* The deuterocanonical passages (the Greek Esther) are indicated in their place, but their text is referred to the end of the book, as in the Vulgate.
*** Prologue: see fragment III, Ch. 11, 2-12, then ch. 12, 1-6 ***
Chapter 1
1 This was in the time of Ahasuerus, — that Ahasuerus who reigned, from India to Ethiopia, over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, —
2 in the time when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the capital.
3 In the third year of his reign, he held a feast for all his princes and ministers. The leaders of the army of the Persians and Medes, the nobles and governors of the provinces were gathered in his presence;
4 Then he displayed before them the rich splendor of his kingdom and the dazzling magnificence of his greatness, for a great many days, for one hundred and eighty days.
5 When those days were over, the king held a seven-day feast for all the people who were in Susa, the capital, from the greatest to the least, in the courtyard of the royal garden.
6 of hangings white, green, and blue were attached by cords of byssus and purple to silver rings and marble columns; beds of gold and silver were posed on a pavement of porphyry, white marble, mother-of-pearl and black marble.
7 Drinks were served in gold vessels of various shapes, and the royal wine was offered in abundance, thanks to the king's generosity.
8 According to the decree, everyone drank without anyone forcing them, for the king had ordered all the officers of his household to comply with everyone's wishes. guests.
9 Queen Vashti also held a feast for women, in the royal house of King Ahasuerus.
10 On the seventh day, as the wine had put joy in the heart of the king, he ordered Maüman, Bazatha, Harbona, Bagatha, Abgatha, Zethar and Charchas, the seven eunuchs who served before king Ahasuerus,
11 to bring Queen Vashti into his presence, crowned with the royal diadem, to show her beauty to the people and the nobles, for she was beautiful in appearance.
12 But Queen Vashti refused to submit to the king's command, which’she had received through the eunuchs, and the king was very angry and his anger was kindled.
13 SO The king addressed the wise men who had knowledge of the times: — for thus were treating each other the king's affairs, before all those who were experts in law and justice,
14 And those closest to him were Charsena, Sethar, Admatha, Tharsis, Mares, Marsana, and Mamuchan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face and held the highest rank in the kingdom.
15 » What law, he said, Should Queen Vashti be punished for not carrying out King Ahasuerus's order, which he gave her through the eunuchs?«
16 Mamuchan replied before the king and the princes: »Queen Vashti has not only wronged the king, but Also to all the princes and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.
17 For the queen's action will come to knowledge of all women and will cause them to despise their husbands; they will say: King Ahasuerus ordered that Queen Vashti be brought before him, but she did not go.
18 And from this day forward, the princesses of Persia and Media, who will have learned of the queen's actions, there will cite to all the king's princes, and the result a lot of contempt and anger.
19 If it pleases the king, let a royal decree be issued and inscribed among the laws of the Persians and Medes, so that it may not be broken. bearing that Queen Vashti will no longer appear before King Ahasuerus, and that the king will give her queenly dignity to another who is better than her.
20 And When The king's edict will be known throughout his vast kingdom, all women will honor their husbands, from the greatest to the youngest.«
21 The advice pleased the king and the princes, and the king acted according to Mamuchan's words.
22 He sent letters to all the provinces of the kingdom, to each province according to its script and to each people according to its language; they were wearing only Every husband was to be the master in his own house and to speak the language of his own people.
Chapter 2
1 After these things, when King Ahasuerus' anger had subsided, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and the decision that had been made concerning her.
2 Then the king's servants, who were serving near him, said, "Let young girls, virgins and beautiful in appearance, be sought for the king;
3 that the king establish in all the provinces of his kingdom officers charged with gathering all the young girls, virgins and beautiful of face, in Susa, the capital, in the house of women, under the supervision of Aegeus, eunuch of the king and guardian of the women, who will provide for their toilette;
4 and let the young woman who pleases the king become queen in place of Vashti.» The king approved this advice, and he did so.
5 Now there lived in Susa the citadel a Jew named Mordecai, son of Jair, son of Shemei, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin,
6 who had been taken from Jerusalem among the captives deported with Jeconiah, king of Judah, by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.
7 He was raising Edissa, who is Esther, daughter of her uncle; for she had neither father nor mother. The young girl was beautiful in form and of a graceful face; at the death of her father and mother, Mordecai had adopted her as his daughter.
8 When the king's order and edict had been published, and many young girls had been gathered in Susa, the capital, under the supervision of Aegeus, Esther was taken too and brought in the king's house, under the supervision of Aegeus, guardian of the women.
9 The young girl pleased him and won his favor; he hastened to provide her with the necessities for her toilette and sustenance, to give her seven young girls chosen from the king's household, and he sent her with them into the best apartment from the women's house.
10 Esther He did not reveal his people or his birth, because Mordecai had forbidden him to speak of it.
11 Every day Mordecai walked around in front of the courtyard of the women's house to see how she was doing Esther and how she was treated.
12 And when the time came for each young woman to go to King Ahasuerus, after she had spent twelve months fulfilling what was prescribed for women—and this is what the time of their purification entailed: for six months, they were purifying themselves with myrrh oil, and for six months with spices and perfumes used among women,—
13 and when the young girl went to the king, she was allowed to take with her whatever she wanted, to go from the women's house to the king's house.
14 She would go there in the evening, and the next morning she would go to the second women's house, under the supervision of Susagaz, the king's eunuch and guardian of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless the king desired her and she was summoned by name.
15 When his turn came to go to the king, Esther, daughter of Abihail, Mordecai's uncle who had adopted her as his daughter, asked for nothing more than what Aegeus, the king's eunuch and guardian of the women, designated; but Esther pleased the eyes of all who saw it.
16 Esther was brought to King Ahasuerus, in his royal house, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 The king loved Esther more than all women, And she gained more favor and grace from him than all the other maidens. He placed the royal diadem on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.
18 The king gave a great feast for all his princes and servants, the feast of Esther; he granted rest to the provinces and made large gifts with royal munificence.
19 The second time the young women were gathered together, Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate.
20 Esther had not revealed his birth or his people, as Mordecai had commanded him; and Esther followed Mordecai's orders, just as she had when he raised her.
21 In those days, when Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Baghathan and Teres, two of the king’s eunuchs who were guards of the palace, became angry and wanted to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.
22 Mordecai learned of the plot and informed the queen Esther, who repeated it to the king on behalf of Mordecai.
23 The fact having been examined and found exact, The two eunuchs were hanged from a tree, and that was written in the Book of Chronicles in the presence of the king.
Chapter 3
1 After these things, King Ahasuerus promoted Haman son of Amadathah from the land of Agag, and placed him above all the other princes who were near him.
2 All the king's servants, who were standing At his gate, they bowed down and worshiped Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or worship.
3 The king's servants, who were standing At his gate, they said to Mordecai, "Why are you disobeying the king's order?"»
4 As they repeated this to him every day, and he did not listen to them, they informed Haman, to see whether Mordecai would persist in his determination, for he had told them that he was a Jew.
5 Haman saw that Mordecai did not bend the knee or bow down to him; and Haman was filled with fury.
6 But he disdained to lay a hand on Mordecai alone, for he had been told from which people was Mordecai; and Haman wanted to destroy the people of Mordecai, all the Jews who were found throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.
7 In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast the lot before Haman, for each day and for each month, until the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.
8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, »There is a people scattered and living apart among the provinces of your kingdom.” others peoples, having different laws of those of all others peoples, and not observing the king's laws. It is not in the king's interest to leave them in peace.
9 If the king approves, let it be written the order to put them to death, and I will weigh out ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of the officials, to be taken to the king's treasury.«
10 The king took his ring off his finger and gave it to Haman, son of Amadatha, from the land of Agag, an enemy of the Jews;
11 and the king said to Haman, »The money is given to you and This people Also, so that you can do with it whatever seems good to you.«
12 The king’s secretaries were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and a letter was written, according to all of Haman’s orders, to the king’s satraps, to the governors of each province, and to the leaders of each people, to each province according to its script, and to each people according to its language. It was in the name of King Ahasuerus, which was written and sealed the edict with the royal ring.
13 Letters were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces, ordering that all the Jews, young and old, little children and women, be destroyed, slaughtered and put to death in one day, on the thirteenth of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and that their property be plundered.
*** See the text of the edict, fragment IV, chapter 13, 1-7 ***
14 A copy of the edict, which was to be published as law in each province, was addressed open to all peoples, so that they would be ready for that day.
15 The messengers departed in haste, according to the king's order. The edict was also published in Susa the capital; and, while the king and Haman were sitting drinking, agitation reigned in the city of Susa.
Chapter 4
1 When Mordecai heard about all that had happened, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and covered his head of ashes; then he went into the middle of the city, uttering loud bitter groans.
2 And he went right up to the king's gate; for no one wearing sackcloth had the right to enter the king's gate.
3 In each province, wherever the king's order and edict arrived, there was There was great mourning among the Jews; they fasted, wept, and wailed, and many slept in sackcloth and ashes. of them.
4 Esther's maids and her eunuchs came to her and brought this The news arrived, and the queen was greatly frightened. She sent clothes to Mordecai to put on, so that he might take off his sackcloth; but he did not THE He did not accept.
5 Then Esther, having called Athach, mon eunuchs whom the king had placed near her, charged him with’go ask Mordecai what it was and where his grief.
6 Athah went to Mordecai, who was standing in the town square, in front of the king's gate;
7 and Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, and the amount of money that Haman had promised to weigh out for the king's treasury in return for the slaughter of the Jews.
8 He also gave him a copy of the edict published in Susa for their extermination, so that he THE showed to Esther, he learned All, and ordered him to go to the king to beg him and ask him grace for his people.
*** See Mordecai's exhortation to Esther, fragment VI, ch. 15, 1-3 ***
9 Athach came and reported to Esther the words of Mordecai.
10 Esther gave Athach the order to’go tell Mordecai:
11 »All the king’s servants and the people of his provinces know that if anyone, man or woman, enters the king’s inner court without being summoned, the only law that applies to them is the penalty of death, unless the king extends his golden scepter and gives them life. And I have not been summoned to go to the king for thirty days.«
12 When Esther's words had been reported to Mordecai,
13 He replied, »Do not imagine in yourself that you will escape alone of all the Jews, because you are in the king's house.
14 For if you remain silent now, help and deliverance for the Jews will arise from elsewhere, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?«
15 Esther He replied to Mordecai:
16 »Go, gather all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me, neither eating nor drinking for three days, night nor day. I also will fast likewise, and my maids, and then I will go to the king, contrary to the law; and if I die, I die.«
17 Mordecai went away and did everything Esther had commanded him.
*** See the prayer of Mordecai and Esther, fragment V, ch. 13, 8-18 then ch. 14, 1-19 ***
Chapter 5
*** See another account of Esther's visit to Ahasuerus, fragment VII, ch. 15, 4-19 ***
1 On the third day, Esther He donned his royal robes and stood in the inner courtyard of the king's house, in front of the king's apartment. The king was seated on his royal throne in the royal apartment, opposite the entrance to the palace.
2 When the king saw the queen Esther Standing in the courtyard, she found favor in his eyes, and the king tended to Esther the golden scepter he held in his hand. Esther, Approaching, he touched the tip of the scepter.
3 And the king said to her, »What is the matter, queen?” Esther, And what do you ask for? Even if it were half the kingdom, it would be given to you.«
4 Esther He said, "If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the feast I have prepared for him."»
5 The king said: »Let us call Aman immediately, to do what he said Esther.«
The king went with Haman to the feast that Esther had prepared.
6 At the wine feast, the king said to Esther, »What is your petition? It shall be granted to you. What is your request? Even half the kingdom, it shall be yours.«
7 Esther replied and said: "Here is my request and my desire:
8 If I have found favor in the king's eyes, and if it pleases the king to grant my request and fulfill my desire, let the king and Haman come to the feast I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will give the king the answer he asks for.«
9 Haman went out that day glad and joyful. But when he saw Mordecai at the king's gate, and he did not rise or move before him, he was filled with anger against Mordecai.
10 Haman restrained himself, however, and went home. Then, having sent for his friends and Zerez, his wife,
11 Haman told them about the magnificence of his riches, the great number of his sons, and the high rank that the king had conferred upon him, raising him above his princes and servants.
12 "I am even the only one," he added, "that the queen Esther was admitted with the king to the feast she prepared, and I am again invited to her house tomorrow with the king.
13 But all this is not enough for me, as long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.«
14 Zerez, his wife, and all his friends said to him, »Let a gallows be prepared fifty cubits high, and in the morning ask the king to hang Mordecai on it, and you may go joyfully to the banquet with the king.» This advice pleased Haman, and he had the gallows prepared.
Chapter 6
1 That night, the king, unable to sleep, had the book of annals brought to him, the ChroniclesIt was read aloud before the king.
2 and the account was found of the revelation which Mordecai had made concerning Baghathan and Terez, the two eunuchs of the king, guards of the palace, who had wanted to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.
3 The king said, "What honor and dignity has been given to Mordecai for this?" — "He has received none," replied the king's servants who were in office near him.
4 And the king said, »Who is in the courtyard?» Now Haman had come into the outer court of the king’s house to ask the king for TO DO to hang Mordecai on the gallows he had prepared for him.
5 The king's servants answered him, "It is Haman who is standing in the courtyard." And the king said, "Let him come in!"»
6 When Haman entered, the king said to him, »What should be done for the man whom the king wishes to honor?» Haman said to himself, »Whom would the king wish to honor more than me?«
7 And Haman said to the king, »For the man whom the king wishes to honor,
8. A royal robe, which the king has worn, must be taken, along with a horse that the king has ridden and on whose head is placed a royal crown.,
9. Give this garment and this horse to one of the king's chief officials, then dress the man whom the king wishes to honor, parade him on horseback through the city square, and shout before him: "This is how it is done to the man whom the king wishes to honor!"«
10 The king said to Haman, »Take the garment and the horse without delay, as you have said, and do the same for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate; do not neglect anything you have indicated.«
11 Haman took the garment and the horse, dressed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city square, shouting before him, »This is how one does to the man whom the king wishes to honor!«
12 Mordecai returned to the king's gate, and Haman hurried away to go At home, he was desolate and his head was veiled.
13 Haman told his wife Zerez and all his friends everything that had happened to him. His wise men and his wife Zerez said to him, »If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not be able to…” Nothing against him, but you will surely succumb to him.«
14 While they were still speaking to him, the king's eunuchs arrived and hastily took Haman away to the feast that Esther had prepared.
Chapter 7
1 The king and Haman went to Esther's feast.
2 On this second day, the king again said to Esther, when one was At the wine feast: "What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted to you. What is your desire? Even if it were half the kingdom, it shall be yours."»
3 The Queen Esther replied: "If I have found favor in your eyes, O king, and if the king finds it good, grant me my life: this is my request; grant it to my people: this is my desire.
4 For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, slaughtered, and annihilated. If we were sold into slavery, I would remain silent; but NOW, The oppressor cannot compensate for the damage done to the king.«
5 King Ahasuerus then spoke to Queen Esther, saying, »Who is this man, and where is he, whose heart compels him to do this?«
6 Esther replied: "The oppressor, the enemy, is Haman, that wicked man!" Haman was seized with terror in the presence of the king and queen.
7 The king, in his anger, stood up and left the wine feast to go in the palace garden; and Haman remained to ask thanks to life for the queen Esther, because he could clearly see that, as far as the king was concerned, his downfall was assured.
8 When the king returned from the palace garden to the wine banquet hall, he lived Aman Who had prostrated himself on the bed on which Esther was lying; and the king said, »What! Would he violate the queen in my own house, in the palace?» This statement was barely from the mouth of the king that they veiled the face of Haman.
9 Harbona, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, »Look, the gallows Haman prepared for Mordecai, who spoke up for the king’s benefit, is now erected in Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.» The king said, »Let them hang on it!” Aman! «"«
10 And they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. And the king's anger subsided.
Chapter 8
1 On that same day, King Ahasuerus gave to the queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, and Mordecai presented himself before the king, for Esther had made known what he meant to her.
2 The king took off his signet ring, which he had taken back from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther Mordecai was appointed over the house of Haman.
3 Next Esther spoke again in the king's presence; throwing herself at his feet, she tearfully begged him to remove the effects of the wickedness of Haman, of the land of Agag, and of the plans he had formed against the Jews.
4 The king extended the golden scepter to Esther, who got up and stood before the king.
5 "If the king is pleased," she said, "and if I have found favor in his sight, if the matter seems suitable to the king and if I am pleasing in his eyes, let a letter be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, son of Amadatha, of the land of Agag, and written by him with the aim of destroying the Jews who are in all the king's provinces.
6 For how can I see the calamity that will befall my people, and how can I see the destruction of my descendants?«
7 King Ahasuerus said to the queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew: »Behold, I have given to Esther the house of Haman, and he was hanged on the tree for having stretched out his hand against the Jews.
8 You, write in favor of the Jews as you please, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's signet ring; for a letter written in the king's name and sealed with the royal signet ring cannot be revoked.«
9 Then the king's secretaries were summoned on the twenty-third day of the third month, which is the month of Sivan, and a letter was written, according to all that Mordecai had commanded, to the Jews, the satraps, the governors, and the officials of the provinces of the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces located from India to Ethiopia, to each province according to its script, to each people according to its language, and to the Jews according to their script and according to their language.
10 They wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the royal ring. The letters were sent by couriers on horseback, mounted on state horses from the stud farms. of the king.
11 Through these letters, The king permitted the Jews, in whatever city they might be, to assemble and defend their lives, to destroy, kill, and cause to perish, along with their little children and wives, the troops of every people and province that attacked them, and to surrender their property to plunder.,
12 and that in a single day, throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.
*** See the text of the edict, fragment VIII, ch. 16, 1-24. ***
13 A copy of the edict, which was to be published as law in each province, was addressed open to all peoples, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to take revenge on their enemies.
14 Right away The couriers, mounted on state steeds, departed in great haste, according to the king's order.
The edict was also published in Susa, the capital.
15 Mordecai went out from the king's presence wearing royal blue and white clothing, a large gold crown, and a robe of fine linen and purple; and the city of Susa expressed its joy with shouts of gladness.
16 For the Jews there was nothing but happiness and joy, jubilation and glory.
17 In every province and in every city, wherever the king's order and his edict arrived, there were [provisions] for the Jews joy and rejoicing, feasting, and celebrations. And many people from among the nations of the land became Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen upon them.
Chapter 9
1 In the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the month, when the king's command and edict were to be executed, on the day when the enemies of the Jews had hoped to dominate them, the opposite happened, and the Jews dominated their enemies.
2 The Jews gathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to strike down those who sought their destruction, and no one could resist them, for the fear they inspired had spread among all the peoples.
3 All the provincial leaders, the satraps, the governors, and the king’s officials supported the Jews, because they were afraid of Mordecai.
4 For Mordecai was powerful in the king’s house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces, for this man, Mordecai, continued to grow in stature.
5 So the Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword; it was a massacre and a destruction; they treated those who were hostile to them as they pleased.
6 In Susa, the capital, the Jews killed and caused the death of five hundred men,
7 and they slew Pharsandatha, Delphon, Esphatha,
8 Phoratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
9 Phermestha, Arisai, Aridai and Jezatha,
10 The ten sons of Haman, son of Amadatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not lay a hand on the plunder.
11 On the same day, the number of those who had been killed in Susa, the capital, came to the king's attention.
12 And the king said to Queen Esther, »The Jews have killed and destroyed in Susa, the capital, five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman; what will they not have done in the rest of the king’s provinces?… What is your petition? It shall be granted to you. What is your desire? It shall be fulfilled.«
13 Esther replied: »If the king approves, let the Jews who are to Susa to act again tomorrow according to today's decree, and that the ten sons of Haman be hanged on the gallows.«
14 The king ordered this to be done, and the edict was published in Susa. The ten sons of Haman were hanged,
15 and the Jews who were At Susa, having gathered again on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, they killed three hundred men in Susa. But they did not lay hands on the plunder.
16 The other Jews who were in the king's provinces gathered together to defend their lives and get that their enemies leave them in peace; they killed seventy-five thousand of those who were hostile to them. But they did not lay their hands on the plunder.
17 These things happened the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. The Jews They rested on the fourteenth, and they made it a day of feasting and joy.
18 The Jews who were At Susa, having gathered together on the thirteenth and fourteenth days, they rested on the fifteenth, and they made it a day of feasting and joy.
19 That is why the Jews of the countryside, who live in unwalled towns, celebrate the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day of joy, feasting and celebration, sending portions to one another.
20 Mordecai wrote these things down and sent letters to all the Jews throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both those near and those far away,
21 to enjoin them to celebrate each year the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar,
22 as being the days when they had obtained to be left at rest from their enemies, and the month in which their sadness had been changed into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration; so we had to to make these days days of feasting and joy, where portions are sent to one another, and where distribution donations to the poor.
23 The Jews adopted for use, what they had already begun to do and what Mordecai wrote to them.
24 For Haman, son of Amadatha, of the land of Agag, an enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and he had cast the PUR, that is, the lot, in order to exterminate and destroy them.
25 But Esther Having appeared before the king, he ordered in writing that the blows should fall back on her head.’Aman the wicked plot he had formed against the Jews, and they hanged him on the gallows with his sons.
26 That is why those days were called Purim, from the name Pur. Thus, according to all the contents of this letter, according to what they themselves had seen and what had happened to them,
27 The Jews established and adopted for themselves, for their descendants, and for all who would join them, custom irrevocable to celebrate these two days every year, according to the prescribed rite and at the fixed time.
28 These days were to be remembered and celebrated, from generation to generation, in every family, in every province and in every city, and these days of Purim were never to be abolished among the Jews, nor was the memory of them to fade in their posterity.
29 The Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, and the Jew Mordecai wrote a second time, in the most urgent manner, to confirm this letter about the Purim.
30 Letters were sent to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus: words of peace and faithfulness,
31 and the recommendation to keep these days of Purim at the appointed time, like the Jew Mordecai and Queen Esther THE had established for themselves, and as they had established them for themselves and for their descendants, with fasting and lamentation.
32 Thus Esther’s command established these observances of the Purim, and it was written in the book.
Chapter 10
1 King Ahasuerus established a tribute on the mainland and the islands of the sea.
2 All the facts concerning his power and his exploits, and the details of the greatness to which the king raised Mordecai, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?
3 For Mordecai the Jew was the prime minister of King Ahasuerus, considered at the same time among the Jews, loved by the multitude of his brothers, seeking the good of his people and speaking for the happiness of all his race.
The Hebrew text ends here.
Additional fragments preserved only in the Greek version
I — Conclusion of the book: Mordecai acknowledges the fulfillment of the dream with which God had favored him. (Ch. 10, 4-13)
4 Then Mordecai said, »It was God who did all these things!”
5 I do indeed remember the dream I had about this; no trace of the vision did not remain without accomplishment:
6. The little spring that became a river, and the light that appeared, and the sun, and the mass of water. The river is Esther, whom the king took as his wife and made queen.
7 The two dragons are me and Haman.
8 The nations are those who had gathered together to destroy the name of the Jews;
9 And my people, that is Israel, cried out to God and were saved. So the Lord saved his people, and delivered us from all these evils; God performed miracles and great wonders, such as have not occurred among the nations.
10 For this purpose, he prepared two lots: one for the people of God and one for all the nations.
11 And these two lots came at the hour, at the time, and on the day of judgment, marked before God for all nations.
12 And God remembered his people, and he vindicated his inheritance.
13 And these days of the month of Adar, the fourteenth and the fifteenth of this month, will be celebrated by them in assembly, with joy and gladness before God, throughout the generations, forever, in Israel, his people.«
II — Postscript to the Greek version. (Ch. 11, 1)
Chapter 11
1 In the fourth year of the reign of Ptolemy and Cleopatra, Dositheus, who claimed to be a priest and of the Levite race, and Ptolemy, his son, brought this letter from the Phrurai, which they said was authentic and had been translated by Lysimachus, son of Ptolemy, resident in Jerusalem.
III — Mordecai's dream, his favor at court, Haman's hatred. (Ch 11, 2 – Ch12, 6) Prologue.
2 In the second year of the reign of Ahasuerus the great king, on the first day of the month of Nisan, Mordecai son of Jair, son of Shemei, son of Cish, of the tribe of Benjamin, had a dream.
3 He was a Jew who lived in the city of Susa, an illustrious man and attached to the court of the king.
4 He was among the captives whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had carried out of Jerusalem with Jeconiah, king of Judah.
5 This is what his dream was: Suddenly we heard voices, a great noise and thunder; the earth shook and was shaken.
6 Then suddenly two great dragons advanced, both ready to fight.
7 They raised a great cry, and at their voice all the nations prepared for battle, to fight against the people of the righteous.
8 Then suddenly there was a day of darkness and gloom; and there was anguish, distress, tribulation, and great terror on the earth.
9 The whole people of the righteous, fearing for him all the ills, was in turmoil and preparing to perish.
10 They cried out to God, and at their cries there was something like a small spring, from which came out a great river, a mass of water.
11 The light and the sun shone; those who were in humiliation were lifted up, and they devoured those who were in honor.
12 When Mordecai awoke from the dream and saw what God had decided to do, he held him fast. severe in his mind and, until nightfall, he made every effort to understand it.
Chapter 12
1 Then Mordecai remained at court with Baghathan and Teres, the king’s two eunuchs, who guarded the gate of the palace.
2 Having known their thoughts and understood their plans, he discovered that they had intended to lay hands on King Ahasuerus, and he informed the king.
3 He had the two eunuchs questioned and, upon their confession, sent them to their execution.
4 The king had it written in the Chronicles what had happened, and Mordecai also recorded the memory of it in writing.
5 And the king ordered that he should hold an office in the palace, and he gave him gifts for his denunciation.
6 But Haman, son of Amadatha the Agagite, was highly honored in the sight of the king, and he sought to destroy Mordecai and his people because of the king's two eunuchs.
IV — Edict of Ahasuerus for the extermination of the Jews (Ch 13, 1-7). To be read after Ch 3, 13.
Chapter 13
1 Here is a copy of this letter:
»"Ahasuerus, the great king, to the satraps and governors of the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia, who are subject to his orders, commands the following:
2 »Although I command a very great number of nations and have subdued the whole world, I wish, not to abuse my power to become proud, but, through a government that is always merciful and gentle, to continually ensure my subjects a life free from trouble; and, by providing my kingdom with calm and security to its furthest borders, to cause it to flourish again peace dear to all mortals.
3 So, having asked my advisors how my intentions might be accomplished, one of them, named Haman, who excels among us in wisdom, who is known for his unwavering devotion and constant faithfulness, and who holds the second position in the kingdom,
4 has made me aware that there is a wicked people, mixed with all the tribes that are on the earth, in opposition to all the peoples in the name of their laws, continually despising the commandments of kings, so as to prevent the perfect harmony of the empire that we rule.
5 Having therefore learned that this single people, in perpetual contradiction with all humankind, separating itself from them by the strange nature of its laws, and ill-disposed to our interests, commits the ultimate excesses and thus hinders the prosperity of the kingdom,
6 We have commanded that those designated to you in the letters of Haman, who is in charge of affairs and honored As our second father, may they all, with wives and children, be utterly exterminated by the sword of their enemies, without any mercy or clemency, on the fourteenth day of the twelfth month., the month of Adar, of the present year;
7 so that these men, formerly and now still hostile, descending on the same day, by violent death, into hell, may render to our affairs for the times to come a perfect prosperity and peace.
V — Prayers of Esther and Mordecai (Ch 13, 8 – Ch 14, 19). To be read after Ch 4, 17.
8 And Mordecai prayed to the Lord, remembering all his works.
9 He said:
»"Lord, Lord, Almighty King, all things are subject to your power, and there is no one who can stand in your way, if you have resolved to save Israel.".
10 It is You who made the heavens and the earth, and all the wonders that are under heaven.
11 You are the Lord of all things and no one can resist You, the Lord!
12 You know all things, and you know that it was neither insolence, nor pride, nor any desire for glory that I acted in not bowing down before the proud Haman,
13 For I would gladly, for the salvation of Israel, be ready to kiss the traces same with his steps.
14 But I did it so that I would not place the honor of a man above the honor due to my God; and Never I will not prostrate myself before anyone other than You, my Lord, and it is not out of pride that I will act in this way.
15 Now then, Lord My God and My King, God of Abraham, have mercy on your people, because our enemies They are eyeing us with the intention of destroying us and want to destroy your ancient heritage.
16 Do not despise your inheritance, which you redeemed for yourselves from the land of Egypt. Hear my prayer!
17 Be favorable to your inheritance and turn our mourning into joy, so that, preserving life, we may praise your name, Lord, and not silence those who praise you.«
18 All Israel cried out also to the Lord of all their strength; for they had death before their eyes.
Chapter 14
1 The Queen Esther Also, feeling Placed in extreme danger of death, she turned to the Lord.
2 Leaving behind her splendid garments, she donned clothes of anguish and mourning; in place of her precious perfumes, she covered her head with ashes and dust, severely afflicted her body, and, tearing out her hair, she filled all the places where she was accustomed to indulge herself. joy.
3 And she addressed this prayer to the Lord, the God of Israel:
»"My Lord, who are our King alone, assist me in my desolation, I who have no other help but You;
4 for the danger that threatens me, I touch it Already with my own hands.
5 I learned from my childhood, within my father's tribe, that You, Lord, chose Israel above all nations, and our fathers above all their ancestors, to your an eternal inheritance, and that You have fulfilled all Your promises to them.
6 And now we have sinned in your presence, and you have delivered us into the hands of our enemies,
7 because we have paid homage to their gods. You are just, Lord!
8 And now, it is no longer enough for them to weigh upon us a bitter bondage, but they have laid their hands in the hands of their idols,
9 for to swear an oath’to abolish the decrees of your mouth, to destroy your inheritance, to silence those who praise you, and to extinguish the glory of your temple and altar,
10 so that the mouths of the nations may be opened, to to rent out the power of idols and to celebrate forever a king of flesh.
11 Do not give your scepter, Lord, to those who are nothing, so that they may not laugh at our ruin; but turn their plan back on them and make an example of him who first unleashed his fury against us.
12 Remember of us, Lord; make Yourself known in This In the time of our affliction, grant me courage, King of the Gods and Ruler of all power!
13 Put wise words on my lips in the presence of the lion, and turn his heart to hate our enemy, so that he may perish, and all those who have the same sentiments.
14 But deliver us by your hand, and help me, for I am alone and have no one but you, Lord! You know all things,
15 And you know that I hate the splendor of the wicked, that I abhor the bed of the uncircumcised and of every foreigner.
16 You know the constraint I am under, You know that I abhor the insignia of my elevation, which is laid on my head on days when I must be seen; I abhor it like a soiled cloth, and I do not wear it on days when I can spend in seclusion.
17 Your servant has never eaten at Haman's table, nor has she paid much attention to the king's feasts, nor drunk the wine of the libations.
18 Never, from the day I was brought here until now, has your servant tasted joy, if not in You, Lord God, God of Abraham.
19 O God, who are supreme in power, hear the prayer of those who have no other Hope; deliver us from the hands of the wicked and deliver me from my anguish!«
VI — Mordecai’s exhortation to Esther (Ch 15, 1-3.) To be read after Ch 4, 8.
Chapter 15
1 He sent word to Esther to enter the king's presence, in order to address a supplication to him for his people and his country.
2 » Remember, him he said, "the days of your humiliation,", And how you were nourished by my hand; for Haman, the first after the king, spoke against us to our destruction.
3 But you, call upon the Lord and speak to the king for us; save us from death!«
VII — Esther at the king's (Ch 15, 4-19). To be read at the beginning of ch. 5.
4 On the third day, having finished his prayer, Esther took off his penitential clothes and put on the ornaments of its dignity.
5 In all the splendor of her adornment, after invoking God, the arbiter and savior of all, she took with her the following two of use.
6 She leaned on one of them as if she could barely support her delicate body;
7 The other followed, lifting the long dress of his mistress.
8 This one, all flushed with the powerful radiance of her beauty, had a joyful face and a lovely air; but fear gripped her heart.
9 Having therefore passed through all the gates, she presented herself before the king. Ahasuerus was seated on his royal throne, adorned with all the insignia of his majesty, all glittering with gold and precious stones; his appearance It was terrible.
10 When he had raised his head, radiant with glory, and cast a gleaming look of anger, the queen swooned, changing color and leaning on the shoulder of the servant who walked in front. She.
11 Then God turned the king’s anger to gentleness; worried, he sprang from his throne and supported Esther in his arms, until she had regained her senses, calming her fear with friendly words:
12 "What is the matter with you, Esther?" he said to her, "I am your brother, have faith;
13 You will not die, for our ordinance is for the common good. of our topics.
14 Approach!«
15 And raising the golden scepter, he THE He placed his hand on her neck and kissed her, saying, "Talk to me."»
16 She replied, »I saw you, Lord, as an angel of God, and my heart was troubled with the fear of your majesty;
17 For you are admirable, Lord, and your face is full of kindness.«
18 As she spoke, she slumped down again, ready to faint.
19 The king was dismayed, and all his servants sought to revive the queen.
VIII — Edict of Ahasuerus in favor of the Jews (Ch 16, 1-24). To be read after Ch 8, 12.
Chapter 16
1 The following is a copy of that letter:
»"Ahasuerus, the great king, to the satraps" And to the chiefs of the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia, and to those who have our interests, Hi !
2 » Several, after having been showered with distinctions by the great kindness of their princes Benefactors become arrogant.
3 Not only do they undertake to oppress our subjects, but, unable to bear the weight of honours, they plot against their benefactors.
4 Not enough for them to banish recognition from among men; puffed up by the sumptuous splendor of an unusual fortune, they go so far as to persuade themselves that they can escape the vengeful justice of God, who always sees all things.
5 Time and time again, the artful language of men that friendship princes Those who had been charged with managing affairs were led into irreparable harm by making them complicit. of the outpouring innocent blood;
6. The fallacious lies of malice thus deceiving the benevolent simplicity of the rulers.
7 And it is not only in ancient histories — as we have just recalled — that you will be able to see impious acts due to the pestilential influence of those who exercise power unworthily; you will be able to Even better, by examining what is happening in your own life.
8 We must therefore provide for the future, in order to ensure peace and security for all people. peace of the kingdom,
9 making the changes necessary and prudently judging the things that present themselves to us, in order to deal with it with consistent fairness.
10 » You know, Indeed, how could Haman, son of Amadatha, a Macedonian, truly a stranger to the Persian race and far removed from our gentleness, having been taken in by our hospitality,
11 experienced the effects of the benevolence we show to all peoples, to the point of being called our father and seeing everyone prostrate themselves before him, as possessing the dignity closest to the royal throne.
12 But unable to carry with dignity With such a great fortune, he plotted to deprive us of royalty and life.
13 By all kinds of trickery and lies, he tried to destroy both Mordecai, who saved us and always served us usefully, and Esther, the irreproachable companion of our royalty, with their entire people.
14 In this way he hoped to surprise us in our isolation and deliver the Persian empire to the Macedonians.
15 But these Jews, condemned to death by the most wicked men, We recognized that they were not guilty of any wrongdoing, but that they were obeying very just laws,
16 and that they are the children of the Most High, Most Great God and eternally living, which, for us as for our ancestors, preserves this kingdom in its most flourishing state.
17 »Therefore, you would do well to disregard the letters sent by Haman, son of Amadatha,
18. Whereas the perpetrator of these crimes was hanged on the wood, with all his household, in front of the gates of Susa; God, the sovereign Master of all things, having inflicted upon him without delay the punishment he deserved.
19 By publicly displaying a copy of this letter everywhere, you will allow the Jews to follow their laws freely,
20 and lend them assistance, so that they may repel the attack on those who, during the days of oppression, rose up against them; And that, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, called Adar, in one day.
21 For God, the Master of all things, has changed this day of misfortune into a day of rejoicing for the chosen race.
22 Therefore, you too should celebrate this great day with all kinds of rejoicing, as one of your solemn festivals, so that it may be, now and in the future,
23 for us and for all those who are devoted to the Persians, one guarantee of hello and on the contrary a reminder of ruin for those who plot against us.
24 »Any city, and generally any country, that has not followed these prescriptions will be furiously devastated by iron and fire,”, in such a way that’may it forever be not only inaccessible to men, but also abhorred by wild beasts and birds.
»"Just copies" of this decree be exposed to the eyes in all the extent of the empire, and that all Jews may thus be ready, on the aforementioned day, to fight their enemies.«
