Esther (Greek) 5

1 “Καὶ ἐγενήθη ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ ὡς ἐπαύσατο προσευχομένη, ἐξεδύσατο τὰ ἱμάτια τῆς θεραπείας, καὶ περιεβάλλετο τὴν δόξαν αὐτῆς.

1a Καὶ γενηθεῖσα ἐπιφανὴς, ἐπικαλεσαμένη τὸν πάντων ἐπόπτην Θεὸν καὶ σωτῆρα, παρέλαβε τὰς δύο ἅβρας, καὶ τῇ μὲν μιᾷ ἐπηρείδετο ὡς τρυφερευομένη, ἡ δὲ ἑτέρα ἐπηκολούθει κουφίζουσα τὴν ἔνδυσιν αὐτῆς.

1b Καὶ αὐτὴ ἐρυθριῶσα ἀκμῇ κάλλους αὐτῆς· καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῆς ἱλαρὸν, ὡς προσφιλές· ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῆς ἀπεστενωμένη ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου.

1c Καὶ εἰσελθοῦσα πάσας τὰς θύρας, κατέστη ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως· καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκάθητο ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ, καὶ πᾶσαν στολὴν τῆς ἐπιφανείας αὐτοῦ ἐνδεδύκει, ὅλος διὰ χρυσοῦ καὶ λίθων πολυτελῶν, καὶ ἦν φοβερὸς σφόδρα.

1d Καὶ ἄρας τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ πεπυρωμένον δόξῃ, ἐν ἀκμῇ θυμοῦ ἔβλεψεν· καὶ ἔπεσεν ἡ βασίλισσα, καὶ μετέβαλε τὸ χρῶμα αὐτῆς ἐν ἐκλύσει· καὶ κατεπέκυψεν ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν τῆς ἅβρας τῆς προπορευομένης.

1e Καὶ μετέβαλεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς πραύτητα, καὶ ἀγωνιάσας ἀνεπήδησεν ἀπὸ τοῦ θρόνου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνέλαβεν αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τὰς ἀγκάλας αὐτοῦ, μέχρις οὗ κατέστη· καὶ παρεκάλει αὐτὴν λόγοις εἰρηνικοῖς, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ,

1f τί ἐστιν, Ἐσθήρ; ἐγὼ ὁ ἀδελφός σου, θάρσει, οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃς· ὅτι κοινὸν τὸ πρόσταγμα ἡμῶν ἐστίν, πρόσελθε.

2 “Καὶ ἄρας τὴν χρυσῆν ῥάβδον, ἐπέθηκεν ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτῆς, καὶ ἠσπάσατο αὐτὴν, καὶ εἶπε, λάλησόν μοι.

2a Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, εἶδόν σε κύριε ὡς ἄγγελον Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐταράχθη ἡ καρδία μου ἀπὸ φόβου τῆς δόξης σου, ὅτι θαυμαστὸς εἶ κύριε, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου χαρίτων μεστόν.

2b Ἐν δὲ τῷ διαλέγεσθαι αὐτὴν, ἔπεσεν ἀπὸ ἐκλύσεως. Καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐταράσσετο, καὶ πᾶσα ἡ θεραπεία αὐτοῦ παρεκάλει αὐτήν.”

3 Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς, τί θέλεις, Ἐσθήρ; καὶ τί σου ἐστὶ τὸ ἀξίωμα; ἕως τοῦ ἡμίσους τῆς βασιλείας μου, καὶ ἔσται σοι.

4 Εἶπε δὲ Ἐσθὴρ, ἡμέρα μου ἐπίσημος σήμερόν ἐστιν· εἰ οὖν δοκεῖ τῷ βασιλεῖ, ἐλθάτω καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ Ἀμὰν εἰς τὴν δοχὴν, ἣν ποιήσω σήμερον.

5 Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς, κατασπεύσατε Ἀμὰν, ὅπως ποιήσωμεν τὸν λόγον Ἐσθήρ· καὶ παραγίνονται ἀμφότεροι εἰς τὴν δοχὴν, ἣν εἶπεν Ἐσθήρ.

6 Ἐν δὲ τῷ πότῳ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς Ἐσθήρ, τί ἐστι βασίλισσα Ἐσθήρ; καὶ ἔσται ὅσα ἀξιοῖς.

7 Καὶ εἶπε, τὸ αἴτημά μου, καὶ τὸ ἀξίωμα·

8 Εἰ εὗρον χάριν ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως, ἐλθάτω ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ Ἀμὰν ἔτι τὴν αὔριον εἰς τὴν δοχὴν, ἣν ποιήσω αὐτοῖς, καὶ αὔριον ποιήσω τὰ αὐτά.

9 Καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ Ἀμὰν ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως ὑπερχαρὴς εὐφραινόμενος· ἐν δὲ τῷ ἰδεῖν Ἀμὰν Μαρδοχαῖον τὸν Ἰουδαῖον ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ, ἐθυμώθη σφόδρα.

10 Καὶ εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὰ ἴδια, ἐκάλεσε τοὺς φίλους, καὶ Ζωσάραν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ,

11 καὶ ὑπέδειξεν αὐτοῖς τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν δόξαν ἣν ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτῷ περιέθηκε, καὶ ὡς ἐποίησεν αὐτὸν πρωτεύειν καὶ ἡγεῖσθαι τῆς βασιλείας.

12 Καὶ εἶπεν Ἀμὰν, οὐ κέκληκεν ἡ βασίλισσα μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως οὐδένα εἰς τὴν δοχὴν, ἀλλʼ ἢ ἐμὲ, καὶ εἰς τὴν αὔριον κέκλημαι.

13 Καὶ ταῦτά μοι οὐκ ἀρέσκει, ὅταν ἴδω Μαρδοχαῖον τὸν Ἰουδαῖον ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ.

14 Καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτὸν Ζωσάρα ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ, καὶ οἱ φίλοι, κοπήτω σοι ξύλον πηχῶν πεντήκοντα, ὄρθρου δὲ εἶπον τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ κρεμασθήτω Μαρδοχαῖος ἐπὶ τοῦ ξύλου· σὺ δὲ εἴσελθε εἰς τὴν δοχὴν σὺν τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ εὐφραίνου· καὶ ἤρεσε τὸ ῥῆμα τῷ Ἀμὰν, καὶ ἡτοιμάσθη τὸ ξύλον.

1 And it came to pass on the third day, when she had ceased praying, that she put off her mean dress, and put on her glorious apparel.

1a And being splendidly arrayed, and having called upon God the Overseer and Preserver of all things, she took her two maids, and she leaned upon one, as a delicate female, and the other followed bearing her train.

1b And she was blooming in the perfection of her beauty; and her face was cheerful, as it were benevolent, but her heart was straitened for fear.

1c And having passed through all the doors, she stood before the king: and he was sitting upon his royal throne, and he had put on all his glorious apparel, covered all over with gold and precious stones, and was very terrible.

1d And having raised his face resplendent with glory, he looked with intense anger: and the queen fell, and changed her colour as she fainted; and she bowed herself upon the head of the maid that went before her .

1e But God changed the spirit of the king to gentleness, and in intense feeling he sprang from off his throne, and took her into his arms, until she recovered: and he comforted her with peaceable words, and said to her,

1f What is the matter , Esther? I am thy brother; be of good cheer, thou shalt not die, for our command is openly declared to thee , Draw nigh.

2 And having raised the golden sceptre he laid it upon her neck, and embraced her, and said, Speak to me.

2a And she said to him, I saw thee, my lord, as an angel of God, and my heart was troubled for fear of thy glory; for thou, my lord, art to be wondered at, and thy face is full of grace.

2b And while she was speaking, she fainted and fell. Then the king was troubled, and all his servants comforted her.]

3 And the king said, What wilt thou, Esther? and what is thy request? ask even to the half of my kingdom, and it shall be thine.

4 And Esther said, To-day is my great day: if then it seem good to the king, let both him and Aman come to the feast which I will prepare this day.

5 And the king said, Hasten Aman hither, that we may perform the word of Esther. So they both come to the feast of which Esther had spoken.

6 And at the banquet the king said to Esther, What is thy request , queen Esther? speak , and thou shalt have all that thou requirest.

7 And she said, My request and my petition are :

8 if I have found favour in the sight of the king, let the king and Aman come again to-morrow to the feast which I shall prepare for them, and to-morrow I will do the same.

9 So Aman went out from the king very glad and merry: but when Aman saw Mardochæus the Jew in the court, he was greatly enraged.

10 And having gone into his own house, he called his friends, and his wife Zosara.

11 And he shewed them his wealth, and the glory with which the king had invested him, and how he had caused him to take precedence and bear chief rule in the kingdom.

12 And Aman said, The queen has called no one to the feast with the king but me, and I am invited to-morrow.

13 But these things please me not, while I see Mardochæus the Jew in the court.

14 And Zosara his wife and his friends said to him, Let there be a gallows made for thee of fifty cubits, and in the morning do thou speak to the king, and let Mardochæus be hanged on the gallows: but do thou go in to the feast with the king, and be merry. And the saying pleased Aman, and the gallows was prepared.