| 1 εἰσῆλθεν δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ Αμαν συμπιεῖν τῇ βασιλίσσῃ 2 εἶπεν δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς Εσθηρ τῇ δευτέρᾳ ἡμέρᾳ ἐν τῷ πότῳ τί ἐστιν Εσθηρ βασίλισσα καὶ τί τὸ αἴτημά σου καὶ τί τὸ ἀξίωμά σου καὶ ἔστω σοι ἕως τοῦ ἡμίσους τῆς βασιλείας μου 3 καὶ ἀποκριθεῖσα εἶπεν εἰ εὗρον χάριν ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως δοθήτω ἡ ψυχή μου τῷ αἰτήματί μου καὶ ὁ λαός μου τῷ ἀξιώματί μου 4 ἐπράθημεν γὰρ ἐγώ τε καὶ ὁ λαός μου εἰς ἀπώλειαν καὶ διαρπαγὴν καὶ δουλείαν ἡμεῖς καὶ τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν εἰς παῖδας καὶ παιδίσκας καὶ παρήκουσα οὐ γὰρ ἄξιος ὁ διάβολος τῆς αὐλῆς τοῦ βασιλέως 5 εἶπεν δὲ ὁ βασιλεύς τίς οὗτος ὅστις ἐτόλμησεν ποιῆσαι τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦτο 6 εἶπεν δὲ Εσθηρ ἄνθρωπος ἐχθρὸς Αμαν ὁ πονηρὸς οὗτος Αμαν δὲ ἐταράχθη ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τῆς βασιλίσσης 7 ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐξανέστη ἐκ τοῦ συμποσίου εἰς τὸν κῆπον ὁ δὲ Αμαν παρῃτεῖτο τὴν βασίλισσαν ἑώρα γὰρ ἑαυτὸν ἐν κακοῖς ὄντα 8 ἐπέστρεψεν δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκ τοῦ κήπου Αμαν δὲ ἐπιπεπτώκει ἐπὶ τὴν κλίνην ἀξιῶν τὴν βασίλισσαν εἶπεν δὲ ὁ βασιλεύς ὥστε καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα βιάζῃ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ μου Αμαν δὲ ἀκούσας διετράπη τῷ προσώπῳ |
1 So met they once again, the king and Aman, over the queen’s wine. 2 And once again, his heart warmed by drinking, Assuerus would know what Esther’s mind might be; what was it she would have? Half of his kingdom should be hers for the asking. 3 My lord king, she said, if this is indeed thy gracious pleasure, one gift I would ask, my life; one boon, the preservation of my people. 4 Must we be crushed to nothing, I and my people; must we perish by massacre? To that we are doomed. If we were only marked down for slaves and bondwomen, our lot should be bravely borne; I would have nursed my grief in silence. But here is an enemy whose cruel designs concern the king’s grace. 5 Who is this man? Assuerus asked. Where is the insolence to be found that would make such an attempt as this? 6 One enemy we have, said Esther, one schemer’s malice we fear, and he is here in thy presence; Aman.
Upon hearing this, Aman was struck dumb, and could look neither king nor queen in the eyes. 7 The king rose angrily from his place, left the banqueting-room, and went out to walk in the garden, among his trees. With that, Aman rose too, intent on winning his pardon from queen Esther; doubt he might not that the king was bent on his undoing. 8 Thus minded, he fell sprawling across the couch on which Esther lay; and so the king found him, when he returned from garden to banqueting-room. What, cried he, will he ravish the queen before my eyes, and in my own house? And before the words were out of his mouth Aman was gagged and blindfold. |
1 Intravit itaque rex et Aman, ut biberent cum regina. 2 Dixitque ei rex etiam secunda die, postquam vino incaluerat: Quæ est petitio tua, Esther, ut detur tibi? et quid vis fieri? etiam si dimidiam partem regni mei petieris, impetrabis. 3 Ad quem illa respondit: Si inveni gratiam in oculis tuis o rex, et si tibi placet, dona mihi animam meam pro qua rogo, et populum meum pro quo obsecro. 4 Traditi enim sumus ego et populus meus, ut conteramur, jugulemur, et pereamus. Atque utinam in servos et famulas venderemur: esset tolerabile malum, et gemens tacerem: nunc autem hostis noster est, cujus crudelitas redundat in regem. 5 Respondensque rex Assuerus, ait: Quis est iste, et cujus potentiæ, ut hæc audeat facere? 6 Dixitque Esther: Hostis et inimicus noster pessimus iste est Aman. Quod ille audiens, illico obstupuit, vultum regis ac reginæ ferre non sustinens. 7 Rex autem iratus surrexit, et de loco convivii intravit in hortum arboribus consitum. Aman quoque surrexit ut rogaret Esther reginam pro anima sua: intellexit enim a rege sibi paratum malum. 8 Qui cum reversus esset de horto nemoribus consito, et intrasset convivii locum, reperit Aman super lectulum corruisse in quo jacebat Esther, et ait: Etiam reginam vult opprimere, me præsente, in domo mea. Necdum verbum de ore regis exierat, et statim operuerunt faciem ejus. |