even tillnight. 1m And Mardochæus rested quiet in the palacewith Gabatha and Tharrha the king's two chamberlains,eunuchs who guarded the palace. 1n And he heard theirreasonings and searched out their plans, and learnt thatthey were preparing to lay hands on king Artaxerxes: and

Esther (Greek) 1:1o 2 Esther (Greek) 1:8he informed the king concerning them. 1o And the kingexamined the two chamberlains, and they confessed, andwere executed. 1p And the king wrote these things fora memorial; also Mardochæus wrote concerning thesematters. 1q And the king commanded Mardochæus toattend in the palace, and gave him gifts for this service.1r And Aman the son of Amadathes the Bugæan washonourable in the sight of the king, and he endeavouredto hurt Mardochæus and his people, because of the twochamberlains of the king.]

1s And it came to pass after these things in the daysof Artaxerxes,—(this Artaxerxes ruled over a hundredand twenty-seven provinces from India)— 2 in those days,when king Artaxerxes was on the throne in the city ofSusa, 3 in the third year of his reign, he made a feast tohis friends, and the other nations, and to the nobles ofthe Persians and Medes, and the chief of the satraps.

4And after this, after he had shewn to them the wealthof his kingdom, and the abundant glory of his wealthduring a hundred and eighty days, 5when, I say, the daysof the marriage feast were completed, the king made abanquet to the nations who were present in the city sixdays, in the court of the king's house, 6which was adornedwith hangings of fine linen and flax on cords of fine linenand purple, fastened to golden and silver studs, on pillarsof Parian marble and stone: there were golden and silvercouches on a pavement of emerald stone, and of pearl,and of Parian stone, and open-worked coverings variouslyflowered, having roses worked round about; 7 gold andsilver cups, and a small cup of carbuncle set out of thevalue of thirty thousand talents, abundant and sweetwine, which the king himself drank. 8 And this banquetwas not according to the appointed law; but so the king

Esther (Greek) 1:9 3 Esther (Greek) 1:19would have it: and he charged the stewards to performhis will and that of the company. 9 Also Astin the queenmade a banquet for the women in the palace where kingArtaxerxes dwelt.

10 Now on the seventh day the king, being merry,told Aman, and Bazan, and Tharrha, and Barazi, andZatholtha, and Abataza, and Tharaba, the seven cham-berlains, servants of king Artaxerxes, 11 to bring in thequeen to him, to enthrone her, and crown her with thediadem, and to shew her to the princes, and her beautyto the nations: for she was beautiful. 12 But queen Astinhearkened not to him to come with the chamberlains: sothe king was grieved and angered.

13 And he said to his friends, Thus has Astin spoken:pronounce therefore upon this case law and judgment.14So Arkesæus, and Sarsathæus, andMalisear, the princesof the Persians and Medes, who were near the king, whosat chief in rank by the king, drew near to him, 15 andreported to him according to the laws how it was properto do to queen Astin, because she had not done the thingscommanded of the king by the chamberlains.

16 And Muchæus said to the king and to the princes,Queen Astin has not wronged the king only, but also allthe king's rulers and princes: 17 for he has told them thewords of the queen, and how she disobeyed the king. Asthen, said he, she refused to obey king Artaxerxes, 18 so thisday shall the other ladies of the chiefs of the Persians andMedes, having heard what she said to the king, dare inthe same way to dishonour their husbands. 19 If then itseem good to the king, let him make a royal decree, andlet it be written according to the laws of the Medes andPersians, and let him not alter it: and let not the queencome in to him anymore; and let the king give her royalty

Esther (Greek) 1:20 4 Esther (Greek) 2:7to a woman better than she. 20And let the law of the kingwhich he shall have made, be widely proclaimed, in hiskingdom: and so shall all the women give honour to theirhusbands, from the poor even to the rich.

21And the saying pleased the king and the princes; andthe king did as Muchæus had said, 22 and sent into allhis kingdom through the several provinces, according totheir language, in order thatmenmight be feared in theirown houses.

21 And after this the king's anger was pacified, and he

no more mentioned Astin, bearing in mind what she hadsaid, and how he had condemned her. 2Then the servantsof the king said, Let there be sought for the king chasteand beautiful young virgins. 3 And let the king appointlocal governors in all the provinces of his kingdom, andlet them select fair and chaste young damsels and bringthem to the city Susa, into thewomen's apartment, and letthem be consigned to the king's chamberlain, the keeperof the women; and let things for purification and otherattendance be given to them. 4 And let the woman whoshall please the king be queen instead of Astin. And thething pleased the king; and he did so.

5Now therewas a Jew in the city Susa, andhis namewasMardochæus, the sonof Jairus, the sonof Semeias, the sonofCisæus, of the tribe of Benjamin; 6whohad been brought aprisoner from Jerusalem, which Nabuchodonosor king ofBabylon had carried into captivity. 7And he had a foster-child, daughter of Aminadab his father's brother, and hername was Esther; and when her parents were dead, hebrought her up for a wife for himself: and the damsel wasbeautiful.

Esther (Greek) 2:8 5 Esther (Greek) 2:178 And because the king's ordinance was published,

many damsels were gathered to the city Susa under thehand of Gai; and Esther was brought to Gai the keeperof the women. 9 And the damsel pleased him, and shefound favour in his sight; and he hasted to give her thethings for purification, and her portion, and the sevenmaidens appointed her out of the palace: and he treatedher and her maidens well in the women's apartment.10 But Esther discovered not her family nor her kindred:for Mardochæus had charged her not to tell.

11 But Mardochæus used to walk every day by thewomen's court, to see what would become of Esther.12 Now this was the time for a virgin to go in to theking, when she should have fulfilled twelve months; forso are the days of purification fulfilled, six months whilethey are anointing themselves with oil of myrrh, and sixmonths with spices and women's purifications. 13 Andthen the damsel goes in to the king; and the officer towhomsoever he shall give the command, will bring herto come in with him from the women's apartment to theking's chamber. 14 She enters in the evening, and in themorning she departs to the second women's apartment,where Gai the king's chamberlain is keeper of the women:and she goes not in to the king again, unless she shouldbe called by name.

15 And when the time was fulfilled for Esther thedaughter of Aminadab the brother of Mardochæus' fa-ther to go in to the king, she neglected nothing whichthe chamberlain, the women's keeper, commanded; forEsther found grace in the sight of all that looked uponher. 16 So Esther went in to king Artaxerxes in the twelfthmonth, which is Adar, in the seventh year of his reign.17And the king loved Esther, and she found favour beyond

Esther (Greek) 2:18 6 Esther (Greek) 3:6

all the other virgins: and he put on her the queen's crown.18 And the king made a banquet for all his friends andgreat men for seven days, and he highly celebrated themarriage of Esther; and he made a release to those whowere under his dominion. 19 But Mardochæus served inthe palace. 20Now Esther had not discovered her kindred;for so Mardochæus commanded her, to fear God, andperform his commandments, as when she was with him:and Esther changed not her manner of life.

21 And two chamberlains of the king, the chiefs ofthe body-guard, were grieved, because Mardochæus waspromoted; and they sought to kill king Artaxerxes. 22Andthematterwas discovered toMardochæus, andhemade itknown to Esther, and she declared to the king the matterof the conspiracy. 23 And the king examined the twochamberlains, andhanged them: and the king gave ordersto make a note for a memorial in the royal records of thegood offices of Mardochæus, as a commendation.

31And after this king Artaxerxes highly honoured Aman

son of Amadathes, the Bugæan, and exalted him, and sethis seat above all his friends. 2 And all in the palace didhim obeisance, for so the king had given orders to do: butMardochæus did not do him obeisance. 3And they in theking's palace said toMardochæus, Mardochæus, why dostthou transgress the commands of the king?

4 Thus they spoke daily to him, but he hearkenednot unto them; so they represented to Aman that Mar-dochæus resisted the commands of the king: and Mar-dochæus had shewn to them that he was a Jew. 5 Andwhen Aman understood that Mardochæus did not obei-sance to him, he was greatly enraged, 6 and took counsel

Esther (Greek) 3:7 7 Esther (Greek) 3:13bto destroy utterly all the Jews who were under the rule ofArtaxerxes.

7And he made a decree in the twelfth year of the reignof Artaxerxes, and cast lots daily and monthly, to slayin one day the race of Mardochæus: and the lot fell onthe fourteenth day of the month which is Adar. 8 Andhe spoke to king Artaxerxes, saying, There is a nationscattered among the nations in all thy kingdom, and theirlaws differ from those of all the other nations; and theydisobey the laws of the king; and it is not expedient forthe king to let them alone. 9 If it seem good to the king, lethim make a decree to destroy them: and I will remit intothe king's treasury ten thousand talents of silver. 10 Andthe king took off his ring, and gave it into the hands ofAman, to seal the decrees against the Jews. 11 And theking said to Aman, Keep the silver, and treat the nationas thou wilt.

12 So the king's recorders were called in the firstmonth, on the thirteenth day, and they wrote as Amancommanded to the captains and governors in everyprovince, from India even to Ethiopia, to a hundredand twenty-seven provinces; and to the rulers of thenations according to their several languages, in the nameof king Artaxerxes. 13 And the message was sent by poststhroughout the kingdom of Artaxerxes, to destroy utterlythe race of the Jews on the first day of the twelfth month,which is Adar, and to plunder their goods.

13a [And the following is the copyof the letter; The greatking Artaxerxes writes thus to the rulers and inferiorgovernors of a hundred and twenty-seven provinces,from India even to Ethiopia, who hold authority underhim. 13b Ruling over many nations, and having obtaineddominion over thewhole world, I wasminded, (not elated

Esther (Greek) 3:13c 8 Esther (Greek) 3:15by the confidence of power, but ever conducting myselfwith great moderation and with gentleness,) to make thelives of my subjects continually tranquil, desiring bothto maintain the kingdom quiet and orderly to its utmostlimits, and to restore the peace desired by all men. 13cButwhen I had enquired ofmy counsellors how this should bebrought to pass, Aman, who excels in soundness of judg-ment among us, and has been manifestly well inclinedwithout wavering and with unshaken fidelity, and hasobtained the second post in the kingdom, 13d informedus that a certain ill-disposed people is mixed up withall the tribes throughout the world, opposed in theirlaws to every other nation, and continually neglecting thecommands of the kings, so that the united governmentblamelessly administered by us is not quietly established.13e Having then conceived that this nation alone of allothers is continually set in opposition to everyman, intro-ducing as a change a foreign code of laws, and injuriouslyplotting to accomplish the worst of evils against ourinterests, and against the happy establishment of themonarchy; 13fwe have accordingly appointed those whoare signified to you in the letters written by Aman, whois set over the public affairs and is our second governor,to destroy them all utterly with their wives and childrenby the swords of the enemies, without pitying or sparingany, on the fourteenth day of the twelfth month Adar,of the present year; 13g that the people aforetime andnow ill-disposed to us having been violently consigned todeath in one day, may hereafter secure to us continuallya well constituted and quiet state of affairs.]

14And the copies of the letters were published in everyprovince; and an order was given to all the nations to beready against that day. 15And the business was hastened,

Esther (Greek) 4:1 9 Esther (Greek) 4:8and that at Susa: and the king and Aman began to drink;but the city was troubled.

41 But Mardochæus having perceived what was done,

rent his garments, and put on sackcloth, and sprinkleddust upon himself; and having rushed forth through theopen street of the city, he criedwith a loud voice, A nationthat has done no wrong is going to be destroyed. 2And hecame to the king's gate, and stood; for it was not lawful forhim to enter into the palace, wearing sackcloth and ashes.3And in every province where the letters were published,there was crying and lamentation and great mourning onthe part of the Jews: they spread for themselves sackclothand ashes.

4And the queen's maids and chamberlains went in andtold her: and when she had heard what was done, shewas disturbed; and she sent to clothe Mardochæus, andtake away his sackcloth; but he consented not. 5So Esthercalled for her chamberlain Achrathæus, whowaited uponher; and she sent to learn the truth from Mardochæus.7 And Mardochæus shewed him what was done, and thepromise which Aman had made the king of ten thousandtalents to be paid into the treasury, that he might destroythe Jews. 8Andhe gave him the copy of thewriting thatwaspublished in Susa concerning their destruction, to shewto Esther; and told him to charge her to go in and intreatthe king, and to beg him for the people, remembering,said he, the days of thy low estate, how thou wert nursedby my hand: because Aman who holds the next place tothe king has spoken against us for death. Do thou callupon the Lord, and speak to the king concerning us, todeliver us from death.

Esther (Greek) 4:9 10 Esther (Greek) 4:17d9 So Achrathæus went in and told her all these words.

10And Esther said to Achrathæus, Go toMardochæus, andsay, 11 All the nations of the empire know, that whoever,man orwoman, shall go in to the king into the inner courtuncalled, that person cannot live: only to whomsoeverthe king shall stretch out his golden sceptre, he shall live:and I have not been called to go in to the king, for thesethirty days. 12 And Achrathæus reported to Mardochæusall the words of Esther.

13ThenMardochæus said to Achrathæus, Go, and say toher, Esther, say not to thyself that thou alone wilt escapein the kingdom, more than all the other Jews. 14 For ifthou shalt refuse to hearken on this occasion, help andprotection will be to the Jews from another quarter; butthou and thy father's housewill perish: andwho knows, ifthou hast been made queen for this very occasion? 15AndEsther sent the man that came to her to Mardochæus,saying, 16 Go and assemble the Jews that are in Susa, andfast ye for me, and eat not and drink not for three days,night and day: and I also and my maidens will fast; andthen I will go in to the king contrary to the law, even if Imust die. 17 So Mardochæus went and did all that Esthercommanded him.

17a [And he besought the Lord, making mention of allthe works of the Lord; and he said, 17b Lord God, kingruling over all, for all things are in thy power, and thereis no one that shall oppose thee in thy purpose to saveIsrael.— 17c For thou hast made the heaven and the earth,and every wonderful thing in the world under heaven.And thou art Lord of all, and there is no one who shallresist thee the Lord. 17d Thou knowest all things: thouknowest, Lord, that it is not in insolence, nor haughtiness,nor love of glory, that I have done this, to refuse obeisanceto the haughty Aman. For I would gladly have kissed

Esther (Greek) 4:17e 11 Esther (Greek) 4:17nthe soles of his feet for the safety of Israel. 17e But Ihave done this, that I might not set the glory of manabove the glory of God: and I will not worship any oneexcept thee, my Lord, and I will not do these things inhaughtiness. 17f And now, O Lord God, the King, the Godof Abraam, spare thy people, for our enemies are lookingupon us to our destruction, and they have desired todestroy thine ancient inheritance. 17gDonot overlook thypeculiar people, whom thou hast redeemed for thyselfout of the land of Egypt. 17hHearken to my prayer, and bepropitious to thine inheritance, and turn our mourninginto gladness, that we may live and sing praise to thyname, O Lord; and do not utterly destroy the mouth ofthem that praise thee, O Lord.

17i And all Israel cried with all their might, for theirdeath was before their eyes. 17kAnd queen Esther betookherself for refuge to the Lord, being taken as it were inthe agony of death. And having taken off her gloriousapparel, she put on garments of distress and mourning;and instead of grand perfumes she filled her head withashes and dung, and she greatly brought down her body,and she filled every place of her glad adorning with thetorn curls of her hair.And she besought the Lord God of Israel, and said,

17l O my Lord, thou alone art our king: help me who amdestitute, and have no helper but thee, for my danger isnear at hand. 17m I have heard frommy birth, in the tribeof my kindred, that thou, Lord, tookest Israel out of allthe nations, and our fathers out of all their kindred for aperpetual inheritance, and hast wrought for them all thatthou hast said. 17n And now we have sinned before thee,and thou hast delivered us into the hands of our enemies,because we honoured their gods: thou art righteous, O

Esther (Greek) 4:17o12Esther (Greek) 4:17zLord. 17o But now they have not been contented withthe bitterness of our slavery, but have laid their handson the hands of their idols, in order to abolish the decreeof thy mouth, and utterly to destroy thine inheritance,and to stop the mouth of them that praise thee, and toextinguish the glory of thine house and thine altar, 17pandto open the mouth of the Gentiles to speak the praises ofvanities, and in order that amortal king should be admiredfor ever.

17q O Lord, do not resign thy sceptre to them thatare not, and let them not laugh at our fall, but turntheir counsel against themselves, and make an exampleof him who has begun to injure us. 17r Remember us, OLord, manifest thyself in the time of our affliction, andencourage me, O king of gods, and ruler of all dominion.17sPut harmonious speech intomymouth before the lion,and turn his heart to hate him that fights against us, tothe utter destruction of him and of them that consentwith him. 17t But deliver us by thine hand, and helpme who am destitute, and have none but thee, O Lord.17u Thou knowest all things, and knowest that I hate theglory of transgressors, and that I abhor the couch of theuncircumcised, and of every stranger. 17w Thou knowestmy necessity, for I abhor the symbol of my proud station,which is upon my head in the days of my splendour: Iabhor it as a menstruous cloth, and I wear it not in thedays of my tranquillity. 17x And thy handmaid has noteaten at the table of Aman, and I have not honouredthe banquet of the king, neither have I drunk wine oflibations. 17y Neither has thy handmaid rejoiced sincethe day of my promotion until now, except in thee, OLord God of Abraam. 17z O God, who hast power over all,hearken to the voice of the desperate, and deliver us fromthe hand of them that devise mischief; and deliver me

Esther (Greek) 5:1 13 Esther (Greek) 5:2bfrom my fear.

51 And it came to pass on the third day, when she had

ceased praying, that she put off her mean dress, and puton her glorious apparel. 1aAnd being splendidly arrayed,and having called upon God the Overseer and Preserver ofall things, she took her two maids, and she leaned uponone, as a delicate female, and the other followed bearingher train. 1bAnd shewas blooming in the perfection of herbeauty; and her face was cheerful, as it were benevolent,but her heartwas straitened for fear. 1cAnd having passedthrough all the doors, she stood before the king: and hewas sitting uponhis royal throne, andhehadput on all hisglorious apparel, covered all over with gold and preciousstones, andwas very terrible. 1dAndhaving raisedhis faceresplendentwith glory, he lookedwith intense anger: andthe queen fell, and changed her colour as she fainted; andshe bowed herself upon the head of the maid that wentbefore her. 1e But God changed the spirit of the king togentleness, and in intense feeling he sprang from off histhrone, and took her into his arms, until she recovered:and he comforted her with peaceable words, and said toher, 1fWhat is the matter, Esther? I am thy brother; be ofgood cheer, thou shalt not die, for our command is openlydeclared to thee, Draw nigh.

2 And having raised the golden sceptre he laid it uponher neck, and embraced her, and said, Speak tome. 2aAndshe said to him, I saw thee,my lord, as an angel of God, andmy heart was troubled for fear of thy glory; for thou, mylord, art to be wondered at, and thy face is full of grace.2bAnd while she was speaking, she fainted and fell. Thenthe kingwas troubled, and all his servants comforted her.]

Esther (Greek) 5:3 14 Esther (Greek) 6:13 And the king said, What wilt thou, Esther? and what isthy request? ask even to the half of my kingdom, and itshall be thine. 4 And Esther said, To-day is my great day:if then it seem good to the king, let both him and Amancome to the feast which I will prepare this day. 5And theking said, Hasten Aman hither, that we may perform theword of Esther. So they both come to the feast of whichEsther had spoken.

6 And at the banquet the king said to Esther, What isthy request, queen Esther? speak, and thou shalt have allthat thou requirest. 7 And she said, My request and mypetition are: 8 if I have found favour in the sight of theking, let the king and Aman come again to-morrow to thefeast which I shall prepare for them, and to-morrow I willdo the same.

9 So Aman went out from the king very glad andmerry:but when Aman saw Mardochæus the Jew in the court,he was greatly enraged. 10 And having gone into his ownhouse, he called his friends, and his wife Zosara. 11 Andhe shewed them his wealth, and the glory with which theking had invested him, and howhehad caused him to takeprecedence and bear chief rule in the kingdom. 12 AndAman said, The queen has called no one to the feast withthe king but me, and I am invited to-morrow. 13But thesethings please me not, while I see Mardochæus the Jew inthe court. 14 And Zosara his wife and his friends said tohim, Let there be a gallows made for thee of fifty cubits,and in the morning do thou speak to the king, and letMardochæus be hanged on the gallows: but do thou go into the feast with the king, and be merry. And the sayingpleased Aman, and the gallows was prepared.

61 But the Lord removed sleep from the king that night:

Esther (Greek) 6:2 15 Esther (Greek) 6:11

and he told his servant to bring in the books, the registersof daily events, to read to him. 2And he found the recordswritten concerning Mardochæus, how he had told theking concerning the two chamberlains of the king, whenthey were keeping guard, and sought to lay hands onArtaxerxes.

3 And the king said, What honour or favour have wedone to Mardochæus? And the king's servants said, Thouhast not done anything to him. 4 And while the king wasenquiring about the kindness of Mardochæus, behold,Aman was in the court. And the king said, Who is in thecourt? Now Aman was come in to speak to the king, thathe should hangMardochæus on the gallows, whichhehadprepared. 5 And the king's servants said, Behold, Amanstands in the court. And the king said, Call him.

6And the king said to Aman, What shall I do to the manwhom I wish to honour? And Aman said within himself,Whomwould the king honour butmyself? 7and he said tothe king, As for themanwhom the kingwishes to honour,8 let the king's servants bring the robe of fine linen whichthe king puts on, and the horse on which the king rides,9 and let him give it to one of the king's noble friends,and let him array the man whom the king loves; and lethim mount him on the horse, and proclaim through thestreet of the city, saying, Thus shall it be done to everyman whom the king honours. 10 Then the king said toAman, Thou hast well said: so do to Mardochæus the Jew,who waits in the palace, and let not a word of what thouhast spoken be neglected.

11 So Aman took the robe and the horse, and arrayedMardochæus, and mounted him on the horse, and wentthrough the street of the city, and proclaimed, saying,Thus shall it be to every man whom the king wishes to

Esther (Greek) 6:12 16 Esther (Greek) 7:9honour.

12 And Mardochæus returned to the palace: but Amanwent home mourning, and having his head covered.13 And Aman related the events that had befallen him toZosara his wife, and to his friends: and his friends andhis wife said to him, If Mardochæus be of the race of theJews, and thou hast begun to be humbled before him, thouwilt assuredly fall, and thou wilt not be able to withstandhim, for the living God is with him. 14 While they wereyet speaking, the chamberlains arrived, to hasten Amanto the banquet which Esther had prepared.

71So the king andAmanwent in to drinkwith the queen.

2And the king said to Esther at the banquet on the secondday,What is it, queen Esther? andwhat is thy request, andwhat is thy petition? and it shall be done for thee, to thehalf ofmy kingdom. 3And she answered and said, If I havefound favour in the sight of the king, letmy life be grantedto my petition, and my people to my request. 4 For bothI and my people are sold for destruction, and pillage,and slavery; both we and our children for bondmen andbondwomen: and I consented not to it, for the slandererisnotworthyof the king's palace. 5And the king said,Whois this that has dared to do this thing? 6 And Esther said,The adversary is Aman, this wicked man. Then Aman wastroubled before the king and the queen.

7And the king rose up from the banquet to go into thegarden: and Aman began to intreat the queen; for he sawthat he was in an evil case.

8And the king returned from the garden; andAmanhadfallen upon the bed, intreating the queen. And the kingsaid,Wilt thou even forcemywife inmyhouse? AndwhenAman heard it, he changed countenance. 9And Bugathan,

Esther (Greek) 7:10 17 Esther (Greek) 8:8

one of the chamberlains, said to the king, Behold, Amanhas also prepared a gallows for Mardochæus, who spokeconcerning the king, and a gallows of fifty cubits high hasbeen set up in the premises of Aman. And the king said,Let him be hanged thereon. 10 So Aman was hanged onthe gallows that had been prepared for Mardochæus: andthen the king's wrath was appeased.

81 And in that day king Artaxerxes gave to Esther all

that belonged to Aman the slanderer: and Mardochæuswas called by the king; for Esther had shewn that he wasrelated to her. 2 And the king took the ring which hehad taken away from Aman, and gave it to Mardochæus:and Esther appointed Mardochæus over all that had beenAman's.

3 And she spoke yet again to the king, and fell at hisfeet, and besought him to do away the mischief of Aman,and all that he had done against the Jews. 4Then the kingstretched out to Esther the golden sceptre: and Estherarose to stand near the king. 5 And Esther said, If itseem good to thee, and I have found favour in thy sight,let an order be sent that the letters sent by Aman maybe reversed, that were written for the destruction of theJews, who are in thy kingdom. 6 For how shall I be able tolook upon the affliction of my people, and how shall I beable to survive the destruction of my kindred?

7 And the king said to Esther, If I have given and freelygranted thee all that was Aman's, and hanged him on agallows, because he laid his hands upon the Jews, whatdost thou yet further seek? 8Write ye also in my name,as it seems good to you, and seal it with my ring: for

Esther (Greek) 8:9 18 Esther (Greek) 8:12ewhatever orders are written at the command of the king,and sealed with my ring, it is not lawful to gainsay them.

9 So the scribes were called in the first month, whichis Nisan, on the three and twentieth day of the sameyear; and orders were written to the Jews, whatever theking had commanded to the local governors and chiefs ofthe satraps, from India even to Ethiopia, a hundred andtwenty-seven satraps, according to the several provinces,according to their dialects.

10 And they were written by order of the king, andsealedwith his ring, and they sent the letters by the posts:11wherein he charged them to use their own laws in everycity, and to help each other, and to treat their adversaries,and those who attacked them, as they pleased, 12 on oneday in all the kingdom of Artaxerxes, on the thirteenthday of the twelfth month, which is Adar.

12a And the following is the copy of the letter of theorders.

12b [The great king Artaxerxes sends greeting to therulers of provinces in a hundred and twenty-sevensatrapies, from India to Ethiopia, even to those whoare faithful to our interests. 12c Many who have beenfrequently honoured by the most abundant kindness oftheir benefactors have conceived ambitious designs, andnot only endeavour to hurt our subjects, but moreover,not being able to bear prosperity, they also endeavourto plot against their own benefactors. 12d And they notonly would utterly abolish gratitude from among men,but also, elated by the boastings ofmenwho are strangersto all that is good, they suppose that they shall escapethe sin-hating vengeance of the ever-seeing God. 12eAndoftentimes evil exhortation has made partakers of the

Esther (Greek) 8:12f 19 Esther (Greek) 8:12qguilt of shedding innocent blood, and has involved in irre-mediable calamities, many of those who were appointedto offices of authority, who had been entrusted with themanagement of their friends' affairs; 12fwhilemen, by thefalse sophistry of an evil disposition, have deceived thesimple candour of the ruling powers. 12gAnd it is possibleto see this, not so much from more ancient traditionaryaccounts, as it is immediately in your power to see it by ex-amining what things have been wickedly perpetrated bythe baseness of men unworthily holding power. 12hAnd itis right to take heedwith regard to the future, that wemaymaintain the government in undisturbed peace for allmen, 12i adopting needful changes, and ever judging thosecases which come under our notice, with truly equitabledecision.

12k For whereas Aman, a Macedonian, the son of Ama-dathes, in reality an alien from the blood of the Persians,and differingwidely fromourmild course of government,having been hospitably entertained by us, 12l obtained solarge a share of our universal kindness, as to be calledour father, and to continue the person next to the royalthrone, reverenced of all; 12m he, however, overcome bythe pride of his station, endeavoured to deprive us of ourdominion, and our life; 12n having by various and subtleartifices demanded for destruction both Mardochæusour deliverer and perpetual benefactor, and Esther theblameless consort of our kingdom, with their whole na-tion. 12o For by these methods he thought, having sur-prised us in a defenceless state, to transfer the dominionof the Persians to the Macedonians. 12p But we find thatthe Jews, who have been consigned to destruction by themost abominable of men, are not malefactors, but livingaccording to the justest laws, 12qand being the sons of the

Esther (Greek) 8:12r 20 Esther (Greek) 8:15living God, the most high and mighty, who maintains thekingdom, to us as well as to our forefathers, in the mostexcellent order.

12r Ye will therefore do well in refusing to obey theletters sent by Aman the son of Amadathes, because hethat has done these things, has been hanged with hiswhole family at the gates of Susa, Almighty God havingswiftly returned to him a worthy recompence. 12s Weenjoin you then, having openly published a copy of thisletter in every place, to give the Jews permission to usetheir own lawful customs, and to strengthen them, thaton the thirteenth of the twelfth month Adar, on the self-same day, theymay defend themselves against those whoattacked them in a time of affliction. 12t For in the placeof the destruction of the chosen race, Almighty God hasgranted them this time of gladness.

12u Do ye therefore also, among your notable feasts,keep a distinct day with all festivity, that both now andhereafter it may be a day of deliverance to us and thosewho are well disposed toward the Persians, but to thosethat plotted against us amemorial of destruction. 12xAndevery city and province collectively, which shall not doaccordingly, shall be consumed with vengeance by spearandfire: it shall bemade not only inaccessible tomen, butalsomost hateful to wild beasts and birds for ever.] 13Andlet the copies be posted in conspicuous places throughoutthe kingdom, and let all the Jews be ready against this day,to fight against their enemies.

14 So the horsemen went forth with haste to performthe king's commands; and the ordinance was also pub-lished in Susa.

15 And Mardochæus went forth robed in the royalapparel, and wearing a golden crown, and a diadem of

Esther (Greek) 8:16 21 Esther (Greek) 9:15fine purple linen: and the people in Susa saw it andrejoiced. 16 And the Jews had light and gladness, 17 inevery city and province wherever the ordinance waspublished: wherever the proclamation took place, theJews had joy and gladness, feasting and mirth: and manyof the Gentiles were circumcised, and became Jews, forfear of the Jews.

91 For in the twelfth month, on the thirteenth day of

the month which is Adar, the letters written by the kingarrived. 2 In that day the adversaries of the Jews perished:for no one resisted, through fear of them. 3 For the chiefsof the satraps, and the princes and the royal scribes,honoured the Jews; for the fear of Mardochæus lay uponthem. 4 For the order of the king was in force, thathe should be celebrated in all the kingdom. 6 And inthe city Susa the Jews slew five hundred men: 7 bothPharsannes, and Delphon and Phasga, 8 and Pharadatha,and Barea, and Sarbaca, 9 and Marmasima, and Ruphæus,and Arsæus, and Zabuthæus, 10 the ten sons of Aman theson of Amadathes the Bugæan, the enemyof the Jews, andthey plundered their property on the same day: 11 and thenumber of them that perished in Susawas rendered to theking. 12 And the king said to Esther, The Jews have slainfive hundredmen in the city Susa; and how, thinkest thou,have they used them in the rest of the country? Whatthen dost thou yet ask, that it may be done for thee?

13 And Esther said to the king, Let it be granted to theJews so to treat them to-morrow as to hang the ten sonsof Aman. 14 And he permitted it to be so done; and hegave up to the Jews of the city the bodies of the sons ofAman to hang. 15 And the Jews assembled in Susa on the

Esther (Greek) 9:16 22 Esther (Greek) 9:26fourteenth day of Adar, and slew three hundred men, butplundered no property.

16 And the rest of the Jews who were in the kingdomassembled, and helped one another, and obtained restfrom their enemies: for they destroyed fifteen thousandof them on the thirteenth day of Adar, but took no spoil.17 And they rested on the fourteenth of the same month,and kept it as a day of rest with joy and gladness. 18 Andthe Jews in the city Susa assembled also on the fourteenthday and rested; and they kept also the fifteenth with joyand gladness. 19 On this account then it is that the Jewsdispersed in every foreign land keep the fourteenth ofAdar as a holy day with joy, sending portions each to hisneighbour.

20 And Mardochæus wrote these things in a book, andsent them to the Jews, as many as were in the kingdomof Artaxerxes, both them that were near and them thatwere afar off, 21 to establish these as joyful days, and tokeep the fourteenth and fifteenth of Adar; 22 for on thesedays the Jews obtained rest from their enemies: and as tothe month, which was Adar, in which a change was madefor them, from mourning to joy, and from sorrow to agood day, to spend the whole of it in good days of feastingand gladness, sending portions to their friends, and to thepoor.

23 And the Jews consented to this accordingly as Mar-dochæus wrote to them, 24 shewing how Aman the sonof Amadathes the Macedonian fought against them, howhe made a decree and cast lots to destroy them utterly;25 also how he went in to the king, telling him to hangMardochæus: but all the calamities he tried to bring uponthe Jews came upon himself, and he was hanged, and hischildren. 26 Therefore these days were called Phruræ,

Esther (Greek) 9:27 23 Esther (Greek) 10:3cbecause of the lots; (for in their language they are calledPhruræ;) because of thewords of this letter, and because ofall they suffered on this account, and all that happened tothem. 27AndMardochæus established it, and the Jews tookupon themselves, and upon their seed, and upon thosethat were joined to them to observe it, neither would theyon any account behave differently: but these days wereto be a memorial kept in every generation, and city, andfamily, and province. 28 And these days of the Phruræ,said they, shall be kept for ever, and their memorial shallnot fail in any generation.

29 And queen Esther, the daughter of Aminadab, andMardochæus the Jew, wrote all that they had done,and the confirmation of the letter of Phruræ. 31 AndMardochæus and Esther the queen appointed a fast forthemselves privately, even at that time also havingformed their plan against their own health. 32And Estherestablished it by a command for ever, and it was writtenfor a memorial.

101 And the king levied a tax upon his kingdom both by

land and sea. 2And as for his strength and valour, and thewealth and glory of his kingdom, behold, they are writtenin the book of the Persians and Medes, for a memorial.3 And Mardochæus was viceroy to king Artaxerxes, andwas a great man in the kingdom, and honoured by theJews, and passed his life beloved of all his nation.

3a [AndMardochæus said, These things have been doneof God. 3b For I remember the dream which I hadconcerning these matters: for not one particular of themhas failed. 3c There was the little fountain, which becamea river, and there was light, and the sun, and much water.The river is Esther, whom the king married, and made

Esther (Greek) 10:3d 24 Esther (Greek) 10:3lqueen. 3d And the two serpents are I and Aman. 3e Andthe nations are those nations that combined to destroythe name of the Jews. 3f But as for my nation, this isIsrael, even they that cried to God, and were delivered:for the Lord delivered his people, and the Lord rescuedus out of all these calamities; and God wrought such signsand great wonders as have not been done among thenations. 3g Therefore did he ordain two lots, one for thepeople of God, and one for all the other nations. 3h Andthese two lots came for an appointed season, and fora day of judgment, before God, and for all the nations.3i And God remembered his people, and vindicated hisinheritance. 3k And they shall observe these days, in themonth Adar, on the fourteenth and on the fifteenth dayof the month, with an assembly, and joy and gladnessbefore God, throughout the generations for ever amonghis people Israel.

3l In the fourth year of the reign of Ptolemy andCleopatra, Dositheus, who said that he was a priest anda Levite, and Ptolemy his son, brought in the publishedletter of Phruræ, which they said existed, and whichLysimachus the son of Ptolemy, who was in Jerusalem,had interpreted.]

25Translation of the Greek Septuagint into English by Sir

Lancelot Charles Lee BrentonPublished in 1851, and now in the Public Domain.If you find errors in the text, please report them so that we can correct them.PDF generated using Haiola and XeLaTeX on 28 Jul 2020 from source files dated 23 Jul202062f8f7cc-dcce-5317-a24f-ee09db21c76e