Esther (Greek) 1 — Rahlfs Septuagint

1

δευτέρου βασιλεύοντος Ἀρταξέρξου τοῦ μεγάλου τῇ μιᾷ τοῦ Νισα ἐνύπνιον εἶδεν Μαρδοχαῖος ὁ τοῦ Ιαϊρου τοῦ Σεμεϊου τοῦ Κισαιου ἐκ φυλῆς Βενιαμιν Ιουδαῖος οἰκῶν ἐν Σούσοις τῇ πόλει ἄνθρωπος μέγας θεραπεύων ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ τοῦ βασιλέως δὲ ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἧς ᾐχμαλώτευσεν Ναβουχοδονοσορ ὁ βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος ἐξ Ιερουσαλημ μετὰ Ιεχονιου τοῦ βασιλέως τῆς Ιουδαίας τοῦτο αὐτοῦ τὸ ἐνύπνιον καὶ ἰδοὺ φωναὶ καὶ θόρυβος βρονταὶ καὶ σεισμός τάραχος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἰδοὺ δύο δράκοντες μεγάλοι ἕτοιμοι προῆλθον ἀμφότεροι παλαίειν καὶ ἐγένετο αὐτῶν φωνὴ μεγάλη τῇ φωνῇ αὐτῶν ἡτοιμάσθη πᾶν ἔθνος εἰς πόλεμον ὥστε πολεμῆσαι δικαίων ἔθνος ἰδοὺ ἡμέρα σκότους καὶ γνόφου θλῖψις καὶ στενοχωρία κάκωσις καὶ τάραχος μέγας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐταράχθη δίκαιον πᾶν ἔθνος φοβούμενοι τὰ ἑαυτῶν κακὰ καὶ ἡτοιμάσθησαν ἀπολέσθαι καὶ ἐβόησαν πρὸς τὸν θεόν δὲ τῆς βοῆς αὐτῶν ἐγένετο ὡσανεὶ ἀπὸ μικρᾶς πηγῆς ποταμὸς μέγας ὕδωρ πολύ καὶ ὁ ἥλιος ἀνέτειλεν καὶ οἱ ταπεινοὶ ὑψώθησαν καὶ κατέφαγον τοὺς ἐνδόξους διεγερθεὶς Μαρδοχαῖος ὁ ἑωρακὼς τὸ ἐνύπνιον τοῦτο καὶ τί ὁ θεὸς βεβούλευται ποιῆσαι εἶχεν αὐτὸ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ καὶ ἐν παντὶ λόγῳ ἤθελεν ἐπιγνῶναι αὐτὸ ἕως τῆς νυκτός ἡσύχασεν Μαρδοχαῖος ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ μετὰ Γαβαθα καὶ Θαρρα τῶν δύο εὐνούχων τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν φυλασσόντων τὴν αὐλὴν τε αὐτῶν τοὺς λογισμοὺς καὶ τὰς μερίμνας αὐτῶν ἐξηρεύνησεν καὶ ἔμαθεν ὅτι ἑτοιμάζουσιν τὰς χεῖρας ἐπιβαλεῖν Ἀρταξέρξῃ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ ὑπέδειξεν τῷ βασιλεῖ περὶ αὐτῶν ἐξήτασεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοὺς δύο εὐνούχους καὶ ὁμολογήσαντες ἀπήχθησαν ἔγραψεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοὺς λόγους τούτους εἰς μνημόσυνον καὶ Μαρδοχαῖος ἔγραψεν περὶ τῶν λόγων τούτων ἐπέταξεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Μαρδοχαίῳ θεραπεύειν ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ δόματα περὶ τούτων ἦν Αμαν Αμαδαθου Βουγαῖος ἔνδοξος ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἐζήτησεν κακοποιῆσαι τὸν Μαρδοχαῖον καὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν δύο εὐνούχων τοῦ βασιλέως ἐγένετο μετὰ τοὺς λόγους τούτους ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ἀρταξέρξου οὗτος ὁ Ἀρταξέρξης ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰνδικῆς ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι ἑπτὰ χωρῶν ἐκράτησεν

In the second year of Artaxerxes the great, on the first day of Nisan, Mordecai son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, saw a dream.

2

αὐταῖς ταῖς ἡμέραις ὅτε ἐθρονίσθη ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀρταξέρξης ἐν Σούσοις τῇ πόλει

In those days, when King Artaxerxes was enthroned in Susa the city,

3

In the third year of his reign he made a banquet for his friends and for the rest of the nations and for the illustrious of the Persians and Medes and for the rulers of the satraps

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and after these things, after his showing them the wealth of his kingdom and the glory of the gladness of his wealth for one hundred and eighty days

5

And when the days of the wedding were completed, the king made a banquet for the nations that were found in the city, for six days, in the court of the king’s house

6

adorned with fine linen and cotton fabrics stretched on linen and purple cords on golden and silver cubes, on marble and stone pillars, golden and silver couches on a pavement of emerald stone and of pine stone and of Parian stone, and transparent coverings variously embroidered around with roses sprinkled with perfume

7

χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ καὶ ἀνθράκινον κυλίκιον προκείμενον ἀπὸ ταλάντων τρισμυρίων οἶνος πολὺς καὶ ἡδύς ὃν αὐτὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔπινεν

gold and silver cups and a coal-colored little goblet set before him, from thirty thousand talents, much and sweet wine, which the king himself was drinking

8

And this drinking was not according to an established law, but so the king wanted and he ordered the stewards to do his will and that of the men

9

Αστιν ἡ βασίλισσα ἐποίησε πότον ταῖς γυναιξὶν ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις ὅπου ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀρταξέρξης

And Astin the queen made a banquet for the women in the royal palace where King Artaxerxes was

10

And on the seventh day, the king, having become cheerful, said to Aman and Bazan and Tharra and Boraze and Zatholtha and Abataza and Tharaba, the seven eunuchs who served King Artaxerxes,

11

to bring in the queen before him to make her queen and to put the diadem on her and to show her beauty to all the rulers and to the nations, because she was beautiful

12

οὐκ εἰσήκουσεν αὐτοῦ Αστιν ἡ βασίλισσα ἐλθεῖν μετὰ τῶν εὐνούχων καὶ ἐλυπήθη ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ὠργίσθη

But Queen Astin did not obey him to come with the eunuchs, and the king was grieved and was angered.

13

εἶπεν τοῖς φίλοις αὐτοῦ κατὰ ταῦτα ἐλάλησεν Αστιν ποιήσατε οὖν περὶ τούτου νόμον καὶ κρίσιν

And he said to his friends, Thus did Vashti speak; therefore make a law and judgment concerning this.

14

And Arkesaios and Sarsathaios and Malesear, the chiefs of the Persians and Medes, who were near the king, the first ones sitting beside the king, came to him.

15

And they reported to him according to the laws how it is necessary to do to Vashti the queen because she did not do the things commanded by the king through the eunuchs.

16

And Mouchaios said to the king and the rulers, Queen Astin has wronged not the king alone, but also all the rulers and the governors of the king.

17

γὰρ διηγήσατο αὐτοῖς τὰ ῥήματα τῆς βασιλίσσης καὶ ὡς ἀντεῖπεν τῷ βασιλεῖ ὡς οὖν ἀντεῖπεν τῷ βασιλεῖ Ἀρταξέρξῃ

For he also related to them the words of the queen and how she contradicted the king, how then she contradicted King Artaxerxes

18

Thus today the remaining wives of the rulers of the Persians and Medes, having heard the things spoken to the king by her, will dare likewise to dishonor their husbands.

19

If then it seems good to the king, let him issue a royal decree and let it be written according to the laws of the Medes and Persians and let it not be altered, and let the queen no longer enter to him, and let the king give her kingdom to a woman better than she

20

And let the law be heard, which the king shall make in his kingdom, that in this way all the women shall give honor to their husbands, from the poor man even to the rich man.

21

ἤρεσεν ὁ λόγος τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσι καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς καθὰ ἐλάλησεν ὁ Μουχαιος

And the word pleased the king and the rulers, and the king did as Mouchaios had spoken.

22

ἀπέστειλεν εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν βασιλείαν κατὰ χώραν κατὰ τὴν λέξιν αὐτῶν ὥστε εἶναι φόβον αὐτοῖς ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις αὐτῶν

And he sent into all the kingdom according to country according to their language so as to be fear to them in their houses