Esther (Greek) 6

1 Ὁ δε Κύριος ἀπέστησε τὸν ὕπνον ἀπὸ τοὺ βασιλέως τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην· καὶ εἶπε τῷ διακόνῳ αὐτοῦ εἰσφέρειν γράμματα μνημόσυνα τῶν ἡμερῶν ἀναγινώσκειν αὐτῷ.

2 Εὗρε δὲ τὰ γράμματα τὰ γραφέντα περὶ Μαρδοχαίου, ὡς ἀπήγγειλεν τῷ βασιλεῖ περὶ τῶν δύο εὐνούχων τοῦ βασιλέως ἐν τῷ φυλάσσειν αὐτοὺς, καὶ ζητῆσαι ἐπιβαλεῖν τὰς χεῖρας Ἀρταξέρξῃ.

3 Εἶπε δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς, τίνα δόξαν ἢ χάριν ἐποιήσαμεν τῷ Μαρδοχαίῳ; καὶ εἶπαν οἱ διάκονοι τοῦ βασιλέως, οὐκ ἐποίησας αὐτῷ οὐδέν.

4 Ἐν δὲ τῷ πυνθάνεσθαι τὸν βασιλέα περὶ τῆς εὐνοίας Μαρδοχαίου, ἰδοὺ Ἀμὰν ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ· εἶπν δὲ ὁ βασιλεύς, τίς ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ; ὁ δὲ Ἀμὰν εἰσῆλθεν εἰπεῖν τῷ βασιλεῖ, κρεμάσαι τὸν Μαρδοχαῖον ἐπὶ τῷ ξύλῳ, ᾧ ἡτοίμασε.

5 Καὶ εἶπαν οἱ διάκονοι τοῦ βασιλέως, ἰδοὺ Ἀμὰν ἕστηκεν ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ· καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς, καλέσατε αὐτόν.

6 Εἶπε δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ Ἀμὰν, τί ποιήσω τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, ὃν ἐγὼ θέλω δοξάσαι; εἶπε δὲ ἐν ἑαυτῷ Ἀμάν, τίνα θέλει ὁ βασιλεὺς δοξάσαι εἰ μὴ ἐμέ;

7 Εἶπε δὲ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, ἄνθρωπον ὃν ὁ βασιλεὺς θέλει δοξάσαι,

8 ἐνεγκάτωσαν οἱ παῖδες τοῦ βασιλέως στολὴν βυσσίνην ἣν ὁ βασιλεὺς περιβάλλεται, καὶ ἵππον ἐφʼ ὃν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπιβαίνει,

9 καὶ δότω ἑνὶ τῶν φίλων τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν ἐνδόξων, καὶ στολισάτω τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὃν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀγαπᾷ· καὶ ἀναβιβασάτω αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸν ἵππον, καὶ κηρυσσέτω διὰ τῆς πλατείας τῆς πόλεως, λέγων, οὕτως ἔσται παντὶ ἀνθρώπῳ ὃν ὁ βασιλεὺς δοξάζει.

10 Εἶπε δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ Ἀμὰν, καλῶς ἐλάλησας· οὕτως ποίησον τῷ Μαρδοχαίῳ τῷ Ἰουδαίῳ, τῷ θεραπεύοντι ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ, καὶ μὴ παραπεσάτω σου λόγος ὧν ἐλάλησας.

11 Ἔλαβε δὲ Ἀμὰν τὴν στολὴν καὶ τὸν ἵππον, καὶ ἐστόλισε τὸν Μαρδοχαῖον, καὶ ἀνεβίβασεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸν ἵππον, καὶ διῆλθε διὰ τῆς πλατείας τῆς πόλεως, καὶ ἐκήρυσσε λέγων, οὕτως ἔσται παντὶ ἀνθρώπῳ ὃν ὁ βασιλεὺς θέλει δοξάσαι.

12 Ἐπέστρεψε δὲ ὁ Μαρδοχαῖος εἰς τὴν αὐλήν· Ἁμὰν δὲ ὑπέστρεψεν εἰς τὰ ἴδια λυπούμενος κατὰ κεφαλῆς.

13 Καὶ διηγήσατο Ἀμὰν τὰ συμβεβηκότα αὐτῷ Ζωσάρᾳ τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοῖς φίλοις· καὶ εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτὸν οἱ φίλοι, καὶ ἡ γυνή εἰ ἐκ γένους Ἰουδαίων Μαρδοχαῖος, ἦρξαι ταπεινοῦσθαι ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, πεσὼν πεσῇ· καὶ οὐ μὴ δύνῃ αὐτὸν ἀμύνασθαι, ὅτι Θεὸς ζῶν μετʼ αὐτοῦ.

14 Ἔτι αὐτῶν λαλούντων, παραγίνονται οἱ εὐνοῦχοι, ἐπισπεύδοντες τὸν Ἀμὰν ἐπὶ τὸν πότον ὃν ἡτοίμασεν Ἐσθήρ.

1 But the Lord removed sleep from the king that night: and he told his servant to bring in the books, the registers of daily events, to read to him.

2 And he found the records written concerning Mardochæus, how he had told the king concerning the two chamberlains of the king, when they were keeping guard, and sought to lay hands on Artaxerxes.

3 And the king said, What honour or favour have we done to Mardochæus? And the king's servants said, Thou hast not done anything to him.

4 And while the king was enquiring about the kindness of Mardochæus, behold, Aman was in the court. And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Aman was come in to speak to the king, that he should hang Mardochæus on the gallows, which he had prepared.

5 And the king's servants said, Behold, Aman stands in the court. And the king said, Call him.

6 And the king said to Aman, What shall I do to the man whom I wish to honour? And Aman said within himself, Whom would the king honour but myself?

7 and he said to the king, As for the man whom the king wishes to honour,

8 let the king's servants bring the robe of fine linen which the king puts on, and the horse on which the king rides,

9 and let him give it to one of the king's noble friends, and let him array the man whom the king loves; and let him mount him on the horse, and proclaim through the street of the city, saying, Thus shall it be done to every man whom the king honours.

10 Then the king said to Aman, Thou hast well said: so do to Mardochæus the Jew, who waits in the palace, and let not a word of what thou hast spoken be neglected.

11 So Aman took the robe and the horse, and arrayed Mardochæus, and mounted him on the horse, and went through the street of the city, and proclaimed, saying, Thus shall it be to every man whom the king wishes to honour.

12 And Mardochæus returned to the palace: but Aman went home mourning, and having his head covered.

13 And Aman related the events that had befallen him to Zosara his wife, and to his friends: and his friends and his wife said to him, If Mardochæus be of the race of the Jews, and thou hast begun to be humbled before him, thou wilt assuredly fall, and thou wilt not be able to withstand him, for the living God is with him.

14 While they were yet speaking, the chamberlains arrived, to hasten Aman to the banquet which Esther had prepared.