Esther, 11

1. In the fourth year of the reign of Ptolemy and Cleopatra, Dositheus, who affirmed he was a priest and a Levite, and his son Ptolemy brought to Egypt the foregoing letter concerning the Purim, maintaining that it was genuine and had been translated by Lysimachus, Ptolemy's son and a resident of Jerusalem.

2. On the first day of Nissan, in the second year of the reign of Ahasuerus the Great, a dream came to Mordecai, son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin.

3. Mordecai was a Jew residing at Susa who held a prominent position at the king's court.

4. He was one of the captives whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had deported from Jerusalem with Jeconiah, king of Judah.

5. According to his dream, there were cries and tumult, thunder and earthquake and confusion upon the earth,

6. as two great dragons came, both ready for combat.

7. At the sound of their terrible roar every nation prepared to fight against the holy nation.

8. On earth it was a day of darkness and gloom, tribulation and distress, affliction and great disturbance.

9. The whole nation of the just was troubled because of the fear of evils awaiting them, and were ready to perish.

10. But they cried out to God, and a little spring appeared, from which grew a great river with a flood of water.

11. Light came as the sun rose, and the humble were raised up and they devoured the mighty.

12. In this dream Mordecai saw what God intended to do. On awakening he thought deeply about the matter and tried all day to understand its meaning.