Esther 3

NEW JERUSALEM	BIBBIA MARTINI
1 Shortly afterwards, King Ahasuerus singled out Haman son of Hammedatha, a native of Agag, forpromotion. He raised him in rank, granting him precedence over all his col eagues, the other officers-of-state,	1 Dopo di ciò il re Assuero innalzò Aman figliuolo di Amadathi, il quale era della stirpe di Agag; e lo fece sedere sopra tutti i principi, che avea d'intorno.
2 and al the royal officials employed at the Chancel ery used to bow low and prostrate themselveswhenever Haman appeared -- such was the king's command. Mordecai refused either to bow or to prostratehimself.	2 E tutti i servi del re, che frequentavano le porte del palazzo, piegavano le ginocchia, e adoravano Aman; perocché cosi avea comandato l'Imperadore: il solo Mardocheo non piegava le ginocchia, e non lo adorava.
3 'Why do you flout the royal command?' the officials of the Chancel ery asked Mordecai.	3 E i servi del re, che presedevano alle porte del palazzo, gli dissero: Perchè non osservi tu l'ordine del re, come tutti gli altri?
4 Day after day they asked him this, but he took no notice of them. In the end they reported the matter toHaman, to see whether Mordecai would persist in his attitude, since he had told them that he was a Jew.	4 E avendo quelli detto ciò a lui più volte, e non volendo egli fare a modo loro, ne diedero parte ad Aman, desiderosi di far prova se quegli restasse sempre ne' medesimi sentimenti; perocché egli avea detto, se esser Giudeo.
5 Haman could see for himself that Mordecai did not bow or prostrate himself in his presence; he becamefuriously angry.	5 Udito ciò Aman, e conosciuto avendo alla prova, che Mardocheo non piegava a lui le ginocchia, e non lo adorava, ne concepì grande sdegno:
6 And, on being told what race Mordecai belonged to, he thought it beneath him merely to get rid ofMordecai, but made up his mind to wipe out all the members of Mordecai's race, the Jews, living in Ahasuerus'entire empire.	6 E gli parve un nulla il punire il solo Mardocheo; perocché avea saputo, com'egli era Giudeo di nazione; e volle piuttosto tutta sterminare la moltitudine de' Giudei, che erano nel regno di Assuero.
7 In the first month, that is the month of Nisan, of the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, the pur (that is, thelot) was cast in Haman's presence, to determine the day and the month. The lot falling on the twelfth month,which is Adar,	7 Nel primo mese chiamato Nisan, l'anno duodecimo del regno di Assuero si gettarono in casa di Aman le sorti (dette in Ebreo Phur) nell'urna, per sapere in qual giorno, e in qual mese dovesse essere trucidata la nazione de' Giudei; e uscì fuori il mese duodecimo chiamato Adar.
8 Haman said to King Ahasuerus, 'There is a certain unassimilated nation scattered among the othernations throughout the provinces of your realm; their laws are different from those of al the other nations, andthe royal laws they ignore; hence it is not in the king's interests to tolerate them.	8 Or Aman disse al re Assuero: Havvi un popolo disperso per tutte le provincie del tuo regno di uomini segregati tra' loro, i quali han leggi, e ceremonie inusitate, e oltre a ciò sprezzano gli ordini del re: e tu sai benissimo, che non torna bene pel tuo regno il lasciargli insolentire.
9 If their destruction be signed, so please the king, I am ready to pay ten thousand talents of silver to theking's receivers, to be credited to the royal treasury.'	9 Se così ti piace, da ordine, ch'ei periscano, e io peserò dieci mila talenti ai tesorieri della tua casa.
10 The king then took his signet ring off his hand and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, thepersecutor of the Jews.	10 Allora il re si tolse dal dito l'anello, di cui solea servirsi, e lo dette ad Aman figliuolo di Amadathi della stirpe di Agag, nemico de' Giudei,
11 'Keep the money,' he said, 'and you can have the people too; do what you like with them.'	11 E gli disse L'argento, che esibisci, sia tuo di quella gente quel, che ti pare,
12 The royal scribes were therefore summoned for the thirteenth day of the first month, when they wroteout the orders addressed by Haman to the king's satraps, to the governors ruling each province and to theprincipal officials of each people, to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language. Theedict was signed in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with his ring,	12 E furon chiamati i segretarj del re, il primo mese detto Nisan ai tredici dello stesso mese, e secondo l'ordine dato da Aman fu scritto questo a nome di Assuero a tutti i satrapi del re, e ai giudici delle provincie, e delle diverse nazioni in varj linguaggi, perchè potesse leggersi, e intendersi da ciascuna nazione; e la lettera fu sigillata col sigillo reale,
13 and letters were sent by runners to every province of the realm, ordering the destruction, slaughter andannihilation of al Jews, young and old, including women and children, on the same day -- the thirteenth day ofthe twelfth month, which is Adar -- and the seizing of their possessions. (a) The text of the letter was as fol ows:'The Great King, Ahasuerus, to the governors of the hundred and twenty-seven provinces stretching from Indiato Ethiopia, and to their subordinate district commissioners: (b) 'Being placed in authority over many nations andruling the whole world, I have resolved never to be carried away by the insolence of power, but always to rulewith moderation and clemency, so as to assure for my subjects a life ever free from storms and, offering mykingdom the benefits of civilisation and free transit from end to end, to restore that peace which al men desire.(c) In consultation with our advisers as to how this aim is to be effected, we have been informed by one of them,eminent among us for prudence and wel proved for his unfailing devotion and unshakeable trustworthiness, andin rank second only to our majesty, Haman by name, (d) that there is, mingled among all the tribes of the earth, acertain ill-disposed people, opposed by its laws to every other nation and continually defying the royalordinances, in such a way as to obstruct that form of government assured by us to the general good. (e)'Considering therefore that this people, unique of its kind, is in complete opposition to al humanity from which itdiffers by its outlandish laws, that it is hostile to our interests and that it commits the most heinous crimes, to thepoint of endangering the stability of the realm: (f) 'We command that those persons designated to you in theletters written by Haman, who was appointed to watch over our interests and is a second father to us, be alldestroyed, root and branch, including women and children, by the swords of their enemies, without any pity ormercy, on the fourteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar, of the present year, (g) so that, these past and presentmalcontents being in one day forcibly thrown down to Hades, our government may henceforward enjoy perpetualstability and peace.'	13 E fu spedita in tutte le provincie per mezzo de corrieri del re, affinchè uccidessero, e sterminassero tutti i Giudei ragazzi, e vecchi, fanciulli, e donne, in uno stesso giorno, viene a dire, ai tredici del duodecimo mese detto Adar, e che dessero il sacco a tutti i loro beni.
14 Copies of this decree, to be promulgated as law in each province, were published to the variouspeoples, so that each might be ready for the day aforementioned.	14 E tale fu la sostanza della lettera, affinchè tutte le provincie ne fossero informate, e si preparassero pel giorno stabilito.
15 At the king's command, the runners set out with all speed; the decree was first promulgated in thecitadel of Susa. While the king and Haman gave themselves up to feasting and drinking, consternation reigned inthe city of Susa.	15 Andavano in fretta i corrieri ad eseguire il comando reale: e subito fu affìsso in Susa l'editto in tempo, che il re, e Aman erano in solenne convito, e mentre tutti i Giudei, che stavano in quella città, erano in pianti.