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a fast, and thus ends the first book of Ezra. Ezra, book 2. In this book, Ezra says the same things as in the first concerning the return, apart from the things that were set forth. And he recounts more things about Nehemiah the eunuch; that he himself made a request concerning the building of the temple; and that while Ezra was reading, Jesus and Baneas and Sarabias were instructing the people. And Ezra, while reading, made distinctions in the knowledge of the Lord; and the people understood in the reading, and they celebrated the Passover, and in the seventh month they held the fast and the feast of tabernacles, as it is written; For, it says, they had not done so since the days of Joshua son of Nun. But Ezra, having seen Ashdodite women mixed with the Hebrews, persuaded everyone to promise to keep the law of God. And he cast out the women, as an unlawful marriage, and they swore to keep the law. And thus, having been sanctified and purified, they rejoiced, and each departed to his own house. And this is also related concerning Ezra, that when the books were being destroyed out of the people's negligence on account of the long captivity, 56.359 Ezra himself, being a lover of beauty and clever, and a reader, preserved everything, and for the rest brought it forth, and published it again; and thus the books are preserved. The book of Esther. The book is called Esther, because through Esther, when the Jews were about to perish as a whole race, God saved them, but struck down Haman who wanted to plot against them. For Artaxerxes the king, having cast out his own wife, sought in his kingdom the one who was most beautiful and lovely of all to take as wife for himself; and Esther was found, being a Jewess by race. And there was also Mordecai, her kinsman from the captivity that happened under Zedekiah in that very country. The king, therefore, having made the one called Haman great, commanded everyone to bow down to him. But when Mordecai, in his worship of God, did not bow down to the man, Haman was enraged, and learning that he was a Jew, he persuades king Artaxerxes, and writes so that all the Jews in his kingdom would be utterly destroyed in a single day in the twelfth month. Therefore, when Mordecai learned this, he mourned, and fasting, he sent word to Esther, asking that help come from her. So Esther, having fasted and prayed to God, adorned herself with womanly adornment, and though not summoned (for it was not permitted to enter without being summoned), nevertheless went in at an unappointed time to the king, trusting in her prayer instead of the occasion. Then, as the king was marveling at the strange event, she fell from fear. But God changed the king's anger into a disposition of gentleness; and rising up, he held the woman, and urged her not to be afraid, and also bade her to ask for whatever she might wish. But she asked both the king himself and Haman to come to a banquet, not once, but a second time. Haman, therefore, being overjoyed and delighted that he had been deemed worthy by the queen to be invited, was all the more puffed up against Mordecai, and he had a great piece of wood cut, intending to hang Mordecai on it the next day. But the king, by a certain good providence, having stayed awake that night and being unable to sleep, commanded that the records of his deeds be read to him. And as they were being read, he found a good deed done for him by Mordecai. For he had informed the king himself and exposed two eunuchs who were about to conspire against the king. The king, therefore, approving Mordecai's good intention, sought to bestow a worthy honor upon such a man. And when Haman came in to him early in the morning, the king asked him what and how great an honor the one who has benefited the king is worthy of. But Haman, thinking the king was asking about him, said that such a person is worthy to be called second king. The king, therefore, commands that Mordecai be deemed worthy of such an honor, and that Haman walk before him. And Esther, finding a pretext, made a request concerning the Jews. Then of the

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νηστείαν, καὶ οὕτω τελειοῦται τὸ πρῶτον βιβλίον Ἔσδρα. Ἔσδρας βιβλίον βʹ. Ἐν τούτῳ τῷ βιβλίῳ τὰ αὐτὰ μὲν τῷ πρώτῳ λέγει ὁ Ἔσδρας περὶ τῆς ἐπανόδου, χωρὶς τῶν προβληθέντων. Καὶ τὰ πλείω δὲ ἐξηγεῖται περὶ Νεεμίου τοῦ εὐνούχου· ὅτι αὐτὸς ἠξίωσε περὶ τῆς οἰκοδομῆς τοῦ ἱεροῦ· καὶ ὅτι μὲν Ἔσδρας ἀνεγίνωσκε, Ἰησοῦς δὲ καὶ Βανέας καὶ Σαραβίας ἦσαν συνετίζοντες τὸν λαόν. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Ἔσδρας ἀναγινώσκων διέστειλεν ἐν ἐπιστήμῃ Κυρίου· ὁ δὲ λαὸς συνῆκε ἐν τῇ ἀναγνώσει, καὶ ἐποίησε τὸ πάσχα, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἑβδόμῳ μηνὶ ἐποίησε τὴν νηστείαν καὶ τὴν σκηνοπηγίαν, ὡς γέγραπται· Ὅτι, φησὶν, οὐκ ἐποίησαν οὕτως ἀπὸ τῶν ἡμερῶν Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυῆ. Ἔσδρας δὲ ἑωρακὼς ἐπιμιγείσας γυναῖκας Ἀζωτίους τοῖς Ἑβραίοις, ἔπεισε πάντας ἐπαγγείλασθαι φυλάττειν τὸν νόμον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ ἐξέβαλε τὰς γυναῖκας, ὡς παράνομον γάμον, καὶ ὤμοσαν φυλάξαι τὸν νόμον. Καὶ οὕτως ἁγιασθέντες καὶ καθαρισθέντες εὐφράνθησαν, καὶ ἀπῆλθε ἕκαστος εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ. Ἱστορεῖται δὲ καὶ τοῦτο περὶ τοῦ Ἔσδρα, ὅτι ἀπολλυμένων τῶν βιβλίων ἐξ ἀμελείας τοῦ λαοῦ διὰ τὴν πολυχρόνιον αἰχμαλωσίαν, 56.359 αὐτὸς Ἔσδρας, φιλόκαλος ὢν καὶ εὐφυὴς, καὶ ἀναγνώστης, ἐφύλαξε πάντα, καὶ λοιπὸν προήνεγκε, καὶ πάλιν ἐκδέδωκε· καὶ οὕτω διασώζεται τὰ βιβλία. Ἐσθὴρ βιβλίον. Ἐσθὴρ καλεῖται τὸ βιβλίον, ἐπειδὴ διὰ τῆς Ἐσθὴρ ὁ Θεὸς μέλλοντας ἀπολέσθαι παγγενῆ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, αὐτοὺς μὲν διέσωσε, τὸν δὲ Ἀμὰν ἐπιβουλεῦσαι θελήσαντα ἐπάταξεν. Ἀρταξέρξης γὰρ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν ἰδίαν ἐκβαλὼν γυναῖκα, ἐζήτησεν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ τὴν πάντων καλλίστην οὖσαν καὶ ὡραιοτέραν λαβεῖν ἑαυτῷ γυναῖκα· καὶ εὑρέθη Ἐσθὴρ τὸ γένος Ἰουδαία τυγχάνουσα. Ἦν δὲ καὶ Μαρδοχαῖος συγγενὴς αὐτῆς ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τῆς γενομένης ἐπὶ Σεδεκίου ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ χώρᾳ. Ὁ οὖν βασιλεὺς μέγαν ποιήσας τὸν λεγόμενον Ἀμὰν, ἐκέλευσε πάντας αὐτὸν προσκυνεῖν. Ἀλλὰ τοῦ Μαρδοχαίου τῇ πρὸς Θεὸν λατρείᾳ μὴ προσκυνοῦντος τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὠργίσθη ὁ Ἀμὰν, καὶ μαθὼν ὅτι Ἰουδαῖός ἐστι, πείθει τὸν βασιλέα Ἀρταξέρξην, καὶ γράφει ὥστε πάντας τοὺς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ Ἰουδαίους ὁλοῤῥίζους ἀπολέσθαι ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ τῷ δωδεκάτῳ μηνί. Τοῦτο τοίνυν μαθὼν ὁ Μαρδοχαῖος, ἐπένθει, καὶ νηστεύων, προὔπεμψε τὴν Ἐσθὴρ ἀξιῶν παρὰ αὐτῆς βοήθειαν γενέσθαι. Ἡ τοίνυν Ἐσθὴρ νηστεύσασα, καὶ εὐξαμένη τῷ Θεῷ, ἐκόσμησεν ἑαυτὴν τῷ γυναικείῳ κόσμῳ, καὶ μὴ κληθεῖσα (οὐκ ἦν γὰρ ἐξὸν μὴ κληθεῖσαν εἰσελθεῖν), ὅμως εἰσῆλθε παρὰ τὸν καιρὸν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, ἀντὶ τοῦ καιροῦ τῇ εὐχῇ θαῤῥοῦσα. Εἶτα τοῦ βασιλέως θαυμάζοντος τὸ ξένον, ἔπεσεν ἐκείνη ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς μετέβαλε τὸν θυμὸν τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς διάθεσιν καὶ πραότητα· καὶ ἀναστὰς ἐβάστασε τὴν γυναῖκα, καὶ παρεκάλει αὐτὴν μὴ φοβεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἠξίωσεν αὐτὴν αἰτεῖσθαι, εἴ τι βούλοιτο. Ἡ δὲ ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ἠξίωσεν ἐλθεῖν αὐτόν τε τὸν βασιλέα καὶ τὸν Ἀμὰν, οὐχ ἅπαξ, ἀλλὰ καὶ δεύτερον. Ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἀμὰν διαχυθεὶς καὶ γανωθεὶς, ὡς ὑπὸ τῆς βασιλίδος ἀξιωθεὶς κληθῆναι, ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐπήρετο κατὰ τοῦ Μαρδοχαίου, καὶ ἐποίησε ξύλον κοπῆναι μέγα, βουλόμενος τὸν Μαρδοχαῖον τῇ ἑξῆς ἡμέρᾳ ἐν αὐτῷ κρεμάσαι. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς κατά τινα πρόνοιαν ἀγαθὴν, ἀγρυπνήσας ἐκείνην τὴν νύκτα, καὶ μὴ δυνάμενος ὑπνῶσαι, ἐκέλευσεν ἀναγινώσκεσθαι αὐτῷ τῶν πράξεων αὐτοῦ τὰ ὑπομνήματα. Ἀναγινωσκομένων δὲ αὐτῶν, εὗρε πρᾶξιν ἀγαθὴν εἰς αὐτὸν γενομένην ὑπὸ τοῦ Μαρδοχαίου. ∆ύο γὰρ εὐνούχους μέλλοντας ἐπιβουλεύειν τῷ βασιλεῖ κατήνεγκεν αὐτῷ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ ἤλεγξεν. Ὁ τοίνυν βασιλεὺς ἀποδεξάμενος τὴν προαίρεσιν τοῦ Μαρδοχαίου, ἐζήτει τιμὴν ἀξίαν τῷ τοιούτῳ παρασχεῖν. Ὡς δὲ εἰσῆλθε πρωῒ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Ἀμὰν, ἐπυνθάνετο ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτοῦ, ὁποίας καὶ πηλίκης τιμῆς ἄξιός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν βασιλέα εὐεργετήσας. Ὁ δὲ Ἀμὰν νομίζων περὶ αὐτοῦ πυνθάνεσθαι τὸν βασιλέα, εἶπεν ἄξιον εἶναι τὸν τοιοῦτον δεύτερον βασιλέα καλεῖσθαι. Ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς κελεύει τὸν Μαρδοχαῖον τῆς τοιαύτης ἀξιωθῆναι τιμῆς, καὶ τὸν Ἀμὰν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ περιπατεῖν. Ἡ δὲ Ἐσθὴρ πρόφασιν εὑροῦσα, ἠξίωσε περὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων. Εἶτα τοῦ