| 1 τῆς δὲ ἐπιστολῆς ἐστιν τὸ ἀντίγραφον τόδε βασιλεὺς μέγας Ἀρταξέρξης τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰνδικῆς ἕως τῆς Αἰθιοπίας ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι ἑπτὰ χωρῶν ἄρχουσι καὶ τοπάρχαις ὑποτεταγμένοις τάδε γράφει 2 πολλῶν ἐπάρξας ἐθνῶν καὶ πάσης ἐπικρατήσας οἰκουμένης ἐβουλήθην μὴ τῷ θράσει τῆς ἐξουσίας ἐπαιρόμενος ἐπιεικέστερον δὲ καὶ μετὰ ἠπιότητος ἀεὶ διεξάγων τοὺς τῶν ὑποτεταγμένων ἀκυμάτους διὰ παντὸς καταστῆσαι βίους τήν τε βασιλείαν ἥμερον καὶ πορευτὴν μέχρι περάτων παρεξόμενος ἀνανεώσασθαί τε τὴν ποθουμένην τοῖς πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις εἰρήνην 3 πυθομένου δέ μου τῶν συμβούλων πῶς ἂν ἀχθείη τοῦτο ἐπὶ πέρας σωφροσύνῃ πα{R'} ἡμῖν διενέγκας καὶ ἐν τῇ εὐνοίᾳ ἀπαραλλάκτως καὶ βεβαίᾳ πίστει ἀποδεδειγμένος καὶ δεύτερον τῶν βασιλειῶν γέρας ἀπενηνεγμένος Αμαν 4 ἐπέδειξεν ἡμῖν ἐν πάσαις ταῖς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην φυλαῖς ἀναμεμεῖχθαι δυσμενῆ λαόν τινα τοῖς νόμοις ἀντίθετον πρὸς πᾶν ἔθνος τά τε τῶν βασιλέων παραπέμποντας διηνεκῶς διατάγματα πρὸς τὸ μὴ κατατίθεσθαι τὴν ὑ{F'} ἡμῶν κατευθυνομένην ἀμέμπτως συναρχίαν 5 διειληφότες οὖν τόδε τὸ ἔθνος μονώτατον ἐν ἀντιπαραγωγῇ παντὶ διὰ παντὸς ἀνθρώπῳ κείμενον διαγωγὴν νόμων ξενίζουσαν παραλλάσσον καὶ δυσνοοῦν τοῖς ἡμετέροις πράγμασιν τὰ χείριστα συντελοῦν κακὰ καὶ πρὸς τὸ μὴ τὴν βασιλείαν εὐσταθείας τυγχάνειν 6 προστετάχαμεν οὖν τοὺς σημαινομένους ὑμῖν ἐν τοῖς γεγραμμένοις ὑπὸ Αμαν τοῦ τεταγμένου ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων καὶ δευτέρου πατρὸς ἡμῶν πάντας σὺν γυναιξὶ καὶ τέκνοις ἀπολέσαι ὁλορριζεὶ ταῖς τῶν ἐχθρῶν μαχαίραις ἄνευ παντὸς οἴκτου καὶ φειδοῦς τῇ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ δωδεκάτου μηνὸς Αδαρ τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος ἔτους 7 ὅπως οἱ πάλαι καὶ νῦν δυσμενεῖς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ βιαίως εἰς τὸν ᾅδην κατελθόντες εἰς τὸν μετέπειτα χρόνον εὐσταθῆ καὶ ἀτάραχα παρέχωσιν ἡμῖν διὰ τέλους τὰ πράγματα |
1 The great king Artaxerxes, to the governors of the hundred and twenty-seven provinces between India and Ethiopia, and to all his vassal chiefs, sends greeting. 2 Wide as I rule, the world’s conqueror, I would not abuse this great power of mine; mild and indulgent my sway should be, and my subjects live in undisturbed tranquillity; peace is man’s greatest boon. 3 So I asked my counsellors how this end might best be achieved; and among them Aman, who ranks next to my person; no counsellor so wise or so trusty as he. 4 He it was told me of a race scattered about the world that lives by strange laws, and usages unknown to the rest of mankind; thinks lightly of the royal decrees, and by dissenting from them mars the concord of nations. 5 Strange news, that one people should revolt against the whole of mankind; should follow misguided customs, slight our edicts, and disturb the peaceful order of our empire! 6 This Aman, next to the king in dignity, is one we reverence like a father; in all our provinces, he is supreme. He will name the malefactors, who must be put to death with their wives and children, and no mercy shewn, on the fourteenth of Adar in this present year. 7 In one day let them all be hurried to the grave, so that our realm may recover the peace they have denied it.
(The rest of this chapter, the whole of chapter 14 and chapter 15 verses 4-19 follow, in the Septuagint Greek, at the end of chapter 4 above.) |
1 Rex maximus Artaxerxes ab India usque Æthiopiam, centum viginti septem provinciarum principibus et ducibus qui ejus imperio subjecti sunt, salutem. 2 Cum plurimis gentibus imperarem, et universum orbem meæ ditioni subjugassem, volui nequaquam abuti potentiæ magnitudine, sed clementia et lenitate gubernare subjectos, ut absque ullo terrore vitam silentio transigentes, optata cunctis mortalibus pace fruerentur. 3 Quærente autem me a consiliariis meis quomodo posset hoc impleri, unus qui sapientia et fide ceteros præcellebat, et erat post regem secundus, Aman nomine, 4 indicavit mihi in toto orbe terrarum populum esse dispersum, qui novis uteretur legibus, et, contra omnium gentium consuetudinem faciens, regum jussa contemneret, et universarum concordiam nationum sua dissensione violaret. 5 Quod cum didicissemus, videntes unam gentem rebellem adversus omne hominum genus perversis uti legibus, nostrisque jussionibus contraire, et turbare subjectarum nobis provinciarum pacem atque concordiam, 6 jussimus ut quoscumque Aman, qui omnibus provinciis præpositus est et secundus a rege, et quem patris loco colimus, monstraverit, cum conjugibus ac liberis deleantur ab inimicis suis, nullusque eorum misereatur, quartadecima die duodecimi mensis Adar anni præsentis: 7 ut nefarii homines uno die ad inferos descendentes, reddant imperio nostro pacem, quam turbaverant. Pergensque Mardochæus, fecit omnia quæ ei mandaverat Esther. |