Esther 8

1 In that dai kyng Assuerus yaf to Hester, the queen, the hows of Aaman, aduersarie of Jewis. And Mardochee entride bifor the face of the kyng; for Hester knoulechide to hym, that he was `hir fadris brother.

[Later] on that same day, King Xerxes declared that everything that Haman, the enemy of the Jews, owned, would now belong to Queen Esther. Esther told the king that Mordecai was her cousin. [When] the king [heard that, he sent a message to tell] Mordecai to come in.

2 Therfor the kyng took the ryng, which he hadde comaundid to be resseyued fro Aaman, and yaf to Mardochee. Forsothe Hester ordeynede Mardochee ouer hir hows.

When Mordecai came in, the king took off the ring that had his official seal on it, the ring that he had [previously] given to Haman, and gave it to Mordecai, [to indicate that Mordecai was now his most important official]. And Esther appointed Mordecai to be in charge of everything that had belonged to Haman.

3 And Hester was not appaied with these thingis, and felde doun to the feet of the kyng, and wepte, and spak to hym, and preiede, that he schulde comaunde the malice of Aaman of Agag, and hise worste castis, whiche he hadde thouyte out ayens Jewis, `to be maad voide.

Esther again [came to] talk to the king. She prostrated herself at his feet, crying. She [wanted to] plead for him to stop what Haman had planned, to kill all the Jews.

4 And the kyng bi custom helde forth the goldun yerde of the kyng with his hond, bi which the signe of merci was schewid. `Therfor sche roos vp,

The king held out his gold scepter/staff toward Esther, so Esther arose and stood in front of him.

5 and stood bifor hym, and seide, If it plesith the kyng, and if Y haue founde grace bifor hise iyen, and if my preier is not seyn `to be contrarie to hym, Y biseche, that the elde lettris of Aaman, traitour and enemy of Jewis, by whiche he hadde comaundid hem to perische in alle the prouynces of the kyng, be amendid bi newe pistlis;

She said, “Your majesty, if you are pleased with me, and if you think that it is the right thing to do, make a new law to cancel what Haman decreed, that all the Jews in all the provinces in your empire should be killed.

6 for hou schal Y mowe suffre the deth, and the sleyng of my puple?

I cannot bear seeing all my family and [all the rest of] my people killed.”

7 And kyng Assuerus answeride to Hester, the queen, and to Mardochee, Jew, Y grauntide the hows of Aaman to Hester, the queen, and Y comaundide hym to be hangid `on the cros, for he was hardi to sette hond ayens the Jewis.

King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and Mordecai, “Because Haman tried to get rid of all the Jews, I have given to Esther everything that belonged to Haman, and I have ordered [my soldiers] to hang Haman.

8 Therfor write ye to Jewis, as it plesith to you, `bi the name of the kyng, and aseele ye the lettris with my ring. For this was the custom, that no man durste ayenseie the pistlis, that weren sente in the kyngis name, and weren aseelid with his ryng.

So now I am also permitting you to write other letters, to [save] your people. You may put my name [on the letters], and use my ring to seal them because no letter that has my name on it and which is sealed with my ring can ever be changed.”

9 And whanne the dyteris and `writeris of the kyng weren clepid; `sotheli it was the tyme of the thridde monethe, which is clepid Siban, in the thre and twentithe dai of that monethe; pistlis weren writun, as Mardochee wolde, to Jewis, and to princes, and to procuratouris, and to iugis, that weren souereyns of an hundrid and seuene and twenti prouynces, fro Iynde `til to Ethiope, to prouynce and to prouynce, to puple and to puple, bi her langagis and lettris, and to Jewis, that thei myyten rede and here.

Then the king summoned his secretaries, on June 25th, and [Mordecai told them to] write letters to the Jews and to all the governors and other officials in all of the 127 provinces, which extended from India [in the east] to Ethiopia [in the west]. They wrote these letters in all the languages that the people in each area spoke. They also wrote letters to the Jewish people, in their language.

10 And tho pistlis, that weren sent `bi the kyngis name, weren aseelid with his ryng, and sent bi messangeris, whiche runnen aboute bi alle prouynces, and camen with newe messagis bifor the elde lettris.

They wrote in those letters that the Jews in every city were permitted by the king to gather together to protect themselves. They also were permitted to kill any group of soldiers who attacked them. They were also permitted to kill the women and children of those who attacked them, and to take the possessions of the people whom they killed.

11 To whiche the kyng comaundide, that thei schulden clepe togidere the Jewis bi alle citees, `and comaunde to be gaderid togidere, that thei schulden stonde for her lyues; and schulden sle, and do awei alle her enemyes, with her wyues and children, and alle howsis.

12 And o dai of veniaunce, that is, in the thrittenthe dai of the tweluethe monethe Adar, was ordeined bi alle prouynces.

[All this was to be done] on March 7th of the following year. Mordecai signed the king’s name on the letters, and sealed them with the seal that was on the king’s ring. Then he gave them to messengers, who rode on fast horses that had been raised especially for the king.

13 And the schort sentence of the pistle was this, that it were maad knowun in alle londis and puplis, that weren suget to the empire of kyng Assuerus, that the Jewis ben redi to take veniaunce of her enemyes.

Copies of this law were to be nailed to posts in every province and read to all the people, in order that the Jews would be ready to (get revenge on/fight against) their enemies on March 7th.

14 And the messangeris yeden out, bifor berynge swift messages; and the comaundement of the kyng hangide in Susa.

The king commanded the men who took these letters [to all the provinces] to ride quickly on the king’s horses. And copies of the letter were also posted and read to the people in [the capital city, ] Susa.

15 Sotheli Mardochee yede out of the paleis and of the kyngis siyt, and schynede in the kyngis clothis, that is, of iacynct and of colour of the eir, and he bar a goldun coroun in his heed, and was clothid with a mentil of selk and of purpur; and al the citee fulli ioiede, and was glad.

Before Mordecai left the palace, he put on the blue and white robe and a large gold crown that the king had given him. He also put on a coat made of fine purple cloth. When the people in Susa heard the new law, they all shouted and cheered.

16 Forsothe a newe liyt semede to rise to the Jewis,

The Jews in Susa were very happy, and [other people] honored [them].

17 ioie, onour, and daunsyng, at alle puplis, citees, and alle prouynces, whidur euere the comaundementis of the kyng camen, a wondurful ioie, metis, and feestis, and an hooli dai, in so myche, that many of an other folk and sect weren ioyned to the religioun and cerymonyes of hem; for the greet drede of the name of Jewis `hadde asaylid alle hem.

And when the new law arrived in every city and province, the Jews there celebrated and prepared feasts and were very joyful. And many men throughout the empire [were circumcised and] became Jews, because they were now afraid of [what] the Jews [would do to them if they were not Jews].