{"collection":"chr","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/chr/apo/addesth.htm","path":"chr/apo/addesth.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/chr/apo/addesth.htm","text":"AddEsth 10\nThen Mardocheus said, God hath done these things.\n5\nFor I remember a dream which I saw concerning these matters,\nand nothing thereof hath failed.\n6\nA little fountain became a river, and there was light, and the\nsun, and much water: this river is Esther, whom the king\nmarried, and made queen:\n7\nAnd the two dragons are I and Aman.\n8\nAnd the nations were those that were assembled to destroy the\nname of the Jews:\n9\nAnd my nation is this Israel, which cried to God, and were\nsaved: for the Lord hath saved his people, and the Lord hath\ndelivered us from all those evils, and God hath wrought signs\nand great wonders, which have not been done among the Gentiles.\n10\nTherefore hath he made two lots, one for the people of God,\nand another for all the Gentiles.\n11\nAnd these two lots came at the hour, and time, and day of\njudgment, before God among all nations.\n12\nSo God remembered his people, and justified his inheritance.\n13\nTherefore those days shall be unto them in the month Adar,\nthe fourteenth and fifteenth day of the same month, with an\nassembly, and joy, and with gladness before God, according to\nthe generations for ever among his people.\nAddEsth 11\nIn the fourth year of the reign of Ptolemeus and Cleopatra,\nDositheus, who said he was a priest and Levite, and Ptolemeus\nhis son, brought this epistle of Phurim, which they said was the\nsame, and that Lysimachus the son of Ptolemeus, that was in\nJerusalem, had interpreted it.\n2\nIn the second year of the reign of Artexerxes the great, in\nthe first day of the month Nisan, Mardocheus the son of Jairus,\nthe son of Semei, the son of Cisai, of the tribe of Benjamin,\nhad a dream;\n3\nWho was a Jew, and dwelt in the city of Susa, a great man,\nbeing a servitor in the king's court.\n4\nHe was also one of the captives, which Nabuchodonosor the\nking of Babylon carried from Jerusalem with Jechonias king of\nJudea; and this was his dream:\n5\nBehold a noise of a tumult, with thunder, and earthquakes,\nand uproar in the land:\n6\nAnd, behold, two great dragons came forth ready to fight, and\ntheir cry was great.\n7\nAnd at their cry all nations were prepared to battle, that\nthey might fight against the righteous people.\n8\nAnd lo a day of darkness and obscurity, tribulation and\nanguish, affliction and great uproar, upon earth.\n9\nAnd the whole righteous nation was troubled, fearing their\nown evils, and were ready to perish.\n10\nThen they cried unto God, and upon their cry, as it were from\na little fountain, was made a great flood, even much water.\n11\nThe light and the sun rose up, and the lowly were exalted,\nand devoured the glorious.\n12\nNow when Mardocheus, who had seen this dream, and what God\nhad determined to do, was awake, he bare this dream in mind, and\nuntil night by all means was desirous to know it.\nAddEsth 12\nAnd Mardocheus took his rest in the court with Gabatha and\nTharra, the two eunuchs of the king, and keepers of the palace.\n2\nAnd he heard their devices, and searched out their purposes,\nand learned that they were about to lay hands upon Artexerxes\nthe king; and so he certified the king of them.\n3\nThen the king examined the two eunuchs, and after that they\nhad confessed it, they were strangled.\n4\nAnd the king made a record of these things, and Mardocheus\nalso wrote thereof.\n5\nSo the king commanded, Mardocheus to serve in the court, and\nfor this he rewarded him.\n6\nHowbeit Aman the son of Amadathus the Agagite, who was in\ngreat honour with the king, sought to molest Mardocheus and his\npeople because of the two eunuchs of the king.\nAddEsth 13\nThe copy of the letters was this: The great king Artexerxes\nwriteth these things to the princes and governours that are under\nhim from India unto Ethiopia in an hundred and seven and twenty\nprovinces.\n2\nAfter that I became lord over many nations and had dominion\nover the whole world, not lifted up with presumption of my\nauthority, but carrying myself always with equity and mildness,\nI purposed to settle my subjects continually in a quiet life,\nand making my kingdom peaceable, and open for passage to the\nutmost coasts, to renew peace, which is desired of all men.\n3\nNow when I asked my counsellors how this might be brought to\npass, Aman, that excelled in wisdom among us, and was approved\nfor his constant good will and steadfast fidelity, and had the\nhonour of the second place in the kingdom,\n4\nDeclared unto us, that in all nations throughout the world\nthere was scattered a certain malicious people, that had laws\ncontrary to ail nations, and continually despised the\ncommandments of kings, so as the uniting of our kingdoms,\nhonourably intended by us cannot go forward.\n5\nSeeing then we understand that this people alone is\ncontinually in opposition unto all men, differing in the strange\nmanner of their laws, and evil affected to our state, working\nall the mischief they can that our kingdom may not be firmly\nestablished:\n6\nTherefore have we commanded, that all they that are signified\nin writing unto you by Aman, who is ordained over the affairs,\nand is next unto us, shall all, with their wives and children,\nbe utterly destroyed by the sword of their enemies, without all\nmercy and pity, the fourteenth day of the twelfth month Adar of\nthis present year:\n7\nThat they, who of old and now also are malicious, may in one\nday with violence go into the grave, and so ever hereafter cause\nour affairs to be well settled, and without trouble.\n8\nThen Mardocheus thought upon all the works of the Lord, and\nmade his prayer unto him,\n9\nSaying, O Lord, Lord, the King Almighty: for the whole world\nis in thy power, and if thou hast appointed to save Israel,\nthere is no man that can gainsay thee:\n10\nFor thou hast made heaven and earth, and all the wondrous\nthings under the heaven.\n11\nThou art Lord of all things, and and there is no man that can\nresist thee, which art the Lord.\n12\nThou knowest all things, and thou knowest, Lord, that it was\nneither in contempt nor pride, nor for any desire of glory, that\nI did not bow down to proud Aman.\n13\nFor I could have been content with good will for the\nsalvation of Israel to kiss the soles of his feet.\n14\nBut I did this, that I might not prefer the glory of man\nabove the glory of God: neither will I worship any but thee, O\nGod, neither will I do it in pride.\n15\nAnd now, O Lord God and King, spare thy people: for their\neyes are upon us to bring us to nought; yea, they desire to\ndestroy the inheritance, that hath been thine from the\nbeginning.\n16\nDespise not the portion, which thou hast delivered out of\nEgypt for thine own self.\n17\nHear my prayer, and be merciful unto thine inheritance: turn\nour sorrow into joy, that we may live, O Lord, and praise thy\nname: and destroy not the mouths of them that praise thee, O\nLord.\n18\nAll Israel in like manner cried most earnestly unto the Lord,\nbecause their death was before their eyes.\nAddEsth 14\nQueen Esther also, being in fear of death, resorted unto the\nLord:\n2\nAnd laid away her glorious apparel, and put on the garments\nof anguish and mourning: and instead of precious ointments, she\ncovered her head with ashes and dung, and she humbled her body\ngreatly, and all the places of her joy she filled with her torn\nhair.\n3\nAnd she prayed unto the Lord God of Israel, saying, O my\nLord, thou only art our King: help me, desolate woman, which\nhave no helper but thee:\n4\nFor my danger is in mine hand.\n5\nFrom my youth up I have heard in the tribe of my family that\nthou, O Lord, tookest Israel from among all people, and our\nfathers from all their predecessors, for a perpetual\ninheritance, and thou hast performed whatsoever thou didst\npromise them.\n6\nAnd now we have sinned before thee: therefore hast thou given\nus into the hands of our enemies,\n7\nBecause we worshipped their gods: O Lord, thou art righteous.\n8\nNevertheless it satisfieth them not, that we are in bitter\ncaptivity: but they have stricken hands with their idols,\n9\nThat they will abolish the thing that thou with thy mouth\nhast ordained, and destroy thine inheritance, and stop the mouth\nof them that praise thee, and quench the glory of thy house, and\nof thine altar,\n10\nAnd open the mouths of the heathen to set forth the praises\nof the idols, and to magnify a fleshly king for ever.\n11\nO Lord, give not thy sceptre unto them that be nothing, and\nlet them not laugh at our fall; but turn their device upon\nthemselves, and make him an example, that hath begun this\nagainst us.\n12\nRemember, O Lord, make thyself known in time of our\naffliction, and give me boldness, O King of the nations, and\nLord of all power.\n13\nGive me eloquent speech in my mouth before the lion: turn his\nheart to hate him that fighteth against us, that there may be an\nend of him, and of all that are likeminded to him:\n14\nBut deliver us with thine hand, and help me that am desolate,\nand which have no other help but thee.\n15\nThou knowest all things, O Lord; thou knowest that I hate the\nglory of the unrighteous, and abhor the bed of the\nuncircumcised, and of all the heathen.\n16\nThou knowest my necessity: for I abhor the sign of my high\nestate, which is upon mine head in the days wherein I shew\nmyself, and that I abhor it as a menstruous rag, and that I wear\nit not when I am private by myself.\n17\nAnd that thine handmaid hath not eaten at Aman's table, and\nthat I have not greatly esteemed the king's feast, nor drunk the\nwine of the drink offerings.\n18\nNeither had thine handmaid any joy since the day that I was\nbrought hither to this present, but in thee, O Lord God of\nAbraham.\n19\nO thou mighty God above all, hear the voice of the forlorn\nand deliver us out of the hands of the mischievous, and deliver\nme out of my fear.\nAddEsth 15\nAnd upon the third day, when she had ended her prayers, she\nlaid away her mourning garments, and put on her glorious\napparel.\n2\nAnd being gloriously adorned, after she had called upon God,\nwho is the beholder and saviour of all things, she took two\nmaids with her:\n3\nAnd upon the one she leaned, as carrying herself daintily;\n4\nAnd the other followed, bearing up her train.\n5\nAnd she was ruddy through the perfection of her beauty, and\nher countenance was cheerful and very amiable: but her heart was\nin anguish for fear.\n6\nThen having passed through all the doors, she stood before\nthe king, who sat upon his royal throne, and was clothed with\nall his robes of majesty, all glittering with gold and precious\nstones; and he was very dreadful.\n7\nThen lifting up his countenance that shone with majesty, he\nlooked very fiercely upon her: and the queen fell down, and was\npale, and fainted, and bowed herself upon the head of the maid\nthat went before her.\n8\nThen God changed the spirit of the king into mildness, who in\na fear leaped from his throne, and took her in his arms, till\nshe came to herself again, and comforted her with loving words\nand said unto her,\n9\nEsther, what is the matter? I am thy brother, be of good\ncheer:\n10\nThou shalt not die, though our our commandment be general:\ncome near.\n11\nAnd so be held up his golden sceptre, and laid it upon her\nneck,\n12\nAnd embraced her, and said, Speak unto me.\n13\nThen said she unto him, I saw thee, my lord, as an angel of\nGod, and my heart was troubled for fear of thy majesty.\n14\nFor wonderful art thou, lord, and thy countenance is full of\ngrace.\n15\nAnd as she was speaking, she fell down for faintness.\n16\nThen the king was troubled, and ail his servants comforted\nher.\nAddEsth 16\nThe great king Artexerxes unto the princes and governors of\nan hundred and seven and twenty provinces from India unto\nEthiopia, and unto all our faithful subjects, greeting.\n2\nMany, the more often they are honoured with the great bounty\nof their gracious princes, the more proud they are waxen,\n3\nAnd endeavour to hurt not our subjects only, but not being\nable to bear abundance, do take in hand to practise also against\nthose that do them good:\n4\nAnd take not only thankfulness away from among men, but also\nlifted up with the glorious words of lewd persons, that were\nnever good, they think to escape the justice of God, that seeth\nall things and hateth evil.\n5\nOftentimes also fair speech of those, that are put in trust\nto manage their friends' affairs, hath caused many that are in\nauthority to be partakers of innocent blood, and hath enwrapped\nthem in remediless calamities:\n6\nBeguiling with the falsehood and deceit of their lewd\ndisposition the innocency and goodness of princes.\n7\nNow ye may see this, as we have declared, not so much by\nancient histories, as ye may, if ye search what hath been\nwickedly done of late through the pestilent behaviour of them\nthat are unworthily placed in authority.\n8\nAnd we must take care for the time to come, that our kingdom\nmay be quiet and peaceable for all men,\n9\nBoth by changing our purposes, and always judging things that\nare evident with more equal proceeding.\n10\nFor Aman, a Macedonian, the son of Amadatha, being indeed a\nstranger from the Persian blood, and far distant from our\ngoodness, and as a stranger received of us,\n11\nHad so far forth obtained the favour that we shew toward\nevery nation, as that he was called our father, and was\ncontinually honoured of all the next person unto the king.\n12\nBut he, not bearing his great dignity, went about to deprive\nus of our kingdom and life:\n13\nHaving by manifold and cunning deceits sought of us the\ndestruction, as well of Mardocheus, who saved our life, and\ncontinually procured our good, as also of blameless Esther,\npartaker of our kingdom, with their whole nation.\n14\nFor by these means he thought, finding us destitute of\nfriends to have translated the kingdom of the Persians to the\nMacedonians.\n15\nBut we find that the Jews, whom this wicked wretch hath\ndelivered to utter destruction, are no evildoers, but live by\nmost just laws:\n16\nAnd that they be children of the most high and most mighty,\nliving God, who hath ordered the kingdom both unto us and to our\nprogenitors in the most excellent manner.\n17\nWherefore ye shall do well not to put in execution the\nletters sent unto you by Aman the son of Amadatha.\n18\nFor he that was the worker of these things, is hanged at the\ngates of Susa with all his family: God, who ruleth all things,\nspeedily rendering vengeance to him according to his deserts.\n19\nTherefore ye shall publish the copy of this letter in all\nplaces, that the Jews may freely live after their own laws.\n20\nAnd ye shall aid them, that even the same day, being the\nthirteenth day of the twelfth month Adar, they may be avenged on\nthem, who in the time of their affliction shall set upon them.\n21\nFor Almighty God hath turned to joy unto them the day,\nwherein the chosen people should have perished.\n22\nYe shall therefore among your solemn feasts keep it an high\nday with all feasting:\n23\nThat both now and hereafter there may be safety to us and the\nwell affected Persians; but to those which do conspire against\nus a memorial of destruction.\n24\nTherefore every city and country whatsoever, which shall not\ndo according to these things, shall be destroyed without mercy\nwith fire and sword, and shall be made not only unpassable for\nmen, but also most hateful to wild beasts and fowls for ever.","title":"The Greek Additions to Esther","type":"page"}