Esther 2

1 After these things, at the ceasing of the fury of King Ahasuerus, he has remembered Vashti, and that which she did, and that which has been decreed concerning her;

Therfor whanne these thingis weren doon, aftir that the indignacioun of kyng Assuerus was coold, he bithouyte of Vasthi, and what thingis sche hadde do, ethir what thingis sche suffride.

2 and servants of the king, his ministers, say, “Let them seek for the king young women, virgins, of good appearance,

And the children and the mynystris of the kyng seiden to `the kyng, Damyselis, virgyns `and faire, be souyt to the kyng; and `men ben sent,

3 and the king appoints inspectors in all provinces of his kingdom, and they gather every young woman—virgin, of good appearance—to Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, to the hand of Hegai eunuch of the king, keeper of the women, and to give their purifications,

that schulen biholde bi alle prouinces damesels faire and virgyns; and brynge thei hem to the citee Susa, and bitake thei in to the hows of wymmen, vndur the hond of Egei, the onest seruaunt and chast, which is the souereyn and kepere of the kyngis wymmen; and take the damesels ournement of wymmen, and other thingis nedeful to vsis.

4 and the young woman who is good in the eyes of the king reigns instead of Vashti”; and the thing is good in the eyes of the king, and he does so.

And which euer damesele among alle plesith the iyen of the kyng, regne sche for Vasti. The word pleside the kyng; and he comaundide to be don so, as thei counceliden.

5 A man, a Jew, there has been in Shushan the palace, and his name [is] Mordecai son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjamite—

Forsothe a man, a Jew, was in the citee Susa, Mardoche bi name, the sone of Jair, sone of Semei, sone of Cys, of the generacioun of Gemyny;

6 who had been removed from Jerusalem with the expulsion that was removed with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed—

that was translatid fro Jerusalem in that tyme, wherynne Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babiloyne, hadde translatid Jechonye, kyng of Juda;

7 and he is supporting Hadassah—she [is] Esther—daughter of his uncle, for she has neither father nor mother, and the young woman [is] of beautiful form, and of good appearance, and at the death of her father and her mother Mordecai has taken her to himself for a daughter.

which Mardoche was the nurschere of Edissa, the douyter of his brothir, which douytir was clepid Hester bi anothir name, and sche hadde lost bothe fadir and modir; sche was ful fair, and semeli of face; and whanne hir fadir and modir weren deed, Mardoche `purchaside hir in to a douytir to hymsilf.

8 And it comes to pass, in the word of the king, even his law, being heard, and in many young women being gathered to Shushan the palace, to the hand of Hegai, that Esther is taken to the house of the king, to the hand of Hegai, keeper of the women,

And whanne the comaundement of the kyng was ofte pupplischid, and bi his comaundement many faire virgyns weren brouyt to Susa, and weren bitakun to Egey, the onest seruaunt and chast, also Hester among othere damesels was bytakun to hym, that sche schulde be kept in the noumbre of wymmen.

9 and the young woman is good in his eyes, and she receives kindness before him, and he hurries her purifications and her portions—to give to her, and the seven young women who are provided—to give to her, from the house of the king, and he changes her and her young women to a good [place in] the house of the women.

And sche pleside hym, and foond grace in his siyt, that he hastide the ournement of wymmen, and bitook to hir her partis, and seuene the faireste damesels of the kyngis hows; and he ournede and araiede bothe hir and damesels suynge hir feet.

10 Esther has not declared her people, and her family, for Mordecai has laid a charge on her that she does not declare [it];

And `sche nolde schewe to hym hir puple and hir cuntrei; for Mardoche hadde comaundid to hir, that in al maner sche schulde be stille of this thing.

11 and during every day Mordecai is walking up and down before the court of the house of the women to know the welfare of Esther, and what is done with her.

And he walkide ech dai bifor the porche of the dore, in which the chosun virgyns weren kept, and he dide the cure of the helthe of Hester, and wolde wite, what bifelde to hyr.

12 And in the drawing near of the turn of each young woman to come in to King Ahasuerus, at the end of there being to her—according to the law of the women—twelve months, for so they fulfill the days of their purifications; six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes, and with the purifications of women,

And whanne the tyme of alle damesels bi ordre was comun, that thei schulden entre to the kyng, whanne alle thingis weren fillid that perteyneden to wymmens atire, the tweluethe monethe was turned; so oneli that thei weren anoyntid with oile of `myrte tre bi sixe monethis, and bi othere sixe monethis `thei vsiden summe pymentis and swete-smellynge oynementis.

13 and with this the young woman has come in to the king, all that she says is given to her to go in with her out of the house of the women to the house of the king;

And thei entriden to the kyng, and what euer thing perteynynge to ournement thei axiden, thei token; and thei weren araied as it pleside hem, and passiden fro the chaumbre of wymmen to the kyngis bed.

14 in the evening she has gone in, and in the morning she has turned back to the second house of the women, to the hand of Shaashgaz eunuch of the king, keeper of the concubines; she does not come in anymore to the king except the king has delighted in her, and she has been called by name.

And sche that hadde entrid in the euentid, yede out in the morwetid; and fro thennus thei weren led forth in to the secounde housis, that weren vndur the hond of Sagazi, onest seruaunt and chast, that was gouernour of the kyngis concubyns; and sche hadde not power to go ayen more to the kyng, no but the kyng wolde, `and had comaundid hir to come bi name.

15 And in the drawing near of the turn of Esther—daughter of Abihail, uncle of Mordecai, whom he had taken to himself for a daughter—to come in to the king, she has not sought a thing except that which Hegai eunuch of the king, keeper of the women, says, and Esther is receiving grace in the eyes of all seeing her.

Sotheli whanne the tyme was turned aboute bi ordre, the dai neiyede, wherynne Hester, the douyter of Abiahel, brother of Mardoche, `whom he hadde purchasid in to a douyter to hym silf, ouyte entre to the kyng; and sche axide not wymmenus ournement, but what euer thingis Egei, the onest seruaunt and chast, kepere of virgyns, wolde, he yaf these thingis to hir to ournement; for sche was ful schapli, and of fairnesse that may not liytli be bileuyd, and sche semyde graciouse and amyable to the iyen of alle men.

16 And Esther is taken to King Ahasuerus, to his royal house, in the tenth month—it [is] the month of Tebeth—in the seventh year of his reign,

Therfor sche was lad to the bed of kyng Assuerus, in the tenthe monethe, which is clepid Cebeth, in the seuenthe yeer of his rewme.

17 and the king loves Esther above all the women, and she receives grace and kindness before him above all the virgins, and he sets a royal crown on her head, and causes her to reign instead of Vashti,

And the kyng feruentli louyde hir more than alle wymmen, and sche hadde grace and mercy bifor hym ouer alle wymmen; and he settide the diademe of rewme `on hir heed, and he made hir to regne in the stide of Vasthi.

18 and the king makes a great banquet to all his heads and his servants—the banquet of Esther—and has made a release to the provinces, and gives gifts as a memorial of the king.

And he comaundide a ful worschipful feeste to be maad redi to alle hise princes and seruauntis, for the ioynyng togidere and the weddyngis of Hester; and he yaf rest to alle prouynces, and yaf yiftis aftir the worschipful doyng of a prynce.

19 And in the virgins being gathered a second time, then Mordecai is sitting in the gate of the king;

And whanne virgyns weren souyt also the secounde tyme, and weren gaderid togidere, Mardochee dwellide at the yate of the kyng.

20 Esther is not declaring her family and her people, as Mordecai has laid a charge on her, and the saying of Mordecai Esther is doing as when she was truly with him.

Hester hadde not yit schewid hir cuntrei and puple, bi comaundement of hym; for whi what euer thing he comaundide, Hester kepte, and sche dide so alle thingis, as sche was wont in that tyme, in which he nurschide hir a litil child.

21 In those days, when Mordecai is sitting in the gate of the king, has Bigthan been angry, and Teresh (two of the eunuchs of the king, the keepers of the threshold), and they seek to put forth a hand on King Ahasuerus,

Therfor in that tyme, wherynne Mardochee dwellide at the `yate of the king, Bagathan and Thares, twei seruauntis of the kyng, weren wrothe, `that weren porteris, and saten in the first threisfold of the paleis; and thei wolden rise ayens the kyng, and sle hym.

22 and the thing is known to Mordecai, and he declares [it] to Esther the queen, and Esther speaks to the king in the name of Mordecai,

Which thing was not hid fro Mardochee, and anoon he telde to the queen Hester, and sche to the kyng, bi the name of Mardochee, that hadde teld the thing to hir.

23 and the thing is sought out, and found, and both of them are hanged on a tree, and it is written in the scroll of the Chronicles before the king.

It was souyt, and it was foundun, and ech of hem was hangid in a iebat; and `it was sent to storyes, and was bitakun to bookis of yeeris, `bifor the kyng.