Liber Esther, 2

1. His ita gestis, postquam regis Asueri deferbuerat indignatio, recordatus est Vasthi, et quae fecisset vel quae passa esset.

1. After these things, when the anger of King Ahasu-e'rus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her.

2. Dixeruntque pueri regis ac ministri eius: “Quaerantur regi puellae virgines ac speciosae,

2. Then the king's servants who attended him said, "Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king.

3. et constituantur, qui considerent per universas provincias puellas speciosas et virgines et adducant eas ad civitatem Susan et tradant in domum feminarum sub manu Egei eunuchi, qui est praepositus et custos mulierum regiarum; et accipiant mundum muliebrem.

3. And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the capital, under custody of Hegai the king's eunuch who is in charge of the women; let their ointments be given them.

4. Et, quaecumque inter omnes oculis regis placuerit, ipsa regnet pro Vasthi”. Placuit sermo regi; et ita, ut suggesserant, iussit fieri.

4. And let the maiden who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti." This pleased the king, and he did so.

5. Erat vir Iudaeus in Susan civitate vocabulo Mardochaeus filius Iair filii Semei filii Cis de tribu Beniamin,

5. Now there was a Jew in Susa the capital whose name was Mor'decai, the son of Ja'ir, son of Shim'e-i, son of Kish, a Benjaminite,

6. qui translatus fuerat de Ierusalem cum captivis, qui ducti fuerant cum Iechonia rege Iudae, quem Nabuchodonosor rex Babylonis transtulerat.

6. who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconi'ah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnez'zar king of Babylon had carried away.

7. Qui fuit nutricius filiae patrui sui Edissae, quae altero nomine Esther vocabatur et utrumque parentem amiserat: pulchra aspectu et decora facie. Mortuisque patre eius ac matre, Mardochaeus sibi eam adoptavit in filiam.

7. He had brought up Hadas'sah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother; the maiden was beautiful and lovely, and when her father and her mother died, Mor'decai adopted her as his own daughter.

8. Et factum est, cum percrebruisset regis imperium, et iuxta mandatum illius multae virgines pulchrae adducerentur Susan et Egeo traderentur, Esther quoque in domum regis in manus Egei custodis feminarum tradita est.

8. So when the king's order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many maidens were gathered in Susa the capital in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king's palace and put in custody of Hegai who had charge of the women.

9. Quae placuit ei et invenit gratiam in conspectu illius; et acceleravit mundum muliebrem et tradidit ei partes suas et septem puellas speciosissimas de domo regis, et tam ipsam quam pedisequas eius transtulit in optimam partem domus feminarum.

9. And the maiden pleased him and won his favor; and he quickly provided her with her ointments and her portion of food, and with seven chosen maids from the king's palace, and advanced her and her maids to the best place in the harem.

10. Quae non indicaverat ei populum et cognationem suam; Mardochaeus enim praeceperat, ut de hac re omnino reticeret.

10. Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mor'decai had charged her not to make it known.

11. Qui deambulabat cotidie ante vestibulum domus, in qua electae virgines servabantur, curam agens salutis Esther et scire volens quid ei accideret.

11. And every day Mor'decai walked in front of the court of the harem, to learn how Esther was and how she fared.

12. Cum autem venisset tempus singularum per ordinem puellarum, ut intrarent ad regem, expletis omnibus, quae ad cultum muliebrem pertinebant, per menses duodecim; ita dumtaxat, ut sex mensibus oleo ungerentur myrrhino et aliis sex feminarum pigmentis et aromatibus uterentur,

12. Now when the turn came for each maiden to go in to King Ahasu-e'rus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments for women --

13. ingredientesque ad regem, quidquid postulassent, accipiebant, ut portarent secum de triclinio feminarum ad regis cubiculum.

13. when the maiden went in to the king in this way she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the harem to the king's palace.

14. Et, quae intraverat vespere, mane iterum in domum feminarum deducebatur, sub manu Sasagazi eunuchi, qui concubinis praesidebat. Nec habebat potestatem ad regem ultra redeundi, nisi voluisset rex et eam venire iussisset ex nomine.

14. In the evening she went, and in the morning she came back to the second harem in custody of Sha-ash'gaz the king's eunuch who was in charge of the concubines; she did not go in to the king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.

15. Evoluto autem tempore per ordinem, instabat dies, quo Esther filia Abihail patrui Mardochaei, quam sibi adoptaverat in filiam, intrare deberet ad regem. Quae non quaesivit quidquam, nisi quae voluit Egeus eunuchus custos feminarum, et omnium oculis gratiosa et amabilis videbatur.

15. When the turn came for Esther the daughter of Ab'ihail the uncle of Mor'decai, who had adopted her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king's eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her.

16. Ducta est itaque ad cubiculum regis Asueri mense decimo, qui vocatur Tebeth, septimo anno regni eius.

16. And when Esther was taken to King Ahasu-e'rus into his royal palace in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign,

17. Et amavit eam rex plus quam omnes mulieres; habuitque gratiam et favorem coram eo super omnes virgines, et posuit diadema regni in capite eius fecitque eam regnare in loco Vasthi.

17. the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.

18. Et iussit convivium praeparari magnificum cunctis principibus et servis suis, convivium Esther; et dedit remissionem tributi universis provinciis ac dona largitus est iuxta magnificentiam principalem.

18. Then the king gave a great banquet to all his princes and servants; it was Esther's banquet. He also granted a remission of taxes to the provinces, and gave gifts with royal liberality.

19. Mardochaeus autem manebat ad regis ianuam,

19. When the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mor'decai was sitting at the king's gate.

20. necdum prodiderat Esther cognationem et populum suum iuxta mandatum eius; quidquid enim ille praecipiebat, observabat Esther, ut eo tempore solita erat, quo eam parvulam nutriebat.

20. Now Esther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mor'decai had charged her; for Esther obeyed Mor'decai just as when she was brought up by him.

21. Eo igitur tempore, quo Mardochaeus ad regis ianuam morabatur, irati sunt Bagathan et Thares, duo eunuchi regis, qui ianitores erant volueruntque in regem mittere manus.

21. And in those days, as Mor'decai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasu-e'rus.

22. Quod Mardochaeum non latuit; statimque nuntiavit reginae Esther, et illa regi ex nomine Mardochaei.

22. And this came to the knowledge of Mor'decai, and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mor'decai.

23. Quaesitum est et inventum, et appensus uterque eorum in patibulo; mandatumque est libro annalium coram rege.

23. When the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the Book of the Chronicles in the presence of the king.