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he made known to a eunuch, and he commanded Esther to petition the king concerning these things. And she, having learned these things, declares to him that, not having been summoned by the king, she feared that she would die if she approached him unsummoned. But Mordecai declared to her not to consider her own safety, but that of the nation; but if not, there would certainly be help for it from God, but she and her father's house would be destroyed. And she commanded him, having gone to Susa, to prepare the Jews there to fast for three days 1.279 on her behalf. And Mordecai did so, but Esther, having thrown herself upon the ground in mourning clothes and without food, remained for three days and prayed to God. And after the three days, having changed into royal attire, with two maidservants, on one of whom she was lightly leaning, while the other held up the deep part of her robe that flowed even to the ground with her fingertips, she came to the ruler, and she entered with fear. And when she came before his face as he was sitting royally upon the throne, and he looked at her grimly, a faintness from fear took hold of her, and she fell speechless upon the maidservant walking by her side. But the king, fearing for his wife, God having provided for this, leaped from the throne, and taking her in his arms, he revived her, kissing her and urging her to be of good courage, and extending his golden rod and placing the scepter in her hands. And she, having then taken courage, asked him to come to a feast for her with Haman. And when he had agreed, and they were present, the king commanded her to declare what she wanted; for she would be denied nothing. But she said she would tell him her wish on the following day, if he would come again to a feast for her with Haman. When the king promised, Haman went out overjoyed; and seeing Mordecai in the court, he was indignant that he did not bow down to him. And coming home to his wife and friends, he recounted what honor he enjoyed also from the queen, and how he was vexed seeing Mordecai in the court. And his wife having said to order a gallows of fifty cubits to be cut, and in the morning to ask the king to have Mordecai impaled, 1.280 he, accepting the opinion, ordered his servants to prepare the gallows and to set it up in the court for the punishment of Mordecai. And it was ready; but that night God took away the king's sleep. And being sleepless, he commanded the scribe who brought the records of his own deeds to read them. And as they were being read, it was found that Mordecai had been the informer to the king of a plot of the eunuchs. But when the scribe had only stated this and had moved on to another deed, the king stopped him, inquiring if he had a reward given to him recorded. And when he heard there was nothing, he asked what hour of the night it was; and learning that it was already dawn, he commanded them to call in whichever of his friends they should find before the court. And Haman was found, having hastened in order to ask for Mordecai. And when he was called, the king said, "Advise me how I might honor someone beloved by me." And he, reasoning that if he should give an opinion, he would give this on his own behalf, for he was beloved by the king more than the others, said, "If you wish to glorify this man, have him ride upon a horse wearing the same robe as you and having a golden necklace, and have one of your most trusted friends go before him proclaiming through the whole city that this is the honor that he receives whom the king would honor." The king, therefore, being pleased with the advice, says, "Seek out Mordecai the Jew, and giving to him the horse and the robe and the chain, lead him forth and proclaim; for you are my most trusted friend. These things shall be for him from me for having saved my life." Having heard these things, he was confounded, and struck with bewilderment, nevertheless 1.281 he goes out leading the horse and the purple robe and the chain. And finding Mordecai before the court dressed in sackcloth, he commanded him to put on the purple robe. But he said, "Most wicked of men, do you thus mock our misfortunes?"

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εὐνούχῳ ἐγνώρισε, καὶ περὶ τούτων δεηθῆναι τοῦ βασιλέως τῇ ̓Εσθὴρ ἐνετέλλετο. ἡ δὲ μαθοῦσα ταῦτα δηλοῖ αὐτῷ οτι, μὴ κληθεῖσα παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως, δέδοικεν ὡς ἀποθανεῖται, εἰ ακλητος αὐτῷ προσέλθοι. Μαρδοχαῖος δὲ ἐδήλου αὐτῇ μὴ τὴν ἰδίαν σωτηρίαν σκοπεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ εθνους· εἰ δ' ου, εσεσθαι μὲν πάντως ἐκείνῳ βοήθειαν ἐκ θεοῦ, αὐτὴν δὲ καὶ τὸν πατρῷον οικον αὐτῆς διαφθαρήσεσθαι. ἡ δὲ ἐνετέλλετο αὐτῷ εἰς Σοῦσα πορευθέντι παρασκευάσαι τοὺς ἐκεῖ ̓Ιουδαίους νηστεῦσαι τρεῖς ἡμέρας 1.279 ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς. καὶ Μαρδοχαῖος μὲν ουτως ἐποίησεν, ἡ δ' ̓Εσθὴρ ῥίψασα κατὰ γῆς ἑαυτὴν μετὰ πενθίμου ἐσθῆτος καὶ ατροφος ἐπὶ τρισὶν ἡμέραις διαμείνασα ἐδέετο τοῦ θεοῦ. μετὰ δὲ τὰς τρεῖς ἡμέρας κόσμον μεταμφιασαμένη βασίλειον, σὺν δυσὶ θεραπαινίσιν, ων τῇ μὲν κούφως ην ἐπερειδομένη, ἡ δὲ τὸ βαθὺ τοῦ χιτῶνος καὶ μέχρι τῆς γῆς κεχυμένον ακροις ἀπῃώρει δακτύλοις, ηκε πρὸς τὸν κρατοῦντα, εἰσῄει δὲ μετὰ δέους. ὡς δὲ κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου βασιλικῶς καθεζομένου ἐγένετο, προσιδόντος αὐτὴν βλοσυρῶς, πάρεσις ὑπὸ δέους λαμβάνει αὐτήν, καὶ τῇ παρὰ πλευρὰν ἰούσῃ ἐπέπεσεν ἀχανής. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς δείσας περὶ τῇ γυναικί, τοῦ θεοῦ προμηθευσαμένου τοῦτο, ἀνεπήδησεν ἐκ τοῦ θρόνου, καὶ ταῖς ἀγκάλαις αὐτὴν ὑπολαβὼν ἀνεκτᾶτο κατασπαζόμενος καὶ θαρρεῖν ἐγκελευόμενος καὶ τὴν ῥάβδον ἐκτείνας αὐτοῦ τὴν χρυσῆν καὶ τὸ σκῆπτρον ἐνθέμενος ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτῆς. ἡ δὲ ἐντεῦθεν ἀναθαρσήσασα ἐφ' ἑστίασιν αὐτὸν μετὰ τοῦ ̓Αμὰν πρὸς αὐτὴν ἠξίου ἐλθεῖν. ὡς δὲ ἐπένευσε, καὶ παρῆσαν, ἐκέλευεν ἐκείνῃ ὁ βασιλεὺς δηλοῦν ο,τι βούλεται· μηδενὸς γὰρ ἀτευκτήσειν. ἡ δὲ εἰς τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν φράζειν αὐτῷ τὴν βούλησιν ελεγεν, εἰ πάλιν πρὸς αὐτὴν μετὰ τοῦ ̓Αμὰν ἐφ' ἑστίασιν ελθοι. τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως ὑποσχομένου περιχαρὴς ὁ ̓Αμὰν ἐξῄει· καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν Μαρδοχαῖον ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ ἠγανάκτησεν οτι μὴ αὐτῷ προσεκύνησε. καὶ οικοι ἐλθὼν πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ τοὺς φίλους διηγεῖτο οιας καὶ παρὰ τῆς βασιλίσσης ἀπολαύει τιμῆς καὶ ὡς αχθεται τὸν Μαρδοχαῖον βλέπων ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ. τῆς δὲ γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ φησάσης κελεῦσαι κοπῆναι ξύλον πεντήκοντα πήχεων, καὶ πρωὶ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως αἰτησάμενον ἀνασταυρῶσαι 1.280 τὸν Μαρδοχαῖον, τὴν γνώμην ἀποδεξάμενος προσέταξε τοῖς οἰκέταις ξύλον ἑτοιμάσαι καὶ στῆσαι τοῦτο ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ πρὸς τιμωρίαν Μαρδοχαίου. Καὶ τὸ μὲν ην ετοιμον· ὁ δὲ θεὸς τῆς νυκτὸς ἐκείνης ἀφαιρεῖται τὸν υπνον τοῦ βασιλέως. ὁ δὲ ἀγρυπνῶν τὸν γραμματέα κομίσαντα τῶν ἰδίων πράξεων τὰ ὑπομνήματα ἀναγινώσκειν ἐκέλευσε. καὶ ἀναγινωσκομένων εὑρέθη μηνυτὴς Μαρδοχαῖος γενόμενος τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐπιβουλῆς εὐνούχων. φράσαντος δὲ τοῦτο μόνον τοῦ γραμματέως καὶ μεταβάντος ἐφ' ἑτέραν πρᾶξιν, ἐπέσχεν ὁ βασιλεύς, πυθόμενος εἰ εχει γέρας αὐτῷ δοθὲν ἀναγεγραμμένον. ὡς δ' ηκουσε μηδὲν ειναι, τίς ειη τῆς νυκτὸς ωρα ηρετο· μαθὼν δὲ ὡς ορθρος ηδη ἐστίν, ἐκέλευσε τῶν φίλων ον αν πρὸ τῆς αὐλῆς ευρωσιν εἰσκαλεῖν. εὑρέθη δὲ ὁ ̓Αμάν, ταχύνας ινα τὸν Μαρδοχαῖον αἰτήσηται. κληθέντι δὲ ειπεν ὁ βασιλεύς "συμβούλευσόν μοι πῶς αν τιμήσαιμί τινα στεργόμενον ὑπ' ἐμοῦ." ὁ δὲ λογισάμενος, ην αν δῷ γνώμην, ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ ταύτην δώσειν, στέργεσθαι γὰρ αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν αλλων μᾶλλον, "εἰ βούλοιο" εφη "τοῦτον δοξάσαι, ποίησον ἐφ' ιππου βαδίζειν τὴν αὐτήν σοι ἐσθῆτα φοροῦντα καὶ περιαυχένιον χρυσοῦν εχοντα, καὶ προϊόντα τῶν ἀναγκαίων σου φίλων ενα κηρύσσειν δι' ολης τῆς πόλεως οτι ταύτης τυγχάνει τῆς τιμῆς ον αν βασιλεὺς τιμήσῃ." ἡσθεὶς ουν τῇ παραινέσει ὁ βασιλεύς "ἐπιζήτησον" φησί "Μαρδοχαῖον τὸν ̓Ιουδαῖον, καὶ δοὺς ἐκείνῳ τὸν ιππον καὶ τὴν στολὴν καὶ τὸ στρεπτόν, προάγων αὐτοῦ κήρυττε· σὺ γάρ μοι φίλος ἀναγκαιότατος. ταῦτα δὲ αὐτῷ παρ' ἐμοῦ εσται σώσαντί μου τὴν ψυχήν." τούτων ἀκούσας συνεχύθη, καὶ πληγεὶς ὑπὸ ἀμηχανίας ομως 1.281 εξεισιν αγων τὸν ιππον καὶ τὴν πορφύραν καὶ τὸ στρεπτόν. καὶ τὸν Μαρδοχαῖον πρὸ τῆς αὐλῆς εὑρὼν σάκκον ἐνδεδυμένον ἐκέλευεν ἐνδύσασθαι τὴν πορφύραν. ὁ δέ "κάκιστε" ειπεν "ἀνθρώπων, ουτως ἡμῶν ταῖς συμφοραῖς ἐγγελᾷς;"