Ἐσθήρ 9
1 ἐν γὰρ τῷ δωδεκάτῳ μηνὶ τρισκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ μηνός ὅς ἐστιν Αδαρ παρῆν τὰ γράμματα τὰ γραφέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως
So on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which as we have said above is called Adar, when all the Jews were designed to be massacred, and their enemies were greedy after their blood, the case being altered, the Jews began to have the upper hand, and to revenge themselves of their adversaries.
2 ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἀπώλοντο οἱ ἀντικείμενοι τοῖς Ιουδαίοις οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀντέστη φοβούμενος αὐτούς
And they gathered themselves together in every city, and town, and place, to lay their hands on their enemies, and their persecutors. And no one durst withstand them, for the fear of their power had gone through every people.
3 οἱ γὰρ ἄρχοντες τῶν σατραπῶν καὶ οἱ τύραννοι καὶ οἱ βασιλικοὶ γραμματεῖς ἐτίμων τοὺς Ιουδαίους ὁ γὰρ φόβος Μαρδοχαίου ἐνέκειτο αὐτοῖς
And the judges of the provinces, and the governors, and lieutenants, and every one in dignity, that presided over every place and work, extolled the Jews for fear of Mardochai:
4 προσέπεσεν γὰρ τὸ πρόσταγμα τοῦ βασιλέως ὀνομασθῆναι ἐν πάσῃ τῇ βασιλείᾳ
For they knew him to be prince of the palace, and to have great power: and the fame of his name increased daily, and was spread abroad through all men’s mouths.
So the Jews made a great slaughter of their enemies, and killed them, repaying according to what they had prepared to do to them:
6 καὶ ἐν Σούσοις τῇ πόλει ἀπέκτειναν οἱ Ιουδαῖοι ἄνδρας πεντακοσίους
Insomuch that even in Susan they killed five hundred men, besides the ten sons of Aman the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews: whose names are these:
7 τόν τε Φαρσαννεσταιν καὶ Δελφων καὶ Φασγα
Pharsandatha, and Delphon, and Esphatha,
8 καὶ Φαρδαθα καὶ Βαρεα καὶ Σαρβαχα
And Phoratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,
9 καὶ Μαρμασιμα καὶ Αρουφαιον καὶ Αρσαιον καὶ Ζαβουθαιθαν
And Phermesta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Jezatha.
10 τοὺς δέκα υἱοὺς Αμαν Αμαδαθου Βουγαίου τοῦ ἐχθροῦ τῶν Ιουδαίων καὶ διήρπασαν
And when they had slain them, they would not touch the spoils of their goods.
11 ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐπεδόθη ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν ἀπολωλότων ἐν Σούσοις
And presently the number of them that were killed in Susan was brought to the king.
12 εἶπεν δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς Εσθηρ ἀπώλεσαν οἱ Ιουδαῖοι ἐν Σούσοις τῇ πόλει ἄνδρας πεντακοσίους ἐν δὲ τῇ περιχώρῳ πῶς οἴει ἐχρήσαντο τί οὖν ἀξιοῖς ἔτι καὶ ἔσται σοι
And he said to the queen: The Jews have killed five hundred men in the city of Susan, besides the ten sons of Aman: how many dost thou think they have slain in all the provinces? What askest thou more, and what wilt thou have me to command to be done?
13 καὶ εἶπεν Εσθηρ τῷ βασιλεῖ δοθήτω τοῖς Ιουδαίοις χρῆσθαι ὡσαύτως τὴν αὔριον ὥστε τοὺς δέκα υἱοὺς κρεμάσαι Αμαν
And she answered: If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews, to do tomorrow in Susan as they have done today, and that the ten sons of Aman may be hanged upon gibbets.
14 καὶ ἐπέτρεψεν οὕτως γενέσθαι καὶ ἐξέθηκε τοῖς Ιουδαίοις τῆς πόλεως τὰ σώματα τῶν υἱῶν Αμαν κρεμάσαι
And the king commanded that it should be so done. And forthwith the edict was hung up in Susan, and the ten sons of Aman were hanged.
15 καὶ συνήχθησαν οἱ Ιουδαῖοι ἐν Σούσοις τῇ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ Αδαρ καὶ ἀπέκτειναν ἄνδρας τριακοσίους καὶ οὐδὲν διήρπασαν
And on the fourteenth day of the month Adar the Jews gathered themselves together, and they killed in Susan three hundred men: but they took not their substance.
16 οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ τῶν Ιουδαίων οἱ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ συνήχθησαν καὶ ἑαυτοῖς ἐβοήθουν καὶ ἀνεπαύσαντο ἀπὸ τῶν πολεμίων ἀπώλεσαν γὰρ αὐτῶν μυρίους πεντακισχιλίους τῇ τρισκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ Αδαρ καὶ οὐδὲν διήρπασαν
Moreover through all the provinces which were subject to the king’s dominion the Jews stood for their lives, and slew their enemies and persecutors: insomuch that the number of them that were Billed amounted to seventy-five thousand, and no man took any of their goods.
17 καὶ ἀνεπαύσαντο τῇ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ αὐτοῦ μηνὸς καὶ ἦγον αὐτὴν ἡμέραν ἀναπαύσεως μετὰ χαρᾶς καὶ εὐφροσύνης
Now the thirteenth day of the month Adar was the first day with them all of the slaughter, and on the fourteenth day they left off. Which they ordained to be kept holy day, so that all times hereafter they should celebrate it with feasting, joy, and banquets.
18 οἱ δὲ Ιουδαῖοι οἱ ἐν Σούσοις τῇ πόλει συνήχθησαν καὶ τῇ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ καὶ οὐκ ἀνεπαύσαντο ἦγον δὲ καὶ τὴν πεντεκαιδεκάτην μετὰ χαρᾶς καὶ εὐφροσύνης
But they that were killing in the city of Susan, were employed in the slaughter on the thirteenth and fourteenth day of the same month: and on the fifteenth day they rested. And therefore they appointed that day to be a holy day of feasting and gladness.
19 διὰ τοῦτο οὖν οἱ Ιουδαῖοι οἱ διεσπαρμένοι ἐν πάσῃ χώρᾳ τῇ ἔξω ἄγουσιν τὴν τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτην τοῦ Αδαρ ἡμέραν ἀγαθὴν μετ’ εὐφροσύνης ἀποστέλλοντες μερίδας ἕκαστος τῷ πλησίον οἱ δὲ κατοικοῦντες ἐν ταῖς μητροπόλεσιν καὶ τὴν πεντεκαιδεκάτην τοῦ Αδαρ ἡμέραν εὐφροσύνην ἀγαθὴν ἄγουσιν ἐξαποστέλλοντες μερίδας τοῖς πλησίον
But those Jews that dwelt in towns not walled and in villages, appointed the fourteenth day of the month Adar for banquets and gladness, so as to rejoice on that day, and send one another portions of their banquets and meats.
20 ἔγραψεν δὲ Μαρδοχαῖος τοὺς λόγους τούτους εἰς βιβλίον καὶ ἐξαπέστειλεν τοῖς Ιουδαίοις ὅσοι ἦσαν ἐν τῇ Ἀρταξέρξου βασιλείᾳ τοῖς ἐγγὺς καὶ τοῖς μακράν
And Mardochai wrote all these things, and sent them comprised in letters to the Jews that abode in all the king’s provinces, both those that lay near and those afar off,
21 στῆσαι τὰς ἡμέρας ταύτας ἀγαθὰς ἄγειν τε τὴν τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτην καὶ τὴν πεντεκαιδεκάτην τοῦ Αδαρ
That they should receive the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the month Adar for holy days, and always at the return of the year should celebrate them with solemn honour:
22 ἐν γὰρ ταύταις ταῖς ἡμέραις ἀνεπαύσαντο οἱ Ιουδαῖοι ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τὸν μῆνα ἐν ᾧ ἐστράφη αὐτοῖς ὃς ἦν Αδαρ ἀπὸ πένθους εἰς χαρὰν καὶ ἀπὸ ὀδύνης εἰς ἀγαθὴν ἡμέραν ἄγειν ὅλον ἀγαθὰς ἡμέρας γάμων καὶ εὐφροσύνης ἐξαποστέλλοντας μερίδας τοῖς φίλοις καὶ τοῖς πτωχοῖς
Because on those days the Jews revenged themselves of their enemies, and their mourning and sorrow were turned into mirth and joy, and that these should be days of feasting and gladness, in which they should send one to another portions of meats; and should give gifts to the poor.
23 καὶ προσεδέξαντο οἱ Ιουδαῖοι καθὼς ἔγραψεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Μαρδοχαῖος
And the Jews undertook to observe with solemnity all they had begun to do at that time, which Mardochai by letters had commanded to be done.
24 πῶς Αμαν Αμαδαθου ὁ Μακεδὼν ἐπολέμει αὐτούς καθὼς ἔθετο ψήφισμα καὶ κλῆρον ἀφανίσαι αὐτούς
For Aman, the son of Amadathi of the race of Agag, the enemy and adversary of the Jews, had devised evil against them, to kill them and destroy them: and had cast Phur, that is, the lot.
25 καὶ ὡς εἰσῆλθεν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα λέγων κρεμάσαι τὸν Μαρδοχαῖον ὅσα δὲ ἐπεχείρησεν ἐπάξαι ἐπὶ τοὺς Ιουδαίους κακά ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ἐγένοντο καὶ ἐκρεμάσθη αὐτὸς καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτοῦ
And afterwards Esther went in to the king, beseeching him that his endeavours might be made void by the king’s letters: and the evil that he had intended against the Jews, might return upon his own head. And so both he and his sons were hanged upon gibbets.
26 διὰ τοῦτο ἐπεκλήθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι αὗται Φρουραι διὰ τοὺς κλήρους ὅτι τῇ διαλέκτῳ αὐτῶν καλοῦνται Φρουραι διὰ τοὺς λόγους τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ταύτης καὶ ὅσα πεπόνθασιν διὰ ταῦτα καὶ ὅσα αὐτοῖς ἐγένετο
And since that time these days are called Phurim, that is, of lots: because Phur, that is, the lot, was cast into the urn. And all things that were done, are contained in the volume of this epistle, that is, of this book:
27 καὶ ἔστησεν καὶ προσεδέχοντο οἱ Ιουδαῖοι ἐφ’ ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς προστεθειμένοις ἐπ’ αὐτῶν οὐδὲ μὴν ἄλλως χρήσονται αἱ δὲ ἡμέραι αὗται μνημόσυνον ἐπιτελούμενον κατὰ γενεὰν καὶ γενεὰν καὶ πόλιν καὶ πατριὰν καὶ χώραν
And the things that they suffered, and that were afterwards changed, the Jews took upon themselves and their seed, and upon all that had a mind to be joined to their religion, so that it should be lawful for none to pass these days without solemnity: which the writing testifieth, and certain times require, as the years continually succeed one another.
28 αἱ δὲ ἡμέραι αὗται τῶν Φρουραι ἀχθήσονται εἰς τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον καὶ τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐτῶν οὐ μὴ ἐκλίπῃ ἐκ τῶν γενεῶν
These are the days which shall never be forgot: and which all provinces in the whole world shall celebrate throughout all generations: neither is there any city wherein the days of Phurim, that is, of lots, must not be observed by the Jews, and by their posterity, which is bound to these ceremonies.
29 καὶ ἔγραψεν Εσθηρ ἡ βασίλισσα θυγάτηρ Αμιναδαβ καὶ Μαρδοχαῖος ὁ Ιουδαῖος ὅσα ἐποίησαν τό τε στερέωμα τῆς ἐπιστολῆς τῶν Φρουραι
And Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mardochai the Jew, wrote also a second epistle, that with all diligence this day should be established a festival for the time to come.
And they sent to all the Jews that were in the hundred and twenty-seven provinces of king Assuerus, that they should have peace, and receive truth,
31 καὶ Μαρδοχαῖος καὶ Εσθηρ ἡ βασίλισσα ἔστησαν ἑαυτοῖς καθ’ ἑαυτῶν καὶ τότε στήσαντες κατὰ τῆς ὑγιείας αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν βουλὴν αὐτῶν
And observe the days of lots, and celebrate them with joy in their proper time: as Mardochai and Esther had appointed, and they undertook them to be observed by themselves and by their seed, fasts, and cries, and the days of lots,
32 καὶ Εσθηρ λόγῳ ἔστησεν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ ἐγράφη εἰς μνημόσυνον
And all things which are contained in the history of this book, which is called Esther.
