Septuaginta, Esther, ed. Henry Barclay Swete D.D., 4

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Ὁ δὲ Μαρδοχαῖος ἐπιγνοὺς τὸ συντελούμενον διέρρηξεν τὰ ἱμάτια ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ ἐνεδύσατο σάκκον καὶ κατεπάσατο σποδόν, καὶ ἐκπηδήσας διὰ τῆς πλατείας τῆς πόλεως ἐβόα φωνῇ μεγάλῃ Αἴρεται ἔθνος μηδὲν ἠδικηκός.

καὶ ἦλθεν ἕως τῆς πύλης τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἔστη· οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἐξὸν αὐτῷ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν σάκκον ἔχοντι καὶ σποδόν.

καὶ ἐν πάσῃ χώρᾳ οὗ ἐξετίθετο τὰ γράμματα κραυγὴ καὶ κοπετὸς καὶ πένθος μέγα τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, σάκκον καὶ σποδὸν ἔστρωσαν ἑαυτοῖς.

καὶ εἰσῆλθον αἱ ἅβραι καὶ οἱ εὐνοῦχοι τῆς βασιλίσσης ¹³καὶ ἀνήγγειλαν αὐτῇ· καὶ ἐταράχθη ἀκούσασα τὸ γεγονός, καὶ ἀπέστειλεν στολίσαι τὸν Μαρδοχαῖον καὶ ἀφελέσθαι αὐτοῦ τὸν σάκκον· ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἐπείσθη.

ἡ δὲ Ἐσὴρ προσεκαλέσατο Ἁχραθαῖον τὸν εὐνοῦχον αὐτῆς, ὃς παριστήκει αὐτῇ, καὶ ἀπέστειλεν μαθεῖν αὐτῇ παρὰ τοῦ Μαρδοχαίου τὸ ἀκριβές.

ὁ δὲ Μαρδοχαῖος ὑπέδειξεν αὐτῷ τὸ γεγονὸς καὶ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ἣν ἐπηγγείλατο Ἁμὰν τῷ βασιλεῖ εἰς τὴν γάζαν μυρίων ταλάντων, ἵνα ἀπολέσῃ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους.

καὶ τὸ ἀντίγραφον τὸ ἐν Σούσοις ἐκτεθὲν ὑπέρ τοῦ ἀπολέσθαι αὐτοὺς ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ δεῖξαι τῇ Ἐσθήρ· καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἐντείλασθαι αὐτῇ εἰσελθούσῃ παραιτήσασθαι τὸν βασιλέα καὶ ἀξιῶσαι αὐτὸν περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ, μνησθεῖσα ἡμερῶν ταπεινώσεώς σου ὡς ἐτράφης ἐν χειρί μου, διότι Ἁμὰν ὁ δευτερεύων τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐλάλησεν καθʼ ἡμῶν εἰς θάνατον· ἐπικάλεσαι τὸν κύριον καὶ λάλησον τῷ βασιλεῖ περὶ ἡμῶν καὶ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἐκ θανάτου.

εἰσελθὼν δὲ ὁ Ἁχραθαῖος ἐλάλησεν αὐτῇ πάντας τοὺς λόγους τούτους.

εἶπεν δὲ Ἐσθὴρ πρὸς Ἁχραθαῖον Πορεύθητι πρὸς Μαρδοχαῖον καὶ εἰπὸν

ὅτι Τὰ ἔθνη πάντα τῆς βασιλείας γινώσκει, ὅτι πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ἢ γυνὴ ὃς εἰσελεύσεται πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν τὴν ἐσωτέραν ἄκλητος, οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτῷ σωτηρία· πλὴν ᾧ ἐκτείνει ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν χρυσῆν ῥάβδον, οὗτος σωθήσεται· κἀγὼ οὐ κέκλημαι εἰσελθεῖν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, εἰσὶν αὗται ἡμέραι τριάκοντα.

καὶ ἀπήγγειλεν Ἁχραθαῖος Μαρδοχαίῳ πάντας τοὺς λόγους Ἐσθήρ.

καὶ εἶπεν Μαρδοχαῖος πρὸς Ἁχραθαῖον Πορεύθητι καὶ εἰπὸν αὐτῇ
Ἐσθήρ, μὴ εἴπῃς σεαυτῇ ὅτι σωθήσῃ μόνη ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ παρὰ πάντας τοὺς Ἰουδαίους·

ὡς ὅτι ἐὰν παρακούσῃς ἐν τούτῳ τῷ καιρῷ, ⁴⁵ ἄλλοθεν βοήθεια καὶ σκέπη ἔσται τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις· σὺ δὲ καὶ ὁ οἶκος ⁶ τοῦ πατρός σου ἀπολεῖσθε. καὶ τίς οἶδεν εἰ εἰς τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ἐβασίλευσας;

καὶ ἐξαπέστειλεν Ἐσθὴρ τὸν ἥκοντα πρὸς αὐτὴν πρὸς Μαρδοχαῖον λέγουσα

Βαδίσας ἐκκλησίασον τοὺς Ἰουδαίους τοὺς ἐν Σούσοις, καὶ νηστεύσατε ἐπʼ ἐμοί, καὶ μὴ φάγητε μηδὲ πίητε ἐπὶ ἡμέρας τρεῖς νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν· κἀγὼ δὲ καὶ αἱ ἅβραι μου ἀσιτήσομεν· καὶ τότε εἰσελεύσομαι πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα παρὰ τὸν νόμον, ἐὰν καὶ ἀπολέσθαι με ᾖ.

Καὶ βαδίσας Μαρδοχαῖος ⁷ ἐποίησεν ὅσα ἐνετείλατο αὐτῷ Ἐσθῆρ·

καὶ ἐδεήθη Κυρίου, μνημονεύων πάντα τὰ ἔργα Κυρίου,

καὶ εἶπεν Κύριε, κύριε βασιλεῦ πάντων κρατῶν, ὅτι ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ σου τὸ πᾶν ἐστιν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἀντιδοξῶν σοι ἐν τῷ θέλειν σε σῶσαι τὸν Ἰσραήλ·

ὅτι σὺ ἐποίησας τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ πᾶν θαυμαζόμενον ἐν τῇ ὑπʼ οὐρανόν,

καὶ κύριος εἶ πάντων, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς ἀντιτάξεταί σοι τῷ κυρίῳ·

σὺ πάντα γινώσκεις, σὺ οἶδας, Κύριε, ὅτι οὐκ ἐν ὕβρει οὐδὲ ἐν ὑπερηφανίᾳ οὐδὲ ἐν φιλοδοξίᾳ ἐποίησα τοῦτο, τὸ μὴ προσκυνεῖν τὸν ὑπερήφανον Ἀμάν.

ὅτι ηὐδόκουν φιλεῖν πέλματα ποδῶν αὐτοῦ πρὸς σωτηρίαν Ἰσραήλ,

ἀλλὰ ἐποίησα τοῦτο ἵνα μὴ θῶ δόξαν ἀνθρώπου ὑπεράνω δόξης θεοῦ· καὶ οὐ προσκυνήσω οὐδένα πλὴν σοῦ τοῦ κυρίου μου, καὶ οὐ ποιήσω αὐτὰ ἐν ὑπερηφανίᾳ.

καὶ νῦν, Κύριε ὁ θεὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ θεὸς Ἀβραάμ, φεῖσαι τοῦ λαοῦ σου, ὅτι ἐπιβλέπουσιν ἡμῖν εἰς καταφθορὰν καὶ ἐπεθύμησαν ἀπολέσαι τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς κληρονομίαν σου·

μὴ ὑπερίδῃς τὴν μερίδα σου ἣν σεαυτῷ ἐλυτρώσω ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου·

ἐπάκουσον τῆς δεήσεως μου καὶ ἱλάσθητι τῷ κλήρῳ σου, καὶ στρέψον τὸ πένθος ἡμῶν εἰς εὐωχίαν, ἵνα ζῶντες ὑμνῶμέν σου τὸ ὄνομα, Κὐριε, καὶ μὴ ἀφανίσῃς στόμα αἰνούντων σοι.

⁸¹⁰

καὶ πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ ἐκέκραξαν ἐξ ἰσχύος αὐτῶν, ὅτι θάνατος αὐτῶν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτόῶν.

Καὶ Ἐσθὴρ ἡ βασίλισσα κατέφυγεν ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον ἐν ἀγῶνι θανάτου κατειλημμένη,

καὶ ἀφελομένη τὰ ἱμάτια τῆς δόξης αὐτῆς ἐνεδύσατο ἱμάτια στενοχαορίας καὶ πένθους, καὶ ἀντὶ τῶν ὑπερηφάνων ἡδυσμάτων σποδοῦ καὶ κοπριῶν ἔπλησεν τὴν κεφαλήν· καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἐταπείνωσεν σφόδρα, καὶ πάντα τόπον κόσμου ἀγαλλιάματος αὐτῆς ἔπλησε στρεπτῶν τριχῶν αὐτῆς·

καὶ ἐδεῖτο Κυρίου θεοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ εἶπεν Κύριέ μου, ὁ βασιλεὺς ἡμῶν, σὺ εἶ μόνος· βοήθησόν μοι τῇ μόνῃ καὶ μὴ ἐχούσῃ βοηθὸν εἰ μὴ σέ.

ὅτι κἰνδυνός μου ἐν χερί μου.

ἐγὼ δκουον ἐκ γενετῆς μου ἐν φυλῇ πατριᾶς μου, ὅτι σύ, Κύριε, ἔλαβες τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐκ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν ἐκ πάντων τῶν προγόνων αὐτῶν εἰς κληρονομίαν αἰώνιον, καὶ ἐποί ησας αὐτοῖς ὅσα ἐλάλησας.

καὶ νῦν ἡμάρτομεν ἐνώπιόν σου, καὶ παρέδωκας ἡμᾶς εἰς χεῖρας τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἡμῶν·

ἀνθʼ ὧν ἐδοξάσαμεν τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτῶν. δίκαιος εἶ, Κύριε·

καὶ νῦν οὐχ ἱκανώθησαν ἐν πικρασμῷ δουλείας ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ ἔθηκαν τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν,

ἐξᾶραι ὁρισμὸν στόματός σου καὶ ἀφανίσαι κληρονομίαν σου, καὶ ἐμφράξαι στόμα αἰνούντων σοι καὶ σβέσαι δόξαν οἴκου σου καὶ θυσιαστήριόν σου,

καὶ ἀνοῖξαι στόμα ἐθνῶν εἰς ἀρετὰς ματαίων καὶ θαυμασθῆναι βασιλέα σάρκινον εἰς αἰῶνα.

μὴ παραδῷς, Κύριε, τὸ σκῆπτρόν σου τοῖς μὴ οὖσιν, καὶ μὴ καταγελασάτωσαν ἐν τῇ πτώσει ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ στρέψον τὴν βουλὴν αὐτῶν ἐπʼ αὐτούς· τὸν δὲ ἀρξάμενον ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς παραδιγμάτισον.

μνήσθητι, Κύριε, γνώσθητι ἐν καιρῷ θλίψεως ἡμῶν, καὶ ἐμὲ θάρσυνον, βασιλεῦ τῶν θεῶν ¹¹¹² καὶ πάσης ἀρχῆς ἐπικρατῶν·

δὸς λόγον εὔρυθμον εἰς τὸ στόμα ¹³ μου ἐνώπιον τοῦ λέοντος, καὶ μετάθες τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ εἰς μῖσος τοῦ πολεμοῦντος ἡμᾶς, εἰς συντέλειαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν ὁμονοούντων αὐτῷ·

ἡμᾶς δὲ ῥῦσαι ἐν χειρί σου, καὶ βοήθησόν μοι τῇ μόνῃ καὶ μὴ ἐχούσῃ εἰ μὴ σέ, Κύριε. πάντων γνῶσιν ἔχεις,

καὶ οἶδας ὅτι ἐμίσησα δόξαν ἀνόμων, καὶ βδελύσσομαι κοίτην ἀπεριτμήτων καὶ παντὸς ἀλλοτρίου.

σὺ οἶδας τὴν ἀνάγκην μου, ὅτι βδελύσσομαι τὸ σημεῖον τῆς ὑπερηφανίας μου ὅ ἐστιν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς μου ἐν ἡμέραις ὀπτασίας μου· βδελύσσομαι αὐτὸ ὡς ῥάκος καταμηνίων, καὶ οὐ φορῶ αὐτὸ ἐν ἡμέραις ἡσυχίας μου.

καὶ οὐκ ἔφαγεν ἡ δούλη σου τράπεζαν Ἁμάν, καὶ οὐκ ἐδόξασα συμπόσιον βασιλέως, οὐδὲ ἔπιον οἶνον σπονδῶν·

καὶ οὐκ ηὐφράνθη ἡ δούλη σου ἀφʼ ἡμέρας μεταβολῆς μου μέχρι νῦν πλὴν ἐπὶ σοί, Κύριε ὁ θεὸς Ἁβραάμ.

ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἰσχύων ἐπὶ πάντας, εἰσάκουσον φωνὴν ἀπηλπισμένων καὶ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν πονηρευομένων, καὶ ῥῦσαί με ἐκ τοῦ φόβου μου.

¹⁴

Καὶ ἐγενήθη ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ ὡς ἐπαύσατο προσευχομένη, ἐξεδύσατο τὰ ἱμάτια τῆς θεραπείας καὶ περιεβάλετο τὴν δόξαν αὐτῆς·

καὶ γενηθεῖσα ἐπιφανής, ἐπικαλεσαμένη τὸν πάντων ἐπόπτην θεὸν καὶ σωτῆρα, παρέλαβεν τὰς δύο ἅβρας,

καὶ τῇ μὲν μιᾷ ἐπηρείδετο ὡς τρυφερευομένη,

ἡ δὲ ἑτέρα ἐπηκολούθει κουφίζουσα τὴν ἔνδυσιν αὐτῆς·

καὶ αὐτὴ ἐρυθριῶσα ἀκμῇ κάλλους αὐτῆς, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῆς ἱλαρὸν ὡς προσφιλές, ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῆς ἀπεστενωμένη ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου.

καὶ εἰσελθοῦσα πάσας τὰς θύρας κατέστη ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως· καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκάθητο ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ, καὶ πᾶσαν στολὴν τῆς ἐπιφανείας αὐτοῦ ἐνεδεδύκει, ¹⁵¹⁷ ὅλος διὰ χρυσοῦ καὶ λίθων πολυτελῶν, καὶ ἦν φοβερὸς σφόδρα.

καὶ ἄρας τὸ πρόσαωπον αὐτοῦ πεπυραομένον δόξῃ ἐν ἀκμῇ θυμοῦ ἔβλεψεν· καὶ ἔπεσεν ἡ βασίλισσα καὶ μετέβαλεν τὸ χρῶμα αὐτῆς ἐυ ἐκλύσει, καὶ κατεπέκυψεν ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν τῆς ἀβρας τῆς προπορευομένης.

καὶ μετέβαλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς πραύτητα, καὶ ἀγωνιάσας ἀνεπήδησεν ἀπὸ τοῦ θρόνου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνέλαβεν αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τὰς ἀγκάλας αὐτοῦ μέχρις οὗ κατέστη, καὶ παρεκάλει αὐτὴν λόγοις εἰρηνικοῖς

καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ Τί ἐστιν, Ἐσθῆρ; ἐγὼ ὁ ἀδελφός σου, θάρσει,

οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃς· ὅτι κοινὸν τὸ πρόσταγμα ἡμῶν ἐοτὰ·

πρόσελθε.

καὶ ἄρας τὴν χρυσῆν ῥάβδον ἐπέθηκεν ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτῆς, καὶ ἠσπάσατο αὐτὴν καὶ εἶπεν Λάλησόν μοι.

καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Εἶδόν σε, κύριε, ὡς ἄγγελον θεοῦ, καὶ ἐταράχθη ἡ καρδία μου ἀπὸ φόβου τῆς δόξης σου.

ὅτι θαυμαστὸς εἶ, κύριε, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου χαρίτων μεστόν.

ἐν δὲ τῷ διαλέγεσθαι αὐτὴν ἔπεσεν ἀπὸ ἐκλύσεως·

καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐταράσσετο, καὶ πᾶσα ἡ θεραπεία αὐτοῦ παρεκάλει αὐτήν.

Esther. Septuaginta. ed. Henry Barclay Swete D.D.. United States. 2017.

Funding provided by Harvard Library Arcadia Fund.

Current edition First1KGreek

Ἐσθήρ (Greek) (Septuaginta. The Old Testament in Greek According to the Septuagint. Volume 2: I Chronicles-Tobit. Swete, Henry Barclay, editor. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1896.)

Translations (1)

Esther Perseus (World English Bible. Revision of the American Standard Version of 1901. Rainbow Missions, Inc., 2000-2024.) — 4 focus

Now when Mordecai knew all that was done, Mordecai tore his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry;

and he came even before the king's gate: for none might enter within the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.

In every province, wherever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

Esther's maidens and her chamberlains came and told it her; and the queen was exceedingly grieved: and she sent clothing to clothe Mordecai, and to take his sackcloth from off him; but he didn't receive it.

Then called Esther for Hathach, one of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend on her, and charged him to go to Mordecai, to know what this was, and why it was.

So Hathach went forth to Mordecai to the broad place of the city, which was before the king's gate.

Mordecai told him of all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them.

Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given out in Shushan to destroy them, to show it to Esther, and to declare it to her, and to charge her that she should go in to the king, to make supplication to him, and to make request before him, for her people.

Hathach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.

Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a message to Mordecai [saying]:

All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whoever, whether man or woman, shall come to the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law for him, that he be put to death, except those to whom the king shall hold out the golden scepter, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.

They told to Mordecai Esther's words.

Then Mordecai bade them return answer to Esther, Don't think to yourself that you shall escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews.

For if you altogether hold your peace at this time, then will relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish: and who knows whether you haven't come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

Then Esther bade them return answer to Mordecai,

Go, gather together all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast you for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast in like manner; and so will I go in to the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.

Notes on the current edition

Esther

1. U+05D0A

3. Β

4. U+05D0A

6. B

7. C

8. U+05D0A

10. B

11. U+05D0A

13. B

14. D

15. U+05D0A

17. B

Septuaginta Esther 4

ed. Henry Barclay Swete D.D.

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