Esther (Greek) 9

1 Ἐν γὰρ τῷ δωδεκάτῳ μηνὶ τρισκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ μηνός, ὅς ἐστιν Ἀδάρ, παρῆν τὰ γράμματα τὰ γραφέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως.

2 Ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἀπώλοντο οἱ ἀντικείμενοι τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀντέστη, φοβούμενος αὐτούς.

3 Οἱ γὰρ ἄρχοντες τῶν σατραπῶν, καὶ οἱ τύραννοι, καὶ οἱ βασιλικοὶ γραμματεῖς ἐτίμων τοὺς Ἰουδαίους· ὁ γὰρ φόβος Μαρδοχαίου ἐνέκειτο αὐτοῖς.

4 Προσέπεσε γὰρ τὸ πρόσταγμα τοῦ βασιλέως ὀνομασθῆναι ἐν πάσῃ τῇ βασιλείᾳ.

6 Καὶ ἐν Σούσοις τῇ πόλει ἀπέκτειναν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἄνδρας πεντακοσίους,

7 τόν τε Φαρσαννὲς, καὶ Δελτφὼν, καὶ Φασγὰ, καὶ Φαραδαθὰ,

8 καὶ Βαρεὰ, καὶ Σαρβακὰ,

9 καὶ Μαρμασιμὰ, καὶ Ῥουφαῖον, καὶ Ἀρσαῖον, καὶ Ζαβουθαῖον,

10 τοὺς δέκα υἱοὺς Ἀμὰν Ἀμαδάθοῦ Βουγαίου τοῦ ἐχθροῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ διήρπασαν

11 ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ· ἐπεδόθη τε ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν ἀπολωλότων ἐν Σούσοις.

12 Εἶπε δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς Ἐσθὴρ, ἀπώλεσαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐν Σούσοις τῇ πόλει ἄνδρας πεντακοσίους, ἐν δὲ τῇ περιχώρῳ πῶς οἴει ἐχρήσαντο; τί οὖν ἀξιοῖς ἔτι, καὶ ἔσται σοι;

13 Καὶ εἶπεν Ἐσθὴρ τῷ βασιλεῖ, δοθήτω τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις χρῆσθαι ὡσαύτως τὴν αὔριον, ὥστε τοὺς δέκα υἱοὺς Ἀμὰν κρεμάσαι.

14 Καὶ ἐπέτρεψεν οὕτως γενέσθαι, καὶ ἐξέθηκε τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις τῆς πόλεως τὰ σώματα τῶν υἱῶν Ἀμὰν κρεμάσαι·

15 Καὶ συνήχθησαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐν Σούσοις τῇ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ Ἀδὰρ, καὶ ἀπέκτειναν ἄνδρας τριακοσίους, καὶ οὐδὲν διήρπασαν.

16 Οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων οἱ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ συνήχθησαν, καὶ ἑαυτοῖς ἐβοήθουν, καὶ ἀνεπαύσαντο ἀπὸ τῶν πολεμίων· ἀπώλεσαν γὰρ αὐτῶν μυρίους πεντακισχιλίους τῇ τρισκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ Ἀδὰρ, καὶ οὐδὲν διήρπασαν.

17 Καὶ ἀνεπαύσαντο τῇ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ αὐτοῦ μηνός, καὶ ἦγον αὐτὴν ἡμέραν ἀναπαύσεως μετὰ χαρᾶς καὶ εὐφροσύνης.

18 Οἱ δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐν Σούσοις τῇ πόλει συνήχθησαν καὶ τῇ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ, καὶ ἀνεπαύσαντο· ἦγον δὲ καὶ τὴν πεντεκαιδεκάτην μετὰ χαρᾶς καὶ εὐφροσύνης.

19 Διὰ τοῦτο οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι οἱ διεσπαρμένοι ἐν πάσῃ χώρᾳ τῇ ἔξω, ἄγουσι τὴν τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτην τοῦ Ἀδὰρ ἡμέραν ἀγαθὴν μετʼ εὐφροσύνης, ἀποστέλλοντες μερίδας ἕκαστος τῷ πλησίον.

20 Ἔγραψεν δὲ Μαρδοχαῖος τοὺς λόγους τούτους εἰς βιβλίον, καὶ ἐξαπέστειλε τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, ὅσοι ἦσαν ἐν τῇ Ἀρταξέρξου βασιλείᾳ τοῖς ἐγγὺς καὶ τοῖς μακράν,

21 στῆσαι τὰς ἡμέρας ταύτας ἀγαθάς, ἄγειν τε τὴν τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτην καὶ τὴν πεντεκαιδεκάτην τοῦ Ἀδάρ.

22 Ἐν γὰρ ταύταις ταῖς ἡμέραις ἀνεπαύσαντο οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτῶν· καὶ τὸν μῆνα ἐν ᾧ ἐστράφη αὐτοῖς, ὃς ἦν Ἀδὰρ, ἀπὸ πένθους εἰς χαρὰν, καὶ ἀπὸ ὀδύνης εἰς ἀγαθὴν ἡμέραν, ἄγειν ὅλον ἀγαθὰς ἡμέρας γάμων καὶ εὐφροσύνης, ἐξαποστέλλοντας μερίδας τοῖς φίλοις, καὶ τοῖς πτωχοῖς.

23 Καὶ προσεδέξαντο οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, καθὼς ἔγραψεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Μαρδοχαῖος·

24 Πῶς Ἀμὰν Ἀμαδαθοῦ ὁ Μακεδὼν ἐπολέμει αὐτοὺς, καθὼς ἔθετο ψήφισμα καὶ κλῆρον ἀφανίσαι αὐτοὺς,

25 καὶ ὡς εἰσῆλθε πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, λέγων, κρεμάσαι τὸν Μαρδοχαῖον· ὅσα δὲ ἐπεχείρησεν ἐπάξαι ἐπὶ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους κακὰ, ἐπʼ αὐτὸν ἐγένοντο, καὶ ἐκρεμάσθη αὐτὸς, καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτοῦ.

26 Διὰ τοῦτο ἐπεκλήθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι αὗται Φρουραὶ διὰ τοὺς κλήρους, ὅτι τῇ διαλέκτῳ αὐτῶν καλοῦνται Φρουραί· διὰ τοὺς λόγους τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ταύτης, καὶ ὅσα πεπόνθασι διὰ ταῦτα, καὶ ὅσα αὐτοῖς ἐγένετο,

27 καὶ ἔστησε· καὶ προσεδέχοντο οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐφʼ ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς προστεθειμένοις ἐπʼ αὐτῶν, οὐδὲ μὴν ἄλλως χρήσονται. αἱ δὲ ἡμέραι αὗται μνημόσυνον ἐπιτελούμενον κατὰ γενεὰν καὶ γενεὰν, καὶ πόλιν, καὶ πατριὰν, καὶ χώραν.

28 Αἱ δὲ ἡμέραι αὗται τῶν Φρουραὶ ἀχθήσονται εἰς τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον, καὶ τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐτῶν οὐ μὴ ἐκλίπῃ ἐκ τῶν γενεῶν.

29 Καὶ ἔγραψεν Ἐσθὴρ ἡ βασίλισσα θυγάτηρ Ἀμιναδὰβ, καὶ Μαρδοχαῖος ὁ Ἰουδαῖος, ὅσα ἐποίησαν, τό, τε στερέωμα τῆς ἐπιστολῆς τῶν Φρουραί.

31 Καὶ Μαρδοχαῖος καὶ Ἐσθὴρ ἡ βασίλισσα ἔστησαν ἑαυτοῖς καθʼ ἑαυτῶν, καὶ τότε στήσαντες κατὰ τῆς ὑγιείας ἑαυτῶν, καὶ τὴν βουλὴν αὐτῶν.

32 Καὶ Ἐσθὴρ λόγῳ ἔστησεν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ ἐγράφη εἰς μνημόσυνον.

1 For in the twelfth month, on the thirteenth day of the month which is Adar, the letters written by the king arrived.

2 In that day the adversaries of the Jews perished: for no one resisted, through fear of them.

3 For the chiefs of the satraps, and the princes and the royal scribes, honoured the Jews; for the fear of Mardochæus lay upon them.

4 For the order of the king was in force, that he should be celebrated in all the kingdom.

6 And in the city Susa the Jews slew five hundred men:

7 both Pharsannes, and Delphon and Phasga,

8 and Pharadatha, and Barea, and Sarbaca,

9 and Marmasima, and Ruphæus, and Arsæus, and Zabuthæus,

10 the ten sons of Aman the son of Amadathes the Bugæan, the enemy of the Jews, and they plundered their property on the same day:

11 and the number of them that perished in Susa was rendered to the king.

12 And the king said to Esther, The Jews have slain five hundred men in the city Susa; and how, thinkest thou, have they used them in the rest of the country? What then dost thou yet ask, that it may be done for thee?

13 And Esther said to the king, Let it be granted to the Jews so to treat them to-morrow as to hang the ten sons of Aman.

14 And he permitted it to be so done; and he gave up to the Jews of the city the bodies of the sons of Aman to hang.

15 And the Jews assembled in Susa on the fourteenth day of Adar, and slew three hundred men, but plundered no property.

16 And the rest of the Jews who were in the kingdom assembled, and helped one another, and obtained rest from their enemies: for they destroyed fifteen thousand of them on the thirteenth day of Adar, but took no spoil.

17 And they rested on the fourteenth of the same month, and kept it as a day of rest with joy and gladness.

18 And the Jews in the city Susa assembled also on the fourteenth day and rested; and they kept also the fifteenth with joy and gladness.

19 On this account then it is that the Jews dispersed in every foreign land keep the fourteenth of Adar as a holy day with joy, sending portions each to his neighbour.

20 And Mardochæus wrote these things in a book, and sent them to the Jews, as many as were in the kingdom of Artaxerxes, both them that were near and them that were afar off,

21 to establish these as joyful days, and to keep the fourteenth and fifteenth of Adar;

22 for on these days the Jews obtained rest from their enemies: and as to the month, which was Adar, in which a change was made for them, from mourning to joy, and from sorrow to a good day, to spend the whole of it in good days of feasting and gladness, sending portions to their friends, and to the poor.

23 And the Jews consented to this accordingly as Mardochæus wrote to them,

24 shewing how Aman the son of Amadathes the Macedonian fought against them, how he made a decree and cast lots to destroy them utterly;

25 also how he went in to the king, telling him to hang Mardochæus: but all the calamities he tried to bring upon the Jews came upon himself, and he was hanged, and his children.

26 Therefore these days were called Phruræ, because of the lots; (for in their language they are called Phruræ;) because of the words of this letter, and because of all they suffered on this account, and all that happened to them.

27 And Mardochæus established it, and the Jews took upon themselves, and upon their seed, and upon those that were joined to them to observe it , neither would they on any account behave differently: but these days were to be a memorial kept in every generation, and city, and family, and province.

28 And these days of the Phruræ, said they , shall be kept for ever, and their memorial shall not fail in any generation.

29 And queen Esther, the daughter of Aminadab, and Mardochæus the Jew, wrote all that they had done, and the confirmation of the letter of Phruræ.

31 And Mardochæus and Esther the queen appointed a fast for themselves privately, even at that time also having formed their plan against their own health.

32 And Esther established it by a command for ever, and it was written for a memorial.