8 — Esther

1On that day king Assuerus gave the house of Aman, the Jews’ enemy, to queen Esther, and Mardochai came in before the king. For Esther had confessed to him that he was her uncle.In quel giorno il re Assuero donò alla regina Esther la casa di Aman nemico de' Giudei, e Mardocheo si presentò dinanzi al re; perocché Esther gli confessò, ch'egli era suo zio paterno.THAT day king Assuerus gaue vnto Esther the queene the house of Aman the Iewes aduersarie, and Mardocheus went in before the kings presence. For Esther confessed to him that he was her vncle.Die illo dedit rex Assuerus Esther reginæ domum Aman adversarii Judæorum, et Mardochæus ingressus est ante faciem regis. Confessa est enim ei Esther quod esset patruus suus. 2And the king took the ring which he had commanded to be taken again from Aman, and gave it to Mardochai. And Esther set Mardochai over her house.Il re adunque prese l'anello, che avea fatto togliere ad Aman, e lo diede a Mardocheo: e Esther diede il governo di sua casa a Mardocheo.And the king tooke the ring, which he had commanded to be taken agayne from Aman, and deliuered it to Mardocheus. And Esther appointed Mardocheus also ouer her house.Tulitque rex annulum, quem ab Aman recipi jusserat, et tradidit Mardochæo. Esther autem constituit Mardochæum super domum suam. 3And not content with these things, she fell down at the king’s feet and wept, and speaking to him besought him, that he would give orders that the malice of Aman the Agagite, and his most wicked devices which he had invented against the Jews, should be of no effect.E non contenta di questo, si gettò a' piedi del re, e colle lagrime agli occhi gli parlò, e pregollo di comandare, che non avessero effetto le inique trame ordite da Aman figliuolo di Agag contro i Giudei.Neither content with these things, she fel downe at the kings feete, and she wept and speaking to him prayed him, that he would command that the malice of Aman the Agagite, and his most wicked deuises, which he had inuented agaynst the Iewes, should be of none effect.Nec his contenta, procidit ad pedes regis, flevitque, et locuta ad eum oravit ut malitiam Aman Agagitæ, et machinationes ejus pessimas quas excogitaverat contra Judæos, juberet irritas fieri. 4But he, as the manner was, held out the golden sceptre with his hand, which was the sign of clemency: and she arose up and stood before him,Ed egli secondo il costume le porse colla sua mano lo scettro d'oro, col quale davasi segno di grazia; ed ella si alzò in piedi dinanzi a lui:But he after the maner put forth the golden scepter with his hand, by the which the signe of clemencie was shewed: and she rysing vp stood before him,At ille ex more sceptrum aureum protendit manu, quo signum clementiæ monstrabatur: illaque consurgens stetit ante eum, 5And said: If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and my request be not disagreeable to him, I beseech thee, that the former letters of Aman the traitor and enemy of the Jews, by which he commanded that they should be destroyed in all the king’s provinces, may be reversed by new letters.E disse: Se così piace al re e se io ho trovato grazia negli occhi ai lui, e se la mia preghiera non gli sembra ingiusta; io supplico, che con nuove lettere si aboliscano le precedenti lettere di Aman persecutore, e nemico de' Giudei, colle quali egli aveva ordinato, che quelli in tutte le provincie fossero trucidati.and said: If it please the king, and if I haue found grace in his eies, and my request seme not contrarie to him, I besech thee, that the old letters of Aman the traytour and enemie of the Iewes, wherein he commanded that in al the kings prouinces they should perish, may by new letters be corrected.et ait: Si placet regi, et si inveni gratiam in oculis ejus, et deprecatio mea non ei videtur esse contraria, obsecro ut novis epistolis, veteres Aman litteræ, insidiatoris et hostis Judæorum, quibus eos in cunctis regis provinciis perire præceperat, corrigantur.

6For how can I endure the murdering and slaughter of my people?Imperocché come potrei io sopportare la uccisione, e la strage del popol mio?For how can I abide the murder and slaughter of my people?Quomodo enim potero sustinere necem et interfectionem populi mei ? 7And king Assuerus answered Esther the queen, and Mardochai the Jew: I have given Aman’s house to Esther, and I have commanded him to be hanged on a gibbet, because he durst lay hands on the Jews.E il re Assuero rispose alla regina Esther, e a Mardocheo Ebreo: Io ho data ad Esther la casa di Aman, e ho ordinato, ch'ei fosse messo in croce, perchè ebbe ardire di maltrattare i Giudei:And king Assuerus answered Esther the queene, and Mardocheus the Iewe: Amans house I haue geuen to Esther, and him self I haue commanded to be hanged on the gallowes, because he durst lay handes on the Iewes.Responditque rex Assuerus Esther reginæ, et Mardochæo Judæo: Domum Aman concessi Esther, et ipsum jussi affigi cruci, quia ausus est manum mittere in Judæos. 8Write ye therefore to the Jews, as it pleaseth you in the king’s name, and seal the letters with my ring. For this was the custom, that no man durst gainsay the letters which were sent in the king’s name, and were sealed with his ring.Scrivete adunque a' Giudei a nome del re in quel modo, che a voi piacerà, sigillando le lettere col mio anello. Imperocché la consuetudine portava, che alle lettere scritte a nome del re, e sigillate coll'anello di lui nissuno ardiva di opporsi.Write ye therfore to the Iewes, as pleaseth you, in the kings name, signing the letters with my ring. For this was the custome, that no man durst speake against the lettes, which were sent in the kings name, and were signed with his ring.Scribite ergo Judæis, sicut vobis placet, regis nomine, signantes litteras annulo meo. Hæc enim consuetudo erat, ut epistolis, quæ ex regis nomine mittebantur et illius annulo signatæ erant, nemo auderet contradicere. 9Then the king’s scribes and secretaries were called for (now it was the time of the third month which is called Siban) the three and twentieth day of the month, and letters were written, as Mardochai had a mind, to the Jews, and to the governors, and to the deputies, and to the judges, who were rulers over the hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India even to Ethiopia: to province and province, to people and people, according to their languages and characters, and to the Jews, according as they could read and hear.E furon chiamati i segretarj, e gli scrittori del re, correndo il terzo mese chiamato Saban, al ventitre del mese, e furono scritte le lettere come volle Mardocheo ai Giudei, e ai principi, e ai procuratori, e giudici, che governavano le cento ventisette provincie dall'India fino all'Etiopia, provincia per provincia, e popolo per popolo, secondo i loro linguaggi, e caratteri, e similmente a' Giudei, affinchè tutti potesser leggere, e intendere.And the kings scribes and secretaries being cald for (and it was the time of the third moneth, which is called Siban) the three and twenteth day therof letters were written, as Mardocheus would, to the Iewes, and to the princes, and the lieuftenantes and iudges, which were rulers ouer the hundred and seuen and twentie prouinces, from India euen to Aethiopia: to prouince and prouince, to people and people, according to their languages and characters, and to the Iewes, according as they could read, and heare.Accitisque scribis et librariis regis (erat autem tempus tertii mensis, qui appellatur Siban) vigesima et tertia die illius scriptæ sunt epistolæ, ut Mardochæus voluerat, ad Judæos, et ad principes, procuratoresque et judices, qui centum viginti septem provinciis ab India usque ad Æthiopiam præsidebant: provinciæ atque provinciæ, populo et populo juxta linguas et litteras suas, et Judæis, prout legere poterant et audire.

10And these letters which were sent in the king’s name, were sealed with his ring, and sent by posts: who were to run through all the provinces, to prevent the former letters with new messages.E le stesse lettere scritte a nome del re erano sigillate col suo anello, e spedite per mezzo de' corrieri, i quali in tutte le provincie prevenissero per mezzo de' nuovi ordini l'effetto delle prime lettere.And the said letters, which were sent in the kings name, were signed with his ring, and sent by ryding postes: which running through al the prouinces, should preuent the old letters with the new messages.Ipsæque epistolæ, quæ regis nomine mittebantur, annulo ipsius obsignatæ sunt, et missæ per veredarios: qui per omnes provincias discurrentes, veteres litteras novis nuntiis prævenirent. 11And the king gave orders to them, to speak to the Jews in every city, and to command them to gather themselves together, and to stand for their lives, and to kill and destroy all their enemies with their wives and children and all their houses, and to take their spoil.A questi ordinò il re, che in ciascheduna città andassero a trovare i Giudei, e loro ordinassero di congregarsi insieme per difesa delle loro vite, e uccidessero, e sterminassero tutti i loro nemici colle mogli, e co' figliuoli, e colle case, e saccheggiassero le loro spoglie.To whom the king gaue commandment, that they should speake to the Iewes in euerie citie, and should command them to be gathered together in one, that they might stand for their liues, and might kil and destroy al their enemies with their wiues and children and al their houses, and to take the spoyle of them.Quibus imperavit rex, ut convenirent Judæos per singulas civitates, et in unum præciperent congregari ut starent pro animabus suis, et omnes inimicos suos cum conjugibus ac liberis et universis domibus, interficerent atque delerent, et spolia eorum diriperent. 12And one day of revenge was appointed through all the provinces, to wit, the thirteenth of the twelfth month Adar.E fu stabilito per tutte le provincie uno stesso giorno per la vendetta, viene a dire, il dì tredici del mese duodecimo Adar.And there was appointed through al the prouinces one day of reuenge, that is, the thirtenth of the twelfth moneth Adar.Et constituta est per omnes provincias una ultionis dies, id est tertiadecima mensis duodecimi Adar. 13And this was the content of the letter, that it should be notified in all lands and peoples that were subject to the empire of king Assuerus, that the Jews were ready to be revenged of their enemies.E la sostanza della lettera si fu, che si notificava a tutte le terre, e alle nazioni suddite del re Assuero, come gli Ebrei erano preparati a vendicarsi de' loro nemici.And this was the content of the letter, that in al landes and peoples, which were subiect to the empire of king Assuerus, it should be notified, 'the Iewes to be readie to be reuenged of their enemies.Summaque epistolæ hæc fuit, ut in omnibus terris ac populis qui regis Assueri subjacebant imperio, notum fieret paratos esse Judæos ad capiendam vindictam de hostibus suis.

14So the swift posts went out carrying the messages, and the king’s edict was hung up in Susan.E partirono in fretta i corrieri a portar queste nuove, e in Susa fu affisso editto del re.And there went forth swift postes cariyng the massages, and the kinges edict hong in Susan.Egressique sunt veredarii celeres nuntia perferentes, et edictum regis pependit in Susan. 15And Mardochai going forth out of the palace, and from the king’s presence, shone in royal apparel, to wit, of violet and sky colour, wearing a golden crown on his head, and clothed with a cloak of silk and purple. And all the city rejoiced, and was glad.E Mardocheo uscendo dal palazzo, e dalla presenza del re, risplendeva per le sue vesti alla reale, di color giacinto, e celeste, portando sul capo la corona di oro, e coperto di un mantello di seta, e di porpora: e tutta la città fu in festa, e in allegrezza.But Mardocheus going forth out of the palace, and from the kinges presence, shining in royal garmentes, to wit, hyathinthine and skie colour, bearing a golden crowne on his head, and clothed with a silke and purple cloke. And the citie reioysed, and was glad.Mardochæus autem de palatio et de conspectu regis egrediens, fulgebat vestibus regiis, hyacinthinis videlicet et æriis, coronam auream portans in capite, et amictus serico pallio atque purpureo. Omnisque civitas exultavit atque lætata est. 16But to the Jews, a new light seemed to rise, joy, honour, and dancing.E pe' Giudei parve, che nascesse una nuova luce, gaudio, onore, e festeggiamento.But to the Iewes there semed a new light to rise, ioye, honour, and dauncing.Judæis autem nova lux oriri visa est, gaudium, honor, et tripudium. 17And in all peoples, cities, and provinces, whithersoever the king’s commandments came, there was wonderful rejoicing, feasts and banquets, and keeping holy day: Insomuch that many of other nations and religion, joined themselves to their worship and ceremonies. For a great dread of the name of the Jews had fallen upon all.Presso tutti i popoli, e le città, e provincie, dovunque giungevano gli ordini del re, era maravigliosa allegrezza, banchetti, conviti, e feste; talmente che molti di altre nazioni, e di altre sette abbracciavan la religione, e le ceremonie loro: imperocché grande era il terrore, che tutti aveano del nome Giudeo.With al peoples, cities, and prouinces, whither soeuer the kinges commandmentes came, meruelous reioysing, feastes and banketes, and holie day: in so much that manie of the other nation and sect, were ioyned to their religion and ceremonies. For great terrour of the name of the Iewes had inuaded them al.Apud omnes populos, urbes, atque provincias, quocumque regis jussa veniebant, mira exultatio, epulæ atque convivia, et festus dies: in tantum ut plures alterius gentis et sectæ eorum religioni et cæremoniis jungerentur. Grandis enim cunctos judaici nominis terror invaserat.