Esther 3

1 After - the things these he made great the king Ahasuerus Haman [the] son of Hammedatha the Agagite and he exalted him and he placed seat his above all the officials who [were] with him.

Aftir these thingis kyng Assuerus enhaunside Aaman, the sone of Amadathi, that was of the kynrede of Agag, and settide his trone aboue alle the princes whiche he hadde.

2 And all [the] servants of the king who [were] at [the] gate of the king [were] kneeling and bowing down to Haman for thus he had commanded to him the king and Mordecai not he knelt and not he bowed down.

And alle the seruauntis of the kyng, that lyuyden in the yatis of the paleis, kneliden, and worschipiden Aaman; for the emperour hadde comaundid so to hem; Mardochee aloone bowide not the knees, nethir worschipide hym.

3 And they said [the] servants of the king who [were] at [the] gate of the king to Mordecai why? [are] you transgressing [the] commandment of the king.

`To whom the children of the kyng seiden, that saten bifore at the yatis of the paleis, Whi kepist `thou not the comaundementis of the kyng, othere wise than othere men?

4 And it was (just as spoke they *Q(K)*) to him a day and a day and not he listened to them and they told to Haman to see ¿ will they stand [the] words of Mordecai that he had told to them that he [was] a Jew.

And whanne thei seiden ful ofte these thingis, and he nolde here, thei tolden to Aaman, `and wolden wite, whether he contynuede in sentence; for he hadde seid to hem, that he was a Jew.

5 And he saw Haman that not Mordecai [was] kneeling and bowing down to him and he was filled Haman rage.

And whanne Aaman hadde herd this thing, and hadde preued `bi experience, that Mardochee bowide not the kne to hym, nethir worschipide hym, he was ful wrooth,

6 And he despised in view his to stretch out a hand on Mordecai to only him if people had told to him [the] people of Mordecai and he sought Haman to annihilate all the Jews who [were] in all [the] kingdom of Ahasuerus [the] people of Mordecai.

and he ledde for nouyt to sette hise hondis on Mardochee aloone; for he hadde herd, that Mardochee was of the folc of Jewis, and more he wolde leese al the nacioun of Jewis, that weren in the rewme of Assuerus.

7 In the month first that [is] [the] month of Nisan in year two [plus] ten of the king Ahasuerus someone cast Pur it [is] the lot before Haman from day - to day and from month to month (and it fell the lot on three [plus] ten day of month *X*) two [plus] ten that [is] [the] month of Adar.

In the firste monethe, whos nam is Nysan, in the tweluethe yeer of the rewme of Assuerus, lot was sent in to a vessel, which lot is seid in Ebrew phur, `bifor Aaman, in what dai and in what monethe the folk of Jewis ouyte to be slayn; and the tweluethe monethe yede out, which is clepid Adar.

8 And he said Haman to the king Ahasuerus there it [is] a people one scattered and separated among the peoples in all [the] provinces of kingdom your and laws their [are] differing from every people and [the] laws of the king not they [are] doing and for the king not [is] appropriate to let remain them.

And Aaman seide to the king Assuerus, A puple is scaterid bi alle the prouynces of thi rewme, and is departid fro it silf togidere, and vsith newe lawis and cerymonyes, and ferthermore it dispisith also the comaundementis of the kyng; and thou knowest best, that it spedith not to thi rewme, `that it encreesse in malice bi licence.

9 If [is] on the king good let it be written to destroy them and ten thousand talent[s] of silver I will weigh out on [the] hands of [the] doers of the work to bring [it] into [the] treasuries of the king.

If it plesith thee, `deme thou that it perisch, and Y schal paie ten thousynde of talentis to the keperis of thi tresour.

10 And he removed the king signet-ring his from on hand his and he gave it to Haman [the] son of Hammedatha the Agagite [the] opposer of the Jews.

Therfor the kyng took `fro his hond the ryng which he vside, and yaf it to Aaman, the sone of Amadathi, of the kynrede of Agag, to the enemy of Jewis.

11 And he said the king to Haman the silver [is] given to you and the people to do with it according to the good in view your.

And the kyng seide to hym, The siluer, which thou bihiytist, be thin; do thou of the puple that, that plesith thee.

12 And they were summoned [the] scribes of the king in the month first on thir-teenth day in it and it was written according to all that he commanded Haman to [the] satraps of the king and to the governors who - [were] over province and province and to [the] officials of people and people province and province according to writing its and people and people according to language its in [the] name of the king Ahasuerus [it was] written and [it was] sealed with [the] signet-ring of the king.

And the scryuens of the kyng weren clepid in the firste monethe Nysan, in the threttenthe dai of the same monethe; and it was writun, as Aaman hadde comaundid, to alle prynces of the kyng, and to domesmen of prouynces and of dyuerse folkis, that ech folk myyte rede and here, `for dyuersite of langagis, bi the name of kyng Assuerus. And lettris aseelid with

13 And they were sent documents by [the] hand of the runners to all [the] provinces of the king to annihilate to kill and to destroy all the Jews from young man and unto old [man] little one[s] and women on a day one on [day] thir-teen of month two [plus] ten that [is] [the] month of Adar and spoil their to take as plunder.

the ring of the kyng weren sent bi the corouris of the kyng to alle hise prouynces, that thei schulden sle, and `do awei alle Jewis, fro a child to an eld man, litle children and wymmen, in o dai, that is, in the thrittenthe dai of the tweluethe monethe, which is clepid Adar; and that thei schulden take awei the goodis of Jewis.

14 copy of The writing [was] to be given law in every province and province [was] disclosed to all the peoples to be ready for the day this.

Forsothe the sentence `in schort of the pistlis was this, that alle prouyncis schulden wite, and make hem redi to the forseid dai.

15 The runners they went out being hasty at [the] word of the king and the law it was given in Susa the citadel and the king and Haman they sat down to drink and the city of Susa it was in confusion.

And the coroures, that weren sent, hastiden to fille the comaundement of the kyng; and anoon the comaundement hangide in Susa, `while the kyng and Aaman maden feeste, and `the while that alle Jewis wepten, that weren in the citee.