Esther 10

1 Forsothe kyng Assuerus made tributarye ech lond, and alle the ilis of the see;

King Xerxes required that all the people in his empire pay taxes. Even the people who lived on the islands [in the Mediterranean Sea] (OR, in coastal areas) were required to pay taxes.

2 whos strengthe and empire and dignyte and hiynesse, by which he enhaunside Mardochee, ben writun in the bookis of Medeis and of Persis;

And all the great and powerful things that Xerxes did were written in the scroll called/entitled ‘The record of the things done by the kings of Media and Persia’. In this book were also written [the things done] by Mordecai, the man whom the king had greatly honored.

3 and how Mardochee of the kyn of Jewis was the secounde fro king Assuerus, and was greet anentis Jewis, and acceptable to the puple of hise britheren, and he souyte goodis to his puple, and spak tho thingis, that perteyneden to the pees of his seed.

Mordecai, who was a Jew, became the king’s most important official, and [all] the Jews also considered him to be a very great man. They [all] respected him, because he did many good things for the Jews, and he often asked [the king] to do good things for them.