Vingt-et-un Esther 001

001 It took place in the days of Ahasuerus, 'the' Ahasuerus who reigned over one hundred twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia.

002 King Ahasuerus was seated in Susa, the capital at that moment.

003 In the third year of his reign he organised a banquet for all his princes and servants. The people in charge of military of Persians and Medians, the nobles and the chiefs of the provinces were gathered together before him.

004 He displayed the glorious wealth of his kingdom and the resounding splender of his greatness. It lasted a long time: one hundred eighty days.

005 At the end of this period, the king organised a banquet for the whole population of Susa, the capital, from the greatest to the least. The banquet lasted seven days and took place in the garden of the palace.

006 White, green and blue hangings were attached to silver rings and marble columns with fine linen cords dyed with purple, beds made of gold and silver rested on a pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and black stones,

007 drinks were served in vessels made of gold, each one different from the other, and there was abundant royal wine that reflected the king's power.

008 However, in accordance with the decree, no-one was forced to drink. Indeed, the king had ordered all his servants to conform to each one's will.

009 For Queen Vashti's part, she also organised a banquet for the women of the royal palace.

010 On the seventh day, when King Ahasuerus was put in a joyful mood with wine, he ordered Mehuman, Biztha, Harborna, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Carcas who were in his employ

011 to call in Queen Vashti wearing the royal crown to show her beauty to the peoples and the princes before him. Indeed, she was a beautiful woman.

012 However, Queen Vashti refused to come when the eunuchs passed the king's message on to her. The king showed himself to be very cross and nourished a feeling of burning anger about that.

013 So, he addressed the wise astrologers, for that was how royal affairs were dealt with: before all those who knew the laws and the right.

014 His close entourage was composed of Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan. The seven princes of Persia and Media were admitted in the presence of the king and occupied the first seats in the kingdom.

015 He asked them: "According to law, how should we treat Queen Vashti for her refusing to respect King Ahasuerus' order passed on by the eunuchs?"

016 Memucan answered before the king and the princes: "It's not only the king that Queen Vasthi has behaved badly to, but also all the princes and all the peoples who lives in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus."

017 Indeed, the queen's attitude will rub off all of the wives and incite them to look down on their husbands. They'll say: 'King Ahasuerus had ordered that they call in Queen Vashti before him, and she didn't go there.'

018 Today already, the princesses of Persia and Media who have heard them talk about the queen's attitude will address all the king's princes in the same way, which will bring about a lot of contempt and anger.

019 If the king sees fit to, he'd have to issue an royal edict and inscribe it in the laws of Persians and Medians, so that it might not be broken. The edict would forbid Vashti to present herself before King Ahasuerus and clarify that the king will give the title of queen to another who is better than her.

020 The king's decree will be known in his entire kingdom, despite its vastness, and all the wives will honour their husbands, from the greatest to the least.

021 The king and the princes found the advice good, and the king acted in accordance with Memocan's word :

022 he sent letters to all his provinces, to each province in its script and each people in its language, to say that any man should be the chief of his home and speak his mother language in it.

Vingt-et-un Esther 002

001 After these events, once the anger of King Ahasuerus had been appeased, he regretfully thought about Vashti, what she had done and the decision that had been taken regarding her.

002 Then the king's young servants said: "Let them search for girls who are virgin and beautiful for the king.

003 Let the king designate inspectors in all the provinces of his kingdom, charged with assembling all the virgin and beautiful girls in Susa, the capital, in the harem, under the authority of Hegai, the king's eunuch in charge of the women! He'll furnish them with the necessary cosmetic products,

004 and the girl who the king likes will be queen in place of Vashti." The king found the advice good and conformed to it.

005 There was in Susa, the capital, a Jew of the name of Mordecai. He was a son of Jair, a descendant of Shimei and Kish, a Benjaminite

006 who had left Jerusalem in the company of the group of exiles leaving with Jeconiah, king of Judah, on orders from Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.

007 He charged himself with educating Hadassa, also known as Esther, his uncle's daughter, for she had no father or mother any longer. The girl was beautiful from any point of view. When her parents died, Mordecai had adopted her.

008 When they proclaimed the king's message that had the force of law and assembled a large number of girls in Susa, the capital, under the authority of Hegai, Esther was also taken. She was lead to the palace and placed under the authority of Hegai, the person in charge of the women.

009 The girl pleased him and gained his goodwill. He hastened to furnish her with the cosmetic products and the elements that she needed. He also gave her seven girls selected among the personnel of the palace, then he moved her into the best apartment of the harem with her maids.

010 Esther revealed neither her origin nor her family, for Mordecai had forbidden her to do so.

011 Each day he had a walk in front of the courtyard of the harem to assure himself of Esther's well-being and the way she was treated.

012 Each girl had to wend to King Ahasuerus when it was her turn, to wit after twelve months spent taking care of her body, in accordance with the rule in force for the women: six months with myrrh oil and six months with aromatics and specifically, women's cosmetic products.

013 This is how each girl wended to the king. When she got from the harem to the palaces, she was permitted to take anything she asked for with her.

014 She went there in the evening, and next morning she got into the second harem, under the authority of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch in charge the concubines. She wouldn't return to the king anymore, unless the king felt like her and she was called by name.

015 When it was the turn of Esther, daughter of Abihail - the uncle of Mordecai who had adopted her - to go towards the king, she demanded only what was recommended to her by Hegai, the king's eunuch in charge of the women. She gained the favour of all those who saw her.

016 Esther was lead to King Ahasuerus, in his royal palace, in the tenth month - i.e. the month of Tebeth - of the seventh year of his reign.

017 The king preferred Esther to all the other women, she gained his favour and goodwill more than all the other girls. He put the royal crown on her head and proclaimed her queen in place of Vasthi.

018 The king organised a great banquet for all his princes and servants, and he did in honour of Esther. He also granted tax exemptions to the provinces and distributed presents with pure royal generosity.

019 When they assembled girls for the second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate.

020 Esther had never revealed her family or her origin, for Mordecai had forbidden her to, and she respected his orders as she had done when she was under his tutelage.

021 So, at that moment, Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate. Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs who guarded the entrance, made a movement of irritation and meant to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.

022 Mordecai informed himself of it and revealed it to Queen Esther, who spoke to the king on his behalf.

023 The information was verified and confirmed, so that the two eunuchs were hanged on a gallows All this was recorded in writing in the annals in the presence of the king.

Vingt-et-un Esther 003

001 After these events, King Ahasuerus granted more importance and power to Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Agagite. He gave him a superior position to that of all the princes around him.

002 All of the king's servants who stood at the king's gate bent the knees and prostrated themselves before Haman, for doing so corresponded to the king's orders regarding him. Mordecai, however, didn't bend the knees and prostrate himself.

003 The king's servants who stood at the king's gate said to him: "Why do you break the king's order?"

004 As they repeated it to him each day and he didn't listen to them, they informed Haman of his attitude to see if he would persist in his decision. Indeed, he had told them that he was Jewish.

005 Haman noticed that indeed Mordecai didn't bend the knees and prostrate himself before him, and he was filled with anger.

006 However, he didn't consider it sufficient to lay hands only on Mordecai. Indeed, they had revealed to him which people Mordecai belonged to and he attempted to exterminate all the Jews settled in the entire kingdom of Ahasuerus, namely Mordecai's people.

007 In the twelfth year of the reign of Ahasuerus, in the first month, i.e. the month of Nissan, they cast 'pur' - i.e. lots - before Haman from day to day from month to month, and the lots designated the twelfth month, i.e. the month of Adar.

008 Haman said to the king then: "There's in all of the provinces of your kingdom a unique people, they're dispersed though, which remains much apart among the peoples. They have different laws from all the other peoples' and don't enforce the king's. The king doesn't have any interest in leaving them alone.

009 So, if you see fit to, let the order to get rid of them be given in writing. It's three hundred tons of silver that I'll hand over to the officials for the royal coffers."

010 The king took the ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, son of Hammedatha, l'Agagite who was the adversary of the Jews,

011 and he said to him: "The money and the people are at your disposal. Do what you want to about them."

012 The king's secretaries were convened on the thirteenth day of the first month and they wrote a message which was completely true to Haman's orders and dispatched to the king's satraps, the governors of each province and the chiefs of each people, to each province in its script and each people in its language. The message was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and the royal stamp was affixed on it.

013 The letters were sent through the agency of couriers into all the king's provinces. They were saying that on one single day - the thirteenth of the twelfth month, i.e. the month of Adar - they had to exterminate, massacre and eliminate all the Jews, young and old, chlidren and women, and carry out the pillage of their goods.

014 A copy of the document was to be given to each province for a commandment and conveyed to all the peoples in order that they might be ready for the very day.

015 The couriers left without delay, on orders from the king. The edict was also proclaimed in Susa, the capital, and, whereas the king and haman sat down to drink, the city of Susa was immersed in consternation.

Vingt-et-un Esther 004

001 When Mordecai was informed of all that was going on, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and ash, then criss-crossed the city wailing bitterly at the top of his voice.

002 Thus he went as far as the outside of the king's gate, for any person dressed with sackcloth was forbidden the entry.

003 In each province, wherever the king's message arrived, which had the force of law, the Jews mourned fasting, weeping and lamenting over and over; many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

004 When Queen Esther's handmaids and eunuchs came and reported to her what was going on, she was totally shattered by it. She had clothes got to Mordecai to urge him to get dressed and take off his sackcloth, but he didn't accept them.

005 Then she called Hatach, one of the eunuchs who the king had had him take under her, and charged him with going and asking Mordecai what the matter was and why he was behaving in that manner.

006 Hatach went back to Mordecai at the square of the city that faces the king's gate,

007 and Mordecai told him all that was happening to him. He told him specifically even the quantity of silver that Haman had promised to pour into the royal coffers to become able to get rid of the Jews.

008 He also gave him a copy of the edict proclaimed with a view to exterminate them in the inner city of Susa in order that he might show it to Esther and make her a report, charging her with wending to the king's place to beg him for mercy and plead her people's case.

009 Hatach came and reported Mordecai's words to Esther.

010 Then Esther charged him with going and saying to Mordecai:

011 "All the king's servants and the population of his provinces know that any person, man or woman, who enters the king's place, the inner courtyard, without having been convened is only entitled to one single verdict: death. The only person who remains alive is the one who the king extends the sceptre made of gold to. Yet, as far as I'm concerned, It's been thirty days since the last time I was called towards him."

012 So they reported Esther's words to Mordecai,

013 and Mordecai had her answered: "Don't imagine that your position at the palace will permit you to be saved, unlike all the Jews.

014 Indeed, if you keep silence now, help and deliverance will arise from elsewhere for the Jews, whereas both your family and you will die. Who knows? Perhaps it's such a circumstance as this that you've reached the royalty for."

015 Esther had Mordecai answered:

016 "Go and assemble all the Jews who who are in Susa and fast for me! Don't eat or drink anything for three days, neither by night nor by day. Myself also, I will respect such a fast with my handmaids, and it's this mood that I'll enter the king's place: I'll break the law and, if I shall die, I'll die."

017 Mordecai went away and did all that Esther had ordered him to.

Vingt-et-un Esther 005

001 Three days later, Esther put on her royal outfit and stood up in the inner courtyard of the palace, in front of the king's apartments. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal palace, in the face of the entrance of the building.

002 When he saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, she gained his favour and he extended the sceptre made of gold to her, which he was holding. Esther approached and touched the tip of the sceptre.

003 The king said to her: "What's the matter, Queen Esther, and what do you desire? Even if you demand half the kingdom, it will be given to you."

004 Esther answered: "If you see fit to, my king, I'd like you to come to the banquet with Haman today, which I've organised for you."

005 The king said then: "Go without delay and look for Haman to answer Esther's invitation", and he wended to the banquet with Haman, which Esther had prepared.

006 While they were drinking, the king said to Esther: "What's the object of your request? It will be granted to you. What do you desire? Even if you demand half the kingdom, you'll obtain it."

007 Esther answered: "What I ask for and what I desire?

008 If I've found favour in your eyes and if you see fit to grant me the object of my request and satisfy my desire, I'd love you to come to the feast with Haman, which I'll organise for you, and it's tomorrow that I'll answer your proposal.

009 That day Haman left pleased again, in a joyful mood. But when he saw that Mordecai, still at the king's gate, still didn't get up and tremble before him, he was filled with anger at him.

010 Neverthless he managed to contain himself and went back home. Then he sent for his friends and his wife Zeresh,

011 and he exposed to them point by point the value of his wealth, the large number of his sons, the whole importance and the whole power that the king had granted him placing him above all the princes and his own servants.

012 He added: "I'm even the only one who Queen Esther has admitted at the banquet with the king, which she has organised, and I'm invited to her place in the company of the king again for tomorrow.

013 However, all this doesn't have any worth for me as long as I see Mordecai, the Jew, sitting at the king's gate."

014 Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends suggested to him : "Get a twenty-five meter high gallows prepared and ask the king to let Mordecai be hanged on it tomorrow morning. Afterwards You'll be able to accompany the king at the banquet in joy." Haman found the advice good and had the gallows prepared.