Ἐσθήρ 2
1 καὶ μετὰ τοὺς λόγους τούτους ἐκόπασεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ θυμοῦ καὶ οὐκέτι ἐμνήσθη τῆς Αστιν μνημονεύων οἷα ἐλάλησεν καὶ ὡς κατέκρινεν αὐτήν
After a while, King Xerxes quit being so angry. He thought about Vashti, and he thought about the law he had made because of what she [had done, and he wanted another wife].
2 καὶ εἶπαν οἱ διάκονοι τοῦ βασιλέως ζητηθήτω τῷ βασιλεῖ κοράσια ἄφθορα καλὰ τῷ εἴδει
So his personal servants said to him, “[Your majesty, ] you should send some men to search throughout the empire for some beautiful young women/virgins for you.
3 καὶ καταστήσει ὁ βασιλεὺς κωμάρχας ἐν πάσαις ταῖς χώραις τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπιλεξάτωσαν κοράσια παρθενικὰ καλὰ τῷ εἴδει εἰς Σουσαν τὴν πόλιν εἰς τὸν γυναικῶνα καὶ παραδοθήτωσαν τῷ εὐνούχῳ τοῦ βασιλέως τῷ φύλακι τῶν γυναικῶν καὶ δοθήτω σμῆγμα καὶ ἡ λοιπὴ ἐπιμέλεια
[After they find some, ] you can appoint some officials in each province to bring them to the place where you keep (your wives/the women you sleep with) here in Susa. Then Hegai, the man who is in charge of these women, can arrange for ointments to be put [on their bodies] to make them [more] beautiful.
4 καὶ ἡ γυνή ἣ ἂν ἀρέσῃ τῷ βασιλεῖ βασιλεύσει ἀντὶ Αστιν καὶ ἤρεσεν τῷ βασιλεῖ τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ ἐποίησεν οὕτως
Then the woman who pleases you most can become queen instead of Vashti.” The king liked what they suggested, so he did it.
5 καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἦν Ιουδαῖος ἐν Σούσοις τῇ πόλει καὶ ὄνομα αὐτῷ Μαρδοχαῖος ὁ τοῦ Ιαϊρου τοῦ Σεμεϊου τοῦ Κισαιου ἐκ φυλῆς Βενιαμιν
At that time there was a Jew [living] in Susa, the capital, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair. Jair was a descendant of Shimei. Shimei was a descendant of [King Saul’s father] Kish. [They were all] from the tribe descended from Benjamin.
6 ὃς ἦν αἰχμάλωτος ἐξ Ιερουσαλημ ἣν ᾐχμαλώτευσεν Ναβουχοδονοσορ βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος
[Many years before that, ] King Nebuchadnezzar had taken (Mordecai/Mordecai’s family) [and brought them from Jerusalem] to Babylon, at the same time he brought King Jehoiachin of Judah and many other people to Babylon.
7 καὶ ἦν τούτῳ παῖς θρεπτή θυγάτηρ Αμιναδαβ ἀδελφοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ ὄνομα αὐτῇ Εσθηρ ἐν δὲ τῷ μεταλλάξαι αὐτῆς τοὺς γονεῖς ἐπαίδευσεν αὐτὴν ἑαυτῷ εἰς γυναῖκα καὶ ἦν τὸ κοράσιον καλὸν τῷ εἴδει
Mordecai had a cousin whose [Hebrew] name was Hadassah. She had a beautiful face and beautiful body/figure. Her [Persian] name was Esther. After her father and mother died, Mordecai took care of Esther as though she were his own daughter.
8 καὶ ὅτε ἠκούσθη τὸ τοῦ βασιλέως πρόσταγμα συνήχθησαν κοράσια πολλὰ εἰς Σουσαν τὴν πόλιν ὑπὸ χεῖρα Γαι καὶ ἤχθη Εσθηρ πρὸς Γαι τὸν φύλακα τῶν γυναικῶν
After the king commanded [that they search for some beautiful women], they brought Esther and many other young women to the king’s palace [in Susa], and (the king put Hegai/Hegai was put) in charge of them.
9 καὶ ἤρεσεν αὐτῷ τὸ κοράσιον καὶ εὗρεν χάριν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔσπευσεν αὐτῇ δοῦναι τὸ σμῆγμα καὶ τὴν μερίδα καὶ τὰ ἑπτὰ κοράσια τὰ ἀποδεδειγμένα αὐτῇ ἐκ βασιλικοῦ καὶ ἐχρήσατο αὐτῇ καλῶς καὶ ταῖς ἅβραις αὐτῆς ἐν τῷ γυναικῶνι
Hegai was very pleased with Esther, and he treated her well. He immediately arranged for her to be given ointments to make her [even more] beautiful, and [he ordered that] special food [would be given to her]. [He arranged that] seven maids from the king’s palace [would take care of her], and arranged that she/they would stay in the best rooms.
10 καὶ οὐχ ὑπέδειξεν Εσθηρ τὸ γένος αὐτῆς οὐδὲ τὴν πατρίδα ὁ γὰρ Μαρδοχαῖος ἐνετείλατο αὐτῇ μὴ ἀπαγγεῖλαι
Esther did not tell anyone that she was a Jew, because Mordecai had told her not to tell anyone.
11 καθ’ ἑκάστην δὲ ἡμέραν ὁ Μαρδοχαῖος περιεπάτει κατὰ τὴν αὐλὴν τὴν γυναικείαν ἐπισκοπῶν τί Εσθηρ συμβήσεται
Every day Mordecai walked near the courtyard of the place where those women stayed. He asked [people who entered the courtyard] to find out [and tell him] what was happening to Esther.
12 οὗτος δὲ ἦν καιρὸς κορασίου εἰσελθεῖν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ὅταν ἀναπληρώσῃ μῆνας δέκα δύο οὕτως γὰρ ἀναπληροῦνται αἱ ἡμέραι τῆς θεραπείας μῆνας ἓξ ἀλειφόμεναι ἐν σμυρνίνῳ ἐλαίῳ καὶ μῆνας ἓξ ἐν τοῖς ἀρώμασιν καὶ ἐν τοῖς σμήγμασιν τῶν γυναικῶν
Before these women were taken to the king, they put ointments on [the bodies of] these women for one year to make them more beautiful. For six months they [rubbed olive] oil mixed with myrrh [on their bodies each day]. For [the next] six months they rubbed ointments and perfumes on their bodies.
13 καὶ τότε εἰσπορεύεται πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα καὶ ὃ ἐὰν εἴπῃ παραδώσει αὐτῇ συνεισέρχεσθαι αὐτῇ ἀπὸ τοῦ γυναικῶνος ἕως τῶν βασιλείων
Then, when one of these women [was summoned to] go to the king, she was allowed to wear whatever clothes and jewelry she chose.
14 δείλης εἰσπορεύεται καὶ πρὸς ἡμέραν ἀποτρέχει εἰς τὸν γυναικῶνα τὸν δεύτερον οὗ Γαι ὁ εὐνοῦχος τοῦ βασιλέως ὁ φύλαξ τῶν γυναικῶν καὶ οὐκέτι εἰσπορεύεται πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἐὰν μὴ κληθῇ ὀνόματι
In the evening, they would take her [to the king’s own room]. The next morning, they would take her to another place where the women [who had slept with the king] stayed. There another official whose name was Shaashgaz was in charge [of those women]. [Those women would live there for the rest of their lives, and] one of those women would go back to the king again only if the king very much wanted her to come again, and only if he told Shaashgaz the name of the woman.
15 ἐν δὲ τῷ ἀναπληροῦσθαι τὸν χρόνον Εσθηρ τῆς θυγατρὸς Αμιναδαβ ἀδελφοῦ πατρὸς Μαρδοχαίου εἰσελθεῖν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα οὐδὲν ἠθέτησεν ὧν αὐτῇ ἐνετείλατο ὁ εὐνοῦχος ὁ φύλαξ τῶν γυναικῶν ἦν γὰρ Εσθηρ εὑρίσκουσα χάριν παρὰ πάντων τῶν βλεπόντων αὐτήν
Everyone who saw Esther liked her. After King Xerxes had been ruling for seven years, it was Esther’s turn to go to him. When they took her to the king, it was during the middle part of the winter. She wore only the things that Hegai suggested.
16 καὶ εἰσῆλθεν Εσθηρ πρὸς Ἀρταξέρξην τὸν βασιλέα τῷ δωδεκάτῳ μηνί ὅς ἐστιν Αδαρ τῷ ἑβδόμῳ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ
17 καὶ ἠράσθη ὁ βασιλεὺς Εσθηρ καὶ εὗρεν χάριν παρὰ πάσας τὰς παρθένους καὶ ἐπέθηκεν αὐτῇ τὸ διάδημα τὸ γυναικεῖον
The king liked Esther more than he liked any of the other women [that they brought to him]. He liked her so much that he put on her head the queen’s crown, and he declared that Esther would be the queen instead of Vashti.
18 καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς πότον πᾶσι τοῖς φίλοις αὐτοῦ καὶ ταῖς δυνάμεσιν ἐπὶ ἡμέρας ἑπτὰ καὶ ὕψωσεν τοὺς γάμους Εσθηρ καὶ ἄφεσιν ἐποίησεν τοῖς ὑπὸ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ
To celebrate her [becoming the queen], he had a big banquet/feast prepared for all his administrators and [other] officials. He generously gave [expensive] gifts to everyone, and he declared that in all the provinces there would be a holiday, [a time when people did not have to pay taxes].
19 ὁ δὲ Μαρδοχαῖος ἐθεράπευεν ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ
Later all those women who had spent a night with the king were gathered together again. By that time Mordecai had become an official at the palace.
20 ἡ δὲ Εσθηρ οὐχ ὑπέδειξεν τὴν πατρίδα αὐτῆς οὕτως γὰρ ἐνετείλατο αὐτῇ Μαρδοχαῖος φοβεῖσθαι τὸν θεὸν καὶ ποιεῖν τὰ προστάγματα αὐτοῦ καθὼς ἦν μετ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ Εσθηρ οὐ μετήλλαξεν τὴν ἀγωγὴν αὐτῆς
But Esther still did not tell anyone that she was a Jew. She continued to do what Mordecai had told her to do.
21 καὶ ἐλυπήθησαν οἱ δύο εὐνοῦχοι τοῦ βασιλέως οἱ ἀρχισωματοφύλακες ὅτι προήχθη Μαρδοχαῖος καὶ ἐζήτουν ἀποκτεῖναι Ἀρταξέρξην τὸν βασιλέα
One day when Mordecai was doing his work in the palace, two of the king’s officials were there. Their names were Bigthana and Teresh. They were the guards who stood outside the king’s own rooms. They became angry [with the king], and they were planning how they could assassinate/kill him.
22 καὶ ἐδηλώθη Μαρδοχαίῳ ὁ λόγος καὶ ἐσήμανεν Εσθηρ καὶ αὐτὴ ἐνεφάνισεν τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς
But Mordecai heard about what they were planning, and he told that to Queen Esther. Then she told the king what Mordecai had found out.
23 ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἤτασεν τοὺς δύο εὐνούχους καὶ ἐκρέμασεν αὐτούς καὶ προσέταξεν ὁ βασιλεὺς καταχωρίσαι εἰς μνημόσυνον ἐν τῇ βασιλικῇ βιβλιοθήκῃ ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐνοίας Μαρδοχαίου ἐν ἐγκωμίῳ
The king investigated and found out that Mordecai’s report was true. So the king ordered that those two men be hanged. When that was done, (an official wrote a report/a report was written) about it in a book called ‘The book that records what happened while Xerxes was king’.
