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For in that much time the wall was finished for Jerusalem, in the twenty-eighth year of the reign of Xerxes, in the ninth month. And Nehemiah, seeing that the city had few inhabitants, urged the priests and Levites to leave the country and migrate to the city. And Nehemiah died an old man, a man good in character and just and most honorable towards his countrymen. And when Xerxes died, the kingdom passed to his son Cyrus, whom they also call Artaxerxes. At any rate, in the third year of his reign, having called the governors and the satraps of his own nations, he feasted them lavishly for many days; and Queen Vashti likewise held a banquet for the women. The king wished to show her, who surpassed all in beauty, to those banqueting with him, and sending for her, he ordered her to come to the banquet; but she did not obey, and though he sent many times, she was unyielding. Therefore the king was angered because of her disobedience. And he communicated the disobedience of his wife to the seven counselors of the Persians; and they judged that it was necessary to cast her out. And so she was cast out; but he was grieved, being amorously disposed toward her. And while he was in this state, his friends advised him to gather beautiful virgins from everywhere and to have the one chosen as his wife. 1.277 He is persuaded by this counsel, and when many virgins had been gathered, a certain maiden was found in Babylon, a Jewess by race, from the tribe of Benjamin, an orphan of both parents, being raised by her uncle Mordecai, one of the leading men among the Jews; The maiden's name was Esther. Therefore the king, being pleased with her, took her as his wife, and places the diadem on her. And her uncle moved from Babylon to Susa, spending his time around the palace and inquiring about his niece. For neither did she make known the nation from which she happened to be, nor did Mordecai acknowledge his kinship to her. And the king made a law that no one should approach him unbidden while he was sitting on the throne, or the one so approaching would be put to death by the axe-bearers attending him, unless he extended toward him the scepter which he held in his hands; for the one who touched the scepter was safe. And when two of his eunuchs plotted against King Artaxerxes, Barnabazus, a servant of one of them, being a Jew by race, understood the plot and reported it to Mordecai, and he, through Esther, informed the king of the plotters. And he crucified the eunuchs, but ordered Mordecai's name to be written in the chronicles and for him to remain at the palace. And everyone bowed down to Haman, who was a very great friend to the king. But when Mordecai did not bow down on account of his law, Haman, learning that he was a Jew, became indignant and said to him that while free Persians bow down to him, he, being a slave, refuses to do this. Therefore, approaching the king, he accused the entire nation, and asked him to command 1.278 that it be destroyed root and branch and that no remnant of it be left; however, so that he not be deprived of their taxes, he himself promised to give four myriads of silver. So Haman asked for these things; and the king grants him both the silver and the people, so that he might deal with them as he wishes. Immediately, therefore, a decree was sent by Haman to all the nations as if from the king, containing these things. "I command all those designated by my second father Haman to be destroyed, with their wives and children, and I wish this to happen on the fourteenth day of the twelfth month of the present year." When this letter was brought to the cities and the countries, the destruction of the Jews was being prepared. And those in Susa were in the same state. But Mordecai, learning what had happened, put on sackcloth and poured ashes on himself, and cried out that a nation that had done no wrong was being destroyed. And coming to the palace, he stood outside; for it was not permitted to enter in such attire. And when Queen Esther learned this, she sent a eunuch to Mordecai to find out for what reason he was mourning; and he the things that had happened to the

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τοσούτῳ γὰρ χρόνῳ τοῖς ̔Ιεροσολύμοις τὸ τεῖχος ἀπήρτιστο, ὀγδόῳ καὶ εἰκοστῷ τῆς Ξέρξου βασιλείας ετει, μηνὶ ἐνάτῳ. Νεεμίας δὲ τὴν πόλιν ὀλιγανδροῦσαν ὁρῶν, παρεκάλεσε τοὺς ἱερεῖς καὶ Λευίτας τὴν χώραν ἐκλιπόντας εἰς τὴν πόλιν μεταναστεῦσαι. ἐτελεύτησε δὲ Νεεμίας γηραιός, ἀνὴρ χρηστὸς τὸν τρόπον καὶ δίκαιος καὶ φιλοτιμότατος πρὸς τοὺς ὁμοεθνεῖς. Τελευτήσαντος δὲ Ξέρξου ἡ βασιλεία εἰς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Κῦρον, ον καὶ ̓Αρταξέρξην καλοῦσι, μετέπεσε. τῷ γοῦν τρίτῳ ετει τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ τοὺς ἡγεμόνας καὶ τοὺς σατράπας τῶν οἰκείων καλέσας ἐθνῶν ἐφ' ἡμέρας πολλὰς εἱστία τούτους πολυτελῶς· καὶ ἡ βασίλισσα δὲ Οὐάστη ταῖς γυναιξὶν ὁμοίως συνεκρότει συμπόσιον. ην κάλλει πάσας νικῶσαν ἠθέλησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῖς αὐτῷ συμποσιάζουσιν ἐπιδεῖξαι, καὶ πέμψας ηκειν αὐτὴν ἐκέλευε παρὰ τὸ συμπόσιον· ἡ δὲ οὐκ ἐπείθετο, καὶ πολλάκις στείλαντος ἀνένδοτος ην. ὠργίσθη ουν ὁ βασιλεὺς διὰ τὴν ἀπείθειαν. καὶ κοινοῦται τοῖς ἑπτὰ τῶν Περσῶν συμβούλοις τῆς γυναικὸς τὴν ἀπείθειαν· οἱ δ' ἐκβαλεῖν αὐτὴν δεῖν εκριναν. καὶ ἡ μὲν ἐκβέβλητο· ὁ δ' ηχθετο, πρὸς αὐτὴν ἐρωτικῶς διακείμενος. ουτω δ' εχοντι συνεβούλευον οἱ φίλοι παρθένους εὐπρεπεῖς πανταχόθεν συναγαγεῖν καὶ τὴν προκριθεῖσαν εξειν γυναῖκα. 1.277 πείθεται τῇ συμβουλῇ ταύτῃ, καὶ πολλῶν παρθένων ἀθροισθεισῶν εὑρέθη τις ἐν Βαβυλῶνι κόρη ̓Ιουδαία τὸ γένος ἐκ φυλῆς τῆς Βενιαμίτιδος, ὀρφανὴ καὶ ἀμφοῖν τῶν γονέων, παρὰ τῷ θείῳ Μαρδοχαίῳ τρεφομένη, τῶν πρώτων παρὰ τοῖς ̓Ιουδαίοις· ̓Εσθὴρ ην τῇ κόρῃ τὸ ονομα. ἡσθεὶς ουν ταύτῃ ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς γυναῖκα ταύτην ἠγάγετο, καὶ περιτίθησιν αὐτῇ τὸ διάδημα. καὶ ὁ θεῖος αὐτῆς ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος εἰς Σοῦσα μετῴκησε, περὶ τὰ βασίλεια διατρίβων καὶ περὶ τῆς ἀδελφιδῆς πυνθανόμενος. ουτε γὰρ ἐκείνη δῆλον τὸ εθνος ἐξ ουπερ ἐτύγχανεν εθετο ουτε ὁ Μαρδοχαῖος τὴν πρὸς αὐτὴν ὡμολόγει συγγένειαν. Εθετο δὲ νόμον ὁ βασιλεὺς ωστε μηδένα οἱ ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου καθημένῳ ακλητον προσιέναι, η θνήσκειν τὸν ουτω προσιόντα ὑπὸ τῶν αὐτῷ παρισταμένων πελεκυφόρων, εἰ μὴ ἐκεῖνος ον ἐν χερσὶ κατεῖχε λύγον ἐξέτεινε πρὸς αὐτόν· ὁ γὰρ τοῦ λύγου ἁπτόμενος ἀκίνδυνος ην. ἐπιβουλευσάντων δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ ̓Αρταξέρξῃ δύο εὐνούχων αὐτοῦ, Βαρνάβαζος οἰκέτης τοῦ ἑτέρου, τὸ γένος ων ̓Ιουδαῖος, συνεὶς τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν τῷ Μαρδοχαίῳ ἀπήγγειλε, καὶ ος διὰ τῆς ̓Εσθὴρ τῷ βασιλεῖ τοὺς ἐπιβούλους ἐμήνυσεν. ὁ δὲ τοὺς μὲν εὐνούχους ἀνεσταύρωσε, τοῦ δὲ Μαρδοχαίου τὸ ονομα ἐκέλευσεν ἐγγραφῆναι τοῖς ὑπομνήμασι καὶ προσμένειν τοῖς βασιλείοις αὐτόν. ̓Αμὰν δὲ φίλον οντα τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐς τὰ μάλιστα απαντες προσεκύνουν. Μαρδοχαίου δὲ μὴ προσκυνοῦντος διὰ τὸν νόμον αὐτόν, μαθὼν ὡς ̓Ιουδαῖός ἐστιν ἠγανάκτησε καὶ ειπεν αὐτῷ ὡς οἱ μὲν ἐλεύθεροι Πέρσαι προσκυνοῦσιν αὐτόν, ὁ δὲ δοῦλος ων ἀπαξιοῖ τοῦτο ποιεῖν. προσελθὼν ουν τῷ βασιλεῖ κατηγόρει τοῦ εθνους παντός, καὶ ῃτει κελεῦσαι 1.278 πρόρριζον ἀπολέσθαι αὐτὸ καὶ μή τι λείψανον αὐτοῦ καταλιπεῖν· ινα μέντοι μὴ ζημιωθῇ τοὺς φόρους αὐτῶν, αὐτὸς ἐπηγγείλατο δώσειν μυριάδας ἀργυρίου τέσσαρας. ὁ μὲν ουν ̓Αμὰν ῃτει ταῦτα· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον αὐτῷ χαρίζεται καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ωστε χρῆσθαι τούτοις ὡς βούλεται. αὐτίκα ουν διάταγμα παρὰ τοῦ ̓Αμὰν ἐπέμφθη εἰς πάντα τὰ εθνη ὡς ἐκ τοῦ βασιλέως, περιέχον ταῦτα. "τοὺς δηλουμένους ὑπὸ τοῦ δευτέρου μου πατρὸς ̓Αμὰν κελεύω πάντας σὺν γυναιξὶ καὶ τέκνοις ἀπολέσθαι, καὶ τοῦτο γενέσθαι βούλομαι τῇ τετάρτῃ καὶ δεκάτῃ τοῦ δωδεκάτου μηνὸς τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος ετους." τούτου κομισθέντος τοῦ γράμματος εἰς τὰς πόλεις καὶ τὰς χώρας, ἡ τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων ἀπώλεια ἡτοιμάζετο. ειχον δὲ καὶ οἱ ἐν τοῖς Σούσοις ὁμοίως. ̔Ο δὲ Μαρδοχαῖος μαθὼν τὸ γενόμενον, σάκκον ἐνδὺς καὶ καταχεάμενος σποδιὰν ἐβόα οτι μηδὲν ἀδικῆσαν εθνος ἀναιρεῖται. καὶ πρὸς τὰ βασίλεια ἐλθὼν ἐκτὸς ιστατο· οὐ γὰρ ἐξῆν μετὰ τοιούτου σχήματος εἰσελθεῖν. γνοῦσα δὲ τοῦτο Ἐσθὴρ ἡ βασίλισσα, εὐνοῦχον πρὸς Μαρδοχαῖον ἀπέστειλε γνωσόμενον οτου χάριν πενθεῖ· ὁ δὲ τὰ συμβάντα τῷ