Esther 2
1 his itaque gestis postquam regis Asueri deferbuerat indignatio recordatus est Vasthi et quae fecisset vel quae passa esset
Some time later, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered what Vashti had done and what had been decreed against her.
2 dixeruntque pueri regis ac ministri eius quaerantur regi puellae virgines ac speciosae
Then the king’s servants who waited upon him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king,
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
and let the king appoint commissioners to all the provinces of his kingdom to gather them all to Susa the royal residence. Let them be brought into the women’s quarters under the custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who has charge of the women. Then give them what is needed to make them beautiful,
4 et quaecumque inter omnes oculis regis placuerit ipsa regnet pro Vasthi placuit sermo regi et ita ut suggesserant iussit fieri
and let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” The proposal pleased the king so he put it into action.
5 erat vir iudaeus in Susis civitate vocabulo Mardocheus filius Iair filii Semei filii Cis de stirpe Iemini
In Susa the royal residence lived a Jew named Mordecai. He was 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
(Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem with the exiles who were deported with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon took captive.)
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
Mordecai had adopted Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, since she had neither father nor mother. The girl was shapely and beautiful; and after her father and mother died, Mordecai raised her as if she was 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 command and decree were known, many girls were gathered together to Susa the capital under the custody of Hegai. Esther was also taken into the king’s palace and placed under the custody of Hegai, who had 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
The girl pleased him and gained his favor, so that he quickly gave her the cosmetics she needed to enhance her beauty and her allowance of food and the seven maids selected from the king’s household. He also transferred her and her maids to the best place in the harem.
10 quae noluit indicare ei populum et patriam suam Mardocheus enim praeceperat ut de hac re omnino reticeret
Esther had not revealed her people nor her family background 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
Every day Mordecai would to walk in front of the courtyard of the harem and ask after Esther’s health 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
The girls were prepared for meeting King Ahasuerus for twelve months: six months being treated with oil of myrrh and six months with perfumes and cosmetics. After the twelve months,
13 ingredientesque ad regem quicquid postulassent ad ornatum pertinens accipiebant et ut eis placuerat conpositae de triclinio feminarum ad regis cubiculum transiebant
each girl went in to the king. She was allowed to take with her whatever she wished from the women’s quarters,
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
and would enter the palace in the evening and return the next morning to another part of the harem under the care of the king’s eunuch Shaashgaz who was in charge of concubines. She would not go to the king again unless he desired her and summoned 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
When it was the turn of Esther (the girl adopted by Mordecai, daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go in to the king, she only took with her those things that Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the women, had advised her to take. Esther was liked by all who saw her.
16 ducta est itaque ad cubiculum regis Asueri mense decimo qui vocatur tebeth septimo anno regni eius
Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus in the 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
And the king loved her more than all the other women, and she became his favorite and won his affection. He placed the royal diadem 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
Then the king gave a great feast to all his officials and courtiers in honor of Esther, and he remitted the taxes of the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.
19 cumque et secundo quaererentur virgines et congregarentur Mardocheus manebat ad regis ianuam
All the time the virgins were assembled again, Mordecai was sitting as an offical at the king’s gate.
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 had not revealed her people or family background because she still obeyed him as she had when he was bringing 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
In those days while Mordecai was sitting in the king’s gate, two of the royal court attendants, Bigthan and Teresh, who guarded the entrance of the palace, became enraged and attempted to kill King Ahasuerus.
22 quod Mardocheum non latuit statimque nuntiavit reginae Hester et illa regi ex nomine Mardochei qui ad se rem detulerat
But Mordecai learned of the conspiracy and disclosed it to Queen Esther, and she 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 affair was investigated and the facts discovered, the conspirators were both hanged on the gallows. The incident was recorded in the presence of the king in the daily record of events.
