Ester 4

BIBBIA CEI 2008	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Quando Mardocheo seppe quello che era accaduto, si stracciò le vesti, indossò un sacco e si cosparse di cenere. Precipitatosi nella piazza della città, gridava a gran voce: «Viene distrutto un popolo che non ha fatto nulla di male».	1 When Mordecai learned what had happened, he tore his garments and put on sackcloth and ashes.Then he walked into the centre of the city, wailing loudly and bitterly,
2 Venne fino alla porta del re e si fermò; infatti non gli era consentito entrare nel palazzo portando sacco e cenere.	2 until he arrived in front of the Chancel ery, which no one clothed in sackcloth was al owed to enter.
3 In ogni provincia in cui erano state pubblicate le lettere, c’erano grida e lamenti e grande afflizione tra i Giudei, i quali si stendevano sul sacco e sulla cenere.	3 And in every province, no sooner had the royal command and edict arrived, than among the Jews therewas great mourning, fasting, weeping and wailing, and many lay on sackcloth and ashes.
4 Entrarono le ancelle e gli eunuchi della regina e le parlarono. All’udire quel che era accaduto, rimase sconvolta e mandò a vestire Mardocheo e a togliergli il sacco; ma egli non acconsentì.	4 When Queen Esther's maids and officers came and told her, she was overcome with grief. She sentclothes for Mordecai to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he refused them.
5 Allora Ester chiamò il suo eunuco Acrateo, che stava al suo servizio, e lo mandò a chiedere informazioni precise a Mardocheo.	5 Esther then summoned Hathach, an officer whom the king had appointed to wait on her, and orderedhim to go to Mordecai and enquire what the matter was and why he was acting in this way.
6 Atac si recò da Mardocheo sulla piazza della città, davanti alla porta del re.]	6 Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square in front of the Chancel ery,
7 Mardocheo gli fece conoscere quel che era accaduto e la promessa che Aman aveva fatto al re riguardo ai diecimila talenti per il tesoro, allo scopo di sterminare i Giudei.	7 and Mordecai told him what had happened to him personally, and also about the sum of money whichHaman had offered to pay into the royal treasury to procure the destruction of the Jews.
8 E gli diede la copia dell’editto promulgato nella città di Susa e riguardante la loro distruzione, perché la mostrasse a Ester; gli disse di ordinarle di entrare dal re, per domandargli grazia e intercedere a favore del popolo. «Ricòrdati – aggiunse – dei giorni in cui eri povera, quando eri nutrita dalle mie mani, giacché Aman, il quale ha avuto il secondo posto dopo il re, ha parlato contro di noi per farci morire. Invoca il Signore e parla al re in favore nostro, perché ci liberi dalla morte».	8 He also gave him a copy of the edict of extermination published in Susa for him to show Esther for herinformation, with the message that she was to go to the king and implore his favour and plead with him for therace to which she belonged. (a) 'Remember your humbler circumstances,' he said, 'when you were fed by myhand. Since Haman, the second person in the realm, has petitioned the king for our deaths, (b) invoke the Lord,speak to the king for us and save us from death!'
9 Acrateo entrò e le riferì tutte queste parole.	9 Hathach came back and told Esther what Mordecai had said;
10 Ed Ester disse ad Acrateo: «Va’ da Mardocheo e digli:	10 and she replied with the following message for Mordecai,
11 “Tutte le nazioni dell’impero sanno che chiunque, uomo o donna, entri dal re, nel palazzo interno, senza essere chiamato, non avrà scampo; solo colui sul quale il re avrà steso il suo scettro d’oro sarà salvo. E io non sono più stata chiamata a entrare dal re già da trenta giorni”».	11 'Royal officials and people living in the provinces alike al know that for anyone, man or woman, whoapproaches the king in the private apartments without having been summoned there, there is only one law: hemust die, unless the king, by pointing his golden sceptre towards him, grants him his life. And I have not beensummoned to the king for the last thirty days.'
12 Acrateo riferì a Mardocheo tutte queste parole di Ester.	12 These words of Esther were reported to Mordecai,
13 Mardocheo disse ad Acrateo: «Va’ a dirle: “Ester, non dire a te stessa che tu sola potrai salvarti nel regno, fra tutti i Giudei.	13 who sent back the fol owing reply, 'Do not suppose that, because you are in the king's palace, you aregoing to be the one Jew to escape.
14 Perché se tu ti rifiuti in questa circostanza, da un’altra parte verranno aiuto e protezione per i Giudei. Tu e la casa di tuo padre perirete. Chi sa che tu non sia diventata regina proprio per questa circostanza?”».	14 No; if you persist in remaining silent at such a time, relief and deliverance wil come to the Jews fromanother quarter, but both you and your father's whole family wil perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come tothe throne for just such a time as this.'
15 Ester mandò da Mardocheo l’uomo che era venuto da lei e gli fece dire:	15 Whereupon Esther sent this reply to Mordecai,
16 «Va’ e raduna i Giudei che abitano a Susa e digiunate per me: per tre giorni e tre notti non mangiate e non bevete. Anch’io e le mie ancelle digiuneremo. Allora, contravvenendo alla legge, entrerò dal re, anche se dovessi morire».	16 'Go and assemble all the Jews now in Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink day or night for threedays. For my part, I and my waiting-women shall keep the same fast, after which I shal go to the king in spite ofthe law; and if I perish, I perish.'
17 ]O Dio, che su tutti eserciti la forza, ascolta la voce dei disperati, liberaci dalla mano dei malvagi e libera me dalla mia angoscia!».	17 Mordecai went away and carried out Esther's instructions. (a) Then cal ing to mind al the wonderfulworks of the Lord, he offered this prayer: (b) Lord, Lord, Almighty King, everything is subject to your power, andthere is no one who can withstand you in your determination to save Israel. (c) You have made heaven andearth, and al the marvels that are under heaven. You are the Master of the universe and no one can resist you,Lord. (d) You know al things, you, Lord, know that neither pride, self-esteem nor vainglory prompted me to dowhat I have done: to refuse to prostrate myself before proud Haman. Gladly would I have kissed the soles of hisfeet, had this assured the safety of Israel. (e) But what I have done, I have done, rather than place the glory of aman above the glory of God; and I shall not prostrate myself to anyone except, Lord, to you, and, in so doing, Ishall not be acting in pride. (f) And now, Lord God, King, God of Abraham spare your people! For our ruin isbeing plotted, there are plans to destroy your ancient heritage. (g) Do not overlook your inheritance, which youredeemed from Egypt to be yours. (h) Hear my supplication, have mercy on your heritage, and turn our grief intorejoicing, so that we may live, Lord, to hymn your name. Do not suffer the mouths of those who praise you toperish. (i) And al Israel cried out with al their might, since death was staring them in the face. (k) Queen Estheralso took refuge with the Lord in the mortal peril which had overtaken her. She took off her sumptuous robes andput on sorrowful mourning. Instead of expensive perfumes, she covered her head with ashes and dung. Shemortified her body severely, and the former scenes of her happiness and elegance were now littered with tressestorn from her hair. She besought the Lord God of Israel in these words: (l) My Lord, our King, the Only One,come to my help, for I am alone and have no helper but you and am about to take my life in my hands. (m) Ihave been taught from infancy in the bosom of my family that you, Lord, have chosen Israel out of al the nationsand our ancestors out of al before them, to be your heritage for ever; and that you have treated them as youpromised. (n) But we have sinned against you and you have handed us over to our enemies for paying honour totheir gods. Lord, you are upright. (o) But they are not satisfied with the bitterness of our slavery: they havepledged themselves to their idols to abolish the decree that your own lips have uttered, to blot out your heritage,to stop the mouths of those who praise you, to quench your altar and the glory of your House, (p) and instead toopen the mouths of the heathen, to sing the praise of worthless idols and for ever to idolise a king of flesh. (q) Donot yield your sceptre, Lord, to what does not exist. Never let our ruin be matter for laughter. Turn these plots against their authors, and make an example of the man who leads the attack on us. (r) Remember, Lord; revealyourself in the time of our distress. As for me, give me courage, King of gods and Master of al powers! (s) Putpersuasive words into my mouth when I face the lion; change his feeling into hatred for our enemy, so that hemay meet his end, and al those like him! (t) As for ourselves, save us by your hand, and come to my help, for Iam alone and have no one but you, Lord. (u) You have knowledge of al things, and you know that I hatehonours from the godless, that I loathe the bed of the uncircumcised, of any foreigner whatever. (w) You know Iam under constraint, that I loathe the symbol of my high position bound round my brow when I appear at court; Iloathe it as if it were a filthy rag and do not wear it on my days of leisure. (x) Your servant has not eaten atHaman's table, nor taken pleasure in the royal banquets, nor drunk the wine of libations. (y) Nor has yourservant found pleasure from the day of her promotion until now except in you, Lord, God of Abraham. (z) O God,whose strength prevails over al , listen to the voice of the desperate, save us from the hand of the wicked, andfree me from my fear!