§1.1Καὶ ἐγένετο μετὰ τοὺς λόγους τούτους ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ἀρταξέρξου, οὗτος ὁ Ἀρταξέρξης ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰνδικῆς ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι ἑπτὰ χωρῶν ἐκράτησεν.
And it came to pass after these words in the days of Artaxerxes—this Artaxerxes ruled over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India.
§1.2ἐν αὐταῖς ταῖς ἡμέραις ὅτε ἐθρονίσθη ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀρταξέρξης ἐν Σούσοις τῇ πόλει, §1.3ἐν τῷ τρίτῳ ἔτει βασιλεύοντος αὐτοῦ, δοχὴν ἐποίησεν τοῖς φίλοις καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἔθνεσιν καὶ τοῖς ΙΙερσῶν καὶ Μήδων ἐνδόξοις καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν τῶν σατραπῶν.
In those days, when King Artaxerxes was enthroned in the city of Susa, In the third year of his reign, he made a banquet for his friends and the other nations, and for the nobles of the Persians and Medes, and the rulers of the satrapies.
§1.4καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα μετὰ τὸ δεῖξαι αὐτοῖς τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν δόξαν τῆς εὐφροσύνης τοῦ πλούτου αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμέραις ἑκατὸν ὀγδοήκοντα· §1.5ὅτε δὲ ἀνεπληρώθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ γάμου, ἐποίησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς πότον τοῖς ἔθνεσιν τοῖς εὑρεθεῖσιν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἐπὶ ἡμέρας ἓξ ἐν αὐλῇ οἴκου τοῦ βασιλέως, §1.6κεκοσμημένῃ βυσσίνοις καὶ καρπασίνοις τεταμένοις ἐπὶ σχοινίοις βυσσίνοις καὶ πορφυροῖς, ἐπὶ κύβοις χρυσοῖς καὶ ἀργυροῖς, ἐπὶ στύλοις παρίνοις καὶ λιθίνοις· κλίναι χρυσαῖ καὶ ἀργυραῖ ἐπὶ λιθοστρώτου σμαραγδίτου λίθου καὶ πιννίνου καὶ παρίνου λίθου, καὶ στρωμναὶ διαφανεῖς ποικίλως διηνθισμέναι, κύκλῳ ῥόδα πεπασμένα· §1.7ποτήρια χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ, καὶ ἀνθράκινον κυλίκιον προκείμενον ἀπὸ ταλάντων τρισμυρίων· οἶνος πολὺς καὶ ἡδύς, ὃν αὐτὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔπινεν.
And after this, after showing them the wealth of his kingdom and the glory of the joy of his wealth for one hundred and eighty days; And when the days of the feast were completed, the king made a banquet for the nations that were found in the city, for six days in the court of the king's house, which was adorned with fine linen and cotton hangings, stretched upon cords of fine linen and purple, on gold and silver blocks, upon pillars of parian marble and stone; there were gold and silver couches on a pavement of emerald and mother-of-pearl and parian stone, and transparent covers richly flowered, with roses scattered all around; There were gold and silver cups, and a ruby cup set out of thirty thousand talents; the wine was abundant and sweet, which the king himself drank.
§1.8ὁ δὲ πότος οὗτος οὐ κατὰ προκείμενον νόμον ἐγένετο· οὕτως δὲ ἠθέλησεν ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ ἐπέταξεν τοῖς οἰκονόμοις ποιῆσαι τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
And this drinking was not according to any established rule; for so the king willed, and he commanded the stewards to do according to his own will and that of the people.
§1.9καὶ Ἀστιν ἡ βασίλισσα ἐποίησε πότον ταῖς γυναιξὶν ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις ὅπου ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀρταξέρξης.
Also Astin the queen made a banquet for the women in the royal palace where King Artaxerxes was.
§1.10ἐν δὲ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ ἡδέως γενόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς εἶπεν τῷ Ἀμὰν καὶ Μαζὰν καὶ Φαρρὰ καὶ Βωραζὴ καὶ Ζαθολθὰ καὶ Ἀββαταζὰ καὶ Θαραβά, τοῖς ἑπτὰ εὐνούχοις τοῖς διακόνοις τοῦ βασιλέως Ἀρταξέρξου, §1.11εἰσαγαγεῖν τὴν βασίλισσαν πρὸς αὐτόν, βασιλεύειν αὐτὴν καὶ περιθεῖναι αὐτῇ τὸ διάδημα καὶ δεῖξαι αὐτὴν τοῖς ἄρχουσιν καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν τὸ κάλλος αὐτῆς· ὅτι καλὴ ἦν.
On the seventh day, the king, being in a merry mood, spoke to Haman, and Mazan, and Pharra, and Boraze, and Zatholtha, and Abbataza, and Tharaba, the seven eunuchs who served King Artaxerxes, to bring the queen before him, to show her royal state, and to put the diadem upon her, and to show her beauty to the rulers and the nations; for she was beautiful.
§1.12καὶ οὐκ εἰσήκουσεν αὐτοῦ Ἀστὶν ἡ βασίλισσα ἐλθεῖν μετὰ τῶν εὐνούχων. καὶ ἐλυπήθη ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ὠργίσθη,
But Queen Astin did not hearken to him to come with the eunuchs.
§1.13καὶ εἶπεν τοῖς φίλοις αὐτοῦ Κατὰ ταῦτα ἐλάλησεν Ἀστιν, ποιήσατε οὖν περὶ τούτου νόμον καὶ κρίσιν. §1.14καὶ προσῆλθεν αὐτῷ Ἀρκεσαῖος καὶ Σαρσαθαῖος καὶ Μαλησεὰρ οἱ ἄρχοντες Περσῶν καὶ Μήδων οἱ ἐγγὺς τοῦ βασιλέως, οἱ πρῶτοι παρακαθήμενοι τῷ βασιλεῖ, §1.15καὶ ἀπήγγειλαν αὐτῷ κατὰ τοὺς νόμους ὡς δεῖ ποιῆσαι Ἀστιν τῇ βασιλίσσῃ, ὅτι οὐκ ἐποίησεν τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως προσταχθέντα διὰ τῶν εὐνούχων.
And the king was grieved and angered, and said to his friends, "According to these things has Astin spoken; make therefore a law and judgment concerning this." And Arkesaios, and Sarsathaios, and Malesear, the rulers of the Persians and Medes who were near the king, who sat chief next to the king, came to him, and reported to him according to the laws what ought to be done to Queen Astin, because she had not done what was commanded by the king through the eunuchs.
§1.16καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Μουχαῖος πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας Oὐ τὸν βασιλέα μόνον ἠδίκησεν Ἀστιν ἡ βασίλισσα, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἄρχοντας καὶ τοὺς ἡγουμένους τοῦ βασιλέως.
And Muchaios said to the king and the rulers, "Queen Astin has not wronged the king only, but also all the rulers and the governors of the king.
§1.17καὶ γὰρ διηγήσατο αὐτοῖς τὰ ῥήματα τῆς βασιλίσσης, καὶ ὡς ἀντεῖπεν τῷ βασιλεῖ. ὡς οὖν ἀντεῖπεν τῷ βασιλεῖ Ἀρταξέρξῃ,
For the words of the queen and how she gainsaid the king will be related to them.
§1.18οὕτως σήμερον αἱ τυραννίδες αἱ λοιπαὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων Περσῶν καὶ Μήδων ἀκούσασαι τὰ τῷ βασιλεῖ λεχθέντα ὑπʼ αὐτῆς τολμήσουσιν ὁμοίως ἀτιμάσαι τοὺς ἄνδρας αὐτῶν.
As she then gainsaid King Artaxerxes, so today the other noble ladies of the rulers of the Persians and Medes, having heard what was said to the king by her, will dare likewise to dishonor their husbands.
§1.19εἰ οὖν δοκεῖ τῷ βασιλεῖ, προσταξάτω βασιλικὸν καὶ γραφήτω κατὰ τοὺς νόμους Μήδων καὶ Περσῶν, καὶ μὴ ἄλλως χρησάσθω, μηδὲ εἰσελθάτω ἔτι ἡ βασίλισσα πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτῆς δότω ὁ βασιλεὺς γυναικὶ κρείττονι αὐτῆς.
If therefore it please the king, let him issue a royal decree, and let it be written according to the laws of the Medes and Persians, and let it not be altered, that the queen come no more into his presence; and let the king give her royal dignity to a woman who is better than she.
§1.20καὶ ἀκουσθήτω ὁ νόμος ὁ ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως ὃν ἐὰν ποιῇ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ· καὶ οὕτως πᾶσαι αἱ γυναῖκες περιθήσουσιν τιμὴν τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἑαυτῶν, ἀπὸ πτωχοῦ ἕως πλουσίου. §1.21καὶ ἤρεσεν ὁ λόγος τῷ βασιλε καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσι· καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς καθὰ ἐλάλησεν ὁ Μουχαίος, §1.22καὶ ἀπέστειλεν εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν βασιλείαν κατὰ χώραν, κατὰ τὴν λέξιν αὐτῶν, ὥστε εἶναι φόβον αὐτοῖς ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις αὐτῶν.
And let the law made by the king, whichever he shall make in his kingdom, be heard; and so all the women will give honor to their husbands, from the poor even to the rich." And the saying pleased the king and the rulers; and the king did as Muchaios had spoken, and sent letters into all his kingdom, to every province according to their language, so that there should be fear in their houses.