Esther 4

But Mardochaeus having perceived what was done, rent his garments, and put on sackcloth, and sprinkled dust upon himself; and having rushed forth through the open street of the city, he cried with a loud voice, A nation that has done no wrong is going to be destroyed.

Ο δὲ Μαρδοχαῖος ἐπιγνοὺς τὸ συντελούμενον διέρρηξεν τὰ ἱμάτια ἑαυτοῦ καὶ ἐνεδύσατο σάκκον καὶ κατεπάσατο σποδὸν καὶ ἐκπηδήσας διὰ τῆς πλατείας τῆς πόλεως ἐβόα φωνῇ μεγάλῃ· αἴρεται ἔθνος μηδὲν ἠδικηκός.

And he came to the king’s gate, and stood; for it was not lawful for him to enter into the palace, wearing sackcloth and ashes.

καὶ ἦλθεν ἕως τῆς πύλης τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἔστη· οὐ γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ ἐξὸν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν σάκκον ἔχοντι καὶ σποδόν.

And in every province where the letters were published, [there was] crying and lamentation and great mourning on the part of the Jews: they spread for themselves sackcloth and ashes.

καὶ ἐν πάσῃ χώρᾳ, οὗ ἐξετίθετο τὰ γράμματα, κραυγὴ καὶ κοπετὸς καὶ πένθος μέγα τοῖς ᾿Ιουδαίοις, σάκκον καὶ σποδὸν ἔστρωσαν ἑαυτοῖς.

And the queen’s maids and chamberlains went in and told her: and when she had heard what was done, she was disturbed; and she sent to clothe Mardochaeus, and take away his sackcloth; but he consented not.

καὶ εἰσῆλθον αἱ ἅβραι καὶ οἱ εὐνοῦχοι τῆς βασιλίσσης καὶ ἀνήγγειλαν αὐτῇ, καὶ ἐταράχθη ἀκούσασα τὸ γεγονὸς καὶ ἀπέστειλε στολίσαι τὸν Μαρδαχαῖον καὶ ἀφελέσθαι αὐτοῦ τὸν σάκκον· ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἐπείσθη.

So Esther called for her chamberlain Achrathaeus, who waited upon her; and she sent to learn the truth from Mardochaeus.

ἡ δὲ ᾿Εσθὴρ προσεκαλέσατο ᾿Αχραθαῖον τὸν εὐνοῦχον αὐτῆς, ὃς παρειστήκει αὐτῇ, καὶ ἀπέστειλε μαθεῖν αὕτη παρὰ τοῦ Μαρδοχαίου τὸ ἀκριβές.

And Mardochaeus shewed him what was done, and the promise which Aman had made the king of ten thousand talents [to be paid] into the treasury, that he might destroy the Jews.

ὁ δὲ Μαρδοχαῖος ὑπέδειξεν αὐτῷ τὸ γεγονὸς καὶ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν, ἣν ἐπηγγείλατο ᾿Αμὰν τῷ βασιλεῖ εἰς τὴν γάζαν ταλάντων μυρίων, ἵνα ἀπολέσῃ τοὺς ᾿Ιουδαίους·

And he gave him the copy [of the writing] that was published in Susa concerning their destruction, to shew to Esther; and told him to charge her to go in and intreat the king, and to beg him for the people, remembering, [said he], the days of thy low estate, how thou wert nursed by my hand: because Aman who holds the next place to the king has spoken against us for death. Do thou call upon the Lord, and speak to the king concerning us, to deliver us from death.

καὶ τὸ ἀντίγραφον τὸ ἐν Σούσοις ἐκτεθὲν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀπολέσθαι αὐτοὺς ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ δεῖξαι τῇ ᾿Εσθήρ. καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, ἐντείλασθαι αὐτῇ εἰσελθούσῃ παραιτήσασθαι τὸν βασιλέα καὶ ἀξιῶσαι αὐτὸν περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ μνησθεῖσα ἡμερῶν ταπεινώσεώς σου, ὡς ἐτράφης ἐν χειρί μου, διότι ᾿Αμὰν ὁ δευτερεύων τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐλάλησε καθ᾿ ἡμῶν εἰς θάνατον· ἐπικάλεσαι τὸν Κύριον καὶ λάλησον τῷ βασιλεῖ περὶ ἡμῶν ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἐκ θανάτου.

So Achrathaeus went in and told her all these words.

εἰσελθὼν δὲ ὁ ᾿Αχραθαῖος ἐλάλησεν αὐτῇ πάντας τοὺς λόγους τούτους.

And Esther said to Achrathaeus, Go to Mardochaeus, and say,

εἶπε δὲ ᾿Εσθὴρ πρὸς ᾿Αχραθαῖον· πορεύθητι πρὸς Μαρδοχαῖον καὶ εἰπόν,

All the nations of the empire know, that whoever, man or woman, shall go in to the king into the inner court uncalled, that person cannot live: only to whomsoever the king shall stretch out [his] golden sceptre, he shall live: and I have not been called to go into the king, for these thirty days.

ὅτι τὰ ἔθνη πάντα τῆς βασιλείας γινώσκει, ὅτι πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ἢ γυνή, ὃς εἰσελεύσεται πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν τὴν ἐσωτέραν ἄκλητος, οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτῷ σωτηρία· πλὴν ᾧ ἐκτείνῃ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν χρυσῆν ράβδον, οὗτος σωθήσεται· κἀγὼ οὐ κέκλημαι εἰσελθεῖν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, εἰσὶν αὗται ἡμέραι τριάκοντα.

And Achrathaeus reported to Mardochaeus all the words of Esther.

καὶ ἀπήγγειλεν ᾿Αχραθαῖος Μαρδοχαίῳ πάντας τοὺς λόγους ᾿Εσθήρ,

Then Mardochaeus said to Achrathaeus, Go, and say to her, Esther, say not to thyself that thou alone wilt escape in the kingdom, more than all the [other] Jews.

καὶ εἶπε Μαρδοχαῖος πρὸς ᾿Αχραθαῖον· πορεύθητι καὶ εἶπον αὐτῇ· ᾿Εσθήρ, μὴ εἴπῃς σεαυτῇ, ὅτι σωθήσῃ μόνη ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ παρὰ πάντας τοὺς ᾿Ιουδαίους·

For if thou shalt refuse to hearken on this occasion, help and protection will be to the Jews from another quarter; but thou and thy father’s house will perish: and who knows, if thou hast been made queen for this [very] occasion?

ὡς ὅτι ἐὰν παρακούσῃς ἐν τούτῳ τῷ καιρῷ, ἄλλοθεν βοήθεια καὶ σκέπη ἔσται τοῖς ᾿Ιουδαίοις, σὺ δὲ καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρός σου ἀπολεῖσθε· καὶ τίς οἶδεν, εἰ εἰς τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ἐβασίλευσας;

And Esther sent the [man] that came to her to Mardochaeus, saying,

καὶ ἐξαπέστειλεν ᾿Εσθὴρ τὸν ἥκοντα πρὸς αὐτήν, πρὸς Μαρδοχαῖον λέγουσα·

Go and assemble the Jews that are in Susa, and fast ye for me, and eat not and drink not for three days, night and day: and I also and my maidens will fast; and then I will go in to the king contrary to the law, even if I must die.

βαδίσας ἐκκλησίασον τοὺς ᾿Ιουδαίους τοὺς ἐν Σούσοις καὶ νηστεύσατε ἐπ᾿ ἐμοὶ καὶ μὴ φάγητε μηδὲ πίητε ἐπὶ ἡμέρας τρεῖς νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν, κἀγὼ δὲ καὶ αἱ ἅβραι μου ἀσιτήσομεν, καὶ τότε εἰσελεύσομαι πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα παρὰ τὸν νόμον, ἐὰν καὶ ἀπολέσθαι με δέῃ.

So Mardochaeus went and did all that Esther commanded him. 17α And he besought the Lord, making mention of all the works of the Lord; and he said, 17β Lord God, king ruling over all, for all things are in thy power, and there is no one that shall oppose thee in thy purpose to save Israel.-- 17γ For thou hast made the heaven and the earth, and every wonderful thing in the [world] under heaven. And thou art Lord of all, and there is no one who shall resist thee the Lord. 17δ Thou knowest all things: thou knowest, Lord, that it is not in the insolence, nor haughtiness, nor love of glory, that I have done this, to refuse obeisance to the haughty Aman. For I would gladly have kissed the soles of his feet for the safety of Israel. 17ε But I have done this, that I might not set the glory of man above the glory of God: and I will not worship any one except thee, my Lord, and I will not do these things in haughtiness. 17ζ And now, O Lord God, the King, the God of Abraam, spare thy people, for [our enemies] are looking upon us to [our] destruction, and they have desired to destroy thine ancient inheritance. 17η Do not overlook thy peculiar people, whom thou hast redeemed for thyself out of the land of Egypt. 17θ Hearken to my prayer, and be propitious to thine inheritance in gladness, that we may live and sing praise to thy name, O Lord; and do not utterly destroy the mouth of them that praise thee, O Lord. 17ι And all Israel cried with [all] their might for their death [was] before their eyes. 17κ And queen Esther betook herself for refuge to the Lord, being taken [as it were] in the agony of death. And having taken off her glorious apparel, she put on garments of distress and morning; and instead of grand perfumes she filled her head and ashes and dung, and she greatly brought down her body, and she filled every place of her glad adorning with the [torn] curls of her hair. And she besought the Lord God of Israel, and said, 17λ O my Lord, thou alone art our king: help me [who am] destitute, and have no helper but thee, for my danger [is] near at hand. 17μ I have heard from my birth, in the tribe of my kindred, that thou, Lord, tookest Israel out of all the nations, and our fathers out of all their kindred for a perpetual inheritance, and hast wrought for them all that thou hast said. 17ν And now we have sinned before thee, and thou hast delivered us into the hands of our enemies, because we honoured their gods: thou art righteous, O Lord. 17ξ But now they have not been contented with the bitterness of our slavery, but have laid their hands on the hands of their idols, [in order] to abolish the decree of thy mouth, and utterly to destroy thine inheritance, and to stop the mouth of them that praise thee, and to extinguish the glory of thine house and thine altar, 17ο and to open the mouth of the Gentiles to [speak] the praises of vanities, and [in order] that a mortal king should be admired for ever. 17π O Lord, do not resign thy sceptre to them that are not, and let them not laugh at our fall, but turn their counsel against themselves, and make an example of him who has begun [to injure] us. 17ρ Remember [us], O Lord, manifest thyself in the time of our affliction, and encourage me, O king of gods, and ruler of all dominion. 17σ Put harmonious speech into my mouth before the lion, and turn his heart to hate him that fights against us, to the utter destruction of him and of them that consent with him. 17τ But deliver us by thine hand, and help me [who am] destitute, and have none but thee, O Lord. 17υ Thou knowest all things, and knowest that I hate the glory of transgressors, and that I abhor the couch of the uncircumcised, and of every stranger. 17φ Thou knowest my necessity, for I abhor the symbol of my proud station, which is upon my head in the days of my splendour: I abhor it as a menstruous cloth, and I wear it not in the days of my tranquillity. 17χ And thy handmaid has not eaten [at] the table of Aman, and I have not honoured the banquet of the king, neither have I drunk wine of libations. 17ψ Neither has thy handmaid rejoiced since the day of my promotion until now, except in thee, O Lord God of Abraam. 17ω O God, who hast power over all, hearken to the voice of the desperate, and deliver us from the hand of them that devise mischief; and deliver me from my fear.

ω ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ἰσχύων ἐπὶ πάντας, εἰσάκουσον φωνὴν ἀπηλπισμένων καὶ ρῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν πονηρευομένων, καὶ ρῦσαί με ἐκ τοῦ φόβου μου.