§prologue.1ΕΤΟΥΣ δευτέρου βασιλεύοντος Ἀρταξέρξου τοῦ μεγάλου βασιλέως τῇ μιᾷ τοῦ Νεισὰ ἐνύπνιον ἴδεν Μαρδοχαῖος ὁ τοῦ Ἰαείρου τοῦ Σεμεείου τοῦ Κεισαίου ἐκ φυλῆς Βενιαμείν,
In the second year of the reign of Artaxerxes the great king, on the first day of Nisan, Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, saw a dream.
§prologue.2ἄνθρωπος Ἰουδαῖος οἰκῶν ἐν Σούσοις τῇ πόλει, ἄνθρωπος μέγας, θεραπεύων ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ τοῦ βασιλέως·
He was a Jewish man dwelling in the city of Susa, a great man, serving in the court of the king.
§prologue.3ἦν δὲ ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἧς ᾐχμαλώτευσεν Ναβουχοδονοσὸρ βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος ἐξ Ἰερουσαλὴμ μετὰ Ἰεχονίου τοῦ βασιλέως τῆς Ἰουδαίας.
And he was of the captivity which Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away captive from Jerusalem with Jeconiah the king of Judea.
§prologue.4καὶ τοῦτο αὐτοῦ τὸ ἐνύπνιον· καὶ ἰδοὺ φωναὶ καὶ θόρυβος, βρονταὶ καὶ σεισμός, τάραχος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.
And this was his dream: and behold, voices and tumult, thunders and earthquake, confusion upon the earth.
§prologue.5καὶ ἰδοὺ δύο δράκοντες μέγαλοι ἕτοιμοι προῆλθον ἀμφότεροι παλαίειν· καὶ ἐγένετο ὐτῶν φωνὴ μεγάλη,
And behold, two great dragons came forward, both ready to fight, and a great voice came from them.
§prologue.6καὶ τῇ φωνῇ αὐτῶν ἡτοιμάσθη πᾶν ἔθνος εἰς πόλεμον ὥστε πολεμῆσαι δικαίων ἔθνος.
And at their voice every nation made itself ready for war, so as to fight against the nation of the righteous.
§prologue.7καὶ ἰδοὺ ἡμέρα σκότους καὶ γνόφου, θλίψις καὶ στενοχωρία, κάκωσις καὶ τάραχος μέγας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς·
And behold, a day of darkness and gloom, tribulation and anguish, affliction and great confusion upon the earth.
§prologue.8καὶ ἐταράχθη δίκαιον πᾶν ἔθνος, φοβούμενοι τὰ ἑαυτῶν κακά, καὶ ἡτοιμάσθησαν ἀπολέσθαι·
And the entire righteous nation was troubled, fearing their own evils, and they made themselves ready to perish.
§prologue.9καὶ ἐβόησαν πρὸς τὸν θεόν. ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς βοῆς αὐτῶν ἐγένετο ὡσανεὶ ἀπὸ μικρᾶς πηγῆς ποταμὸς μέγας, ὕδωρ πολύ·
And they cried out to God; and from their cry, as if from a small spring, there came a great river, abundant water.
§prologue.10φῶς καὶ ὁ ἥλιος ἀνέτειλεν, καὶ οἱ ταπεινοὶ ὑψώθησαν καὶ κατέφαγον τοὺς ἐνδόξους.
Light and the sun rose, and the humble were exalted and devoured the honorable.
§prologue.11καὶ διεγερθεὶς Μαρδοχαῖος ἑωρακὼς τὸ ἐνύπνιον τοῦτο, καὶ τί ὁ θεὸς βεβούλευται ποιῆσαι, εἶχεν αὐτὸ ἐν τῇ καρδία, καὶ ἐν παντὶ λόγῳ ἤθελεν ἐπιγνῶναι αὐτὸ ἕως τῆς νυκτός.
And Mordecai, having awakened and seen this dream, and what God had determined to do, kept it in his heart, and desired to understand it in every detail until night.
§prologue.12καὶ ἡσύχασεν Μαρδοχαῖος ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ μετὰ Γαβάθα καὶ Θαρρὰ τῶν δύο εὐνούχων τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν φυλασσόντων τὴν αὐλήν,
And Mordecai rested in the court with Gabatha and Tharra, the two eunuchs of the king who guarded the court.
§prologue.13ἤκουσέν τε αὐτῶν τοὺς λογισμοὺς καὶ τὰς μερίμνας αὐτῶν ἐξηραύνησεν, καὶ ἔμαθεν ὅτι ἑτοιμάζουσιν τὰς χεῖρας ἐπιβαλεῖν Ἀρταξέρξῃ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ ὑπέδειξεν τῷ βασιλεῖ περὶ αὐτῶν·
And he heard their designs and investigated their anxieties, and learned that they were preparing to lay hands upon Artaxerxes the king, and he informed the king about them.
§prologue.14καὶ ἐξήτασεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοὺς δύο εὐνούχους. καὶ ὁμολογήσαντες ἀπήχθησαν,
And the king examined the two eunuchs; and having confessed, they were led away.
§prologue.15καὶ ἔγραψεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοὺς λόγους τούτους εἰς μνημόσυνον, καὶ Μαρδοχαῖος ἔγραψεν περὶ τῶν λόγων τούτων·
And the king wrote these words for a memorial, and Mordecai also wrote concerning these words.
§prologue.16καὶ ἐπέταξεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Μαρδοχαίῳ θεραπεύειν ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ, καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ δόματα περὶ τούτων.
And the king commanded Mordecai to serve in the court, and gave him gifts for this.
§prologue.17καὶ ἦν Ἀμὰν Ἀμαδάθου Βουγαῖος ἔνδοξος ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἐζήτησεν κακοποιῆσαι τὸν Μαρδοχαῖον καὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ὑπέρ τῶν δύο εὐνούχων τοῦ βασιλέως.
But Haman the son of Hammedatha, a Bougaean, was honorable in the sight of the king, and he sought to do harm to Mordecai and his people on account of the two eunuchs of the king.