Esther 2
1 his itaque gestis postquam regis Asueri deferbuerat indignatio recordatus est Vasthi et quae fecisset vel quae passa esset
Later on, after all this had happened, King Xerxes' anger subsided and he thought about Vashti and what she'd done, and the decree issued against her.
2 dixeruntque pueri regis ac ministri eius quaerantur regi puellae virgines ac speciosae
His advisors suggested to him, “Why not order a search to find beautiful young virgins for Your Majesty?
3 et mittantur qui considerent per universas provincias puellas speciosas et virgines et adducant eas ad civitatem Susan et tradant in domum feminarum sub manu Aegaei eunuchi qui est praepositus et custos mulierum regiarum et accipiant mundum muliebrem et cetera ad usus necessaria
Your Majesty should put officers in charge in each province of his empire to gather all the beautiful young women and bring them to the king's harem at the fortress of Susa. They should placed under the supervision of Hegai, the king's eunuch in charge of the women, and they should be given beauty treatments.
4 et quaecumque inter omnes oculis regis placuerit ipsa regnet pro Vasthi placuit sermo regi et ita ut suggesserant iussit fieri
The young woman the king finds most attractive can become queen in place of Vashti.” The king thought this was a good idea, so he acted upon it.
5 erat vir iudaeus in Susis civitate vocabulo Mardocheus filius Iair filii Semei filii Cis de stirpe Iemini
There was a Jewish man living in the fortress of Susa named Mordecai, son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjamite
6 qui translatus fuerat de Hierusalem eo tempore quo Iechoniam regem Iuda Nabuchodonosor rex Babylonis transtulerat
who was among those taken prisoner with King Jehoiachin of Judah and carried into exile from Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
7 qui fuit nutricius filiae fratris sui Edessae quae altero nomine Hester vocabatur et utrumque parentem amiserat pulchra nimis et decora facie mortuisque patre eius ac matre Mardocheus sibi eam adoptavit in filiam
He had brought up Hadassah (or Esther), his uncle's daughter, because she had no father or mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was very attractive. After her father and mother died, Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter.
8 cumque percrebuisset regis imperium et iuxta mandata illius multae virgines pulchrae adducerentur Susan et Aegaeo traderentur eunucho Hester quoque inter ceteras puellas ei tradita est ut servaretur in numero feminarum
When the king's order and decree had been announced, many young women were brought to the fortress of Susa under the supervision of Hegai. Esther was also taken to the king's palace and placed under the care of Hegai, who was in charge of the women.
9 quae placuit ei et invenit gratiam in conspectu illius ut adceleraret mundum muliebrem et traderet ei partes suas et septem puellas speciosissimas de domo regis et tam ipsam quam pedisequas eius ornaret atque excoleret
Esther caught his eye and he treated her favorably. He quickly arranged beauty treatments and special food for her. He also provided her with seven specially-chosen maids from the king's palace, and moved her and her maids to the best location in the harem.
10 quae noluit indicare ei populum et patriam suam Mardocheus enim praeceperat ut de hac re omnino reticeret
Esther had not let anyone know her nationality or who her family was, because Mordecai had ordered her not to.
11 qui deambulabat cotidie ante vestibulum domus in qua electae virgines servabantur curam agens salutis Hester et scire volens quid ei accideret
Each day Mordecai spent time walking around in front of the courtyard of the harem so he could find out how Esther was doing and what was happening to her.
12 cum autem venisset tempus singularum per ordinem puellarum ut intrarent ad regem expletis omnibus quae ad cultum muliebrem pertinebant mensis duodecimus vertebatur ita dumtaxat ut sex menses oleo unguerentur myrtino et aliis sex quibusdam pigmentis et aromatibus uterentur
Before it was the turn of a young woman to go to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments for women that were required: six months with oil of myrrh, and six with perfumed oils and ointments.
13 ingredientesque ad regem quicquid postulassent ad ornatum pertinens accipiebant et ut eis placuerat conpositae de triclinio feminarum ad regis cubiculum transiebant
When it was time for the young woman to go to the king, she was given whatever she asked for to take with her from the harem to the king's palace.
14 et quae intraverat vespere egrediebatur mane atque inde in secundas aedes deducebatur quae sub manu Sasagazi eunuchi erant qui concubinis regis praesidebat nec habebat potestatem ad regem ultra redeundi nisi voluisset rex et eam venire iussisset ex nomine
In the evening she would go, and in the morning she would return to a different harem under the supervision of Shaashgaz, who was the king's eunuch in charge of the concubines. She would not go back to be with the king again unless he was particularly attracted to her and called for her by name.
15 evoluto autem tempore per ordinem instabat dies quo Hester filia Abiahil fratris Mardochei quam sibi adoptaverat in filiam intrare deberet ad regem quae non quaesivit muliebrem cultum sed quaecumque voluit Aegaeus eunuchus custos virginum haec ei ad ornatum dedit erat enim formonsa valde et incredibili pulchritudine omnium oculis gratiosa et amabilis videbatur
(Esther was the daughter of Abihail, Mordecai's uncle. Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter.) When it was Esther's turn to go to the king, she didn't ask for anything to take with her except what Hegai advised. (He was the king's eunuch in charge of the women.) Esther was looked on with admiration by everybody.
16 ducta est itaque ad cubiculum regis Asueri mense decimo qui vocatur tebeth septimo anno regni eius
Esther was taken to King Xerxes into his royal palace, in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 et amavit eam rex plus quam omnes mulieres habuitque gratiam et misericordiam coram eo super omnes mulieres et posuit diadema regni in capite eius fecitque eam regnare in loco Vasthi
The king loved Esther more than all the other women. He treated her more favorably and with greater kindness than all of the other virgins. So he placed the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
18 et iussit convivium praeparari permagnificum cunctis principibus et servis suis pro coniunctione et nuptiis Hester et dedit requiem in universis provinciis ac dona largitus est iuxta magnificentiam principalem
The king gave a great feast for all his officials and administrators—Esther's feast. He also declared it a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed generous gifts.
19 cumque et secundo quaererentur virgines et congregarentur Mardocheus manebat ad regis ianuam
Even though there had been a second gathering of virgins, and Mordecai had been given a position by the king,
20 necdumque prodiderat Hester patriam et populum suum iuxta mandatum eius quicquid enim ille praecipiebat observabat Hester et ita cuncta faciebat ut eo tempore solita erat quo eam parvulam nutriebat
Esther still did not let anyone know about her family or her nationality, as Mordecai had ordered her. She followed Mordecai's instructions just as she did when he brought her up.
21 eo igitur tempore quo Mardocheus ad regis ianuam morabatur irati sunt Bagathan et Thares duo eunuchi regis qui ianitores erant et in primo palatii limine praesidebant volueruntque insurgere in regem et occidere eum
At that time, as Mordecai was doing his work at the palace gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two eunuchs who guarded the entrance to the king's rooms, became furious with King Xerxes and looked for a way to assassinate him.
22 quod Mardocheum non latuit statimque nuntiavit reginae Hester et illa regi ex nomine Mardochei qui ad se rem detulerat
Mordecai found out about the plot and reported it to Queen Esther. Esther in turn told the king on Mordecai's behalf.
23 quaesitum est et inventum et adpensus uterque eorum in patibulo mandatumque historiis et annalibus traditum coram rege
When the plot was investigated and found to be true, both men were impaled on poles. This was recorded in the official Book of Records by order of the king.
