Esther 3

NEW JERUSALEM	BIBBIA VOLGARE
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 E dopo questo il re Assuero esaltoe Aman figliuolo di Amadati, il quale era della stirpe di Agag; e fecelo grande sopra tutti gli altri prìncipi suoi.
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 Intanto che tutti (i principi e) i servi del re, li quali si riducevano al palazzo, così gli facevano reverenza come alla persona del re, però che il re avea così comandato; e Mardocheo giammai non gli volse fare riverenza.
3 'Why do you flout the royal command?' the officials of the Chancel ery asked Mordecai.	3 E avvedèndosene di questo, gli altri servi, i quali soprastavano alle porte del palazzo, sì dissono a Mardocheo: perchè tu solo non ubbidisci i comandamenti del re (cioè di fare reverenza ad Aman)?
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 (di queste parole Mardocheo se ne fece beffe, e) dicendoli molte volte simili parole, Mardocheo non li volea udire; e loro il dissono ad Aman per vedere se Mardocheo solo avesse in contemto il comandamento del re; e lui disse loro, che egli era Giudeo.
5 Haman could see for himself that Mordecai did not bow or prostrate himself in his presence; he becamefuriously angry.	5 E Aman udendo questo (stettene in sè, e) vidde ch' era così, che Mardocheo non s' inginocchiava a lui nè lo adorava; onde si turbò molto incontro di lui.
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 non fece conto Aman di poner le mani sue sopra Mardocheo che era uno uomo solo, (ma domandò incontanente di che gente ch' egli era), e fugli detto com'era Giudeo; e Aman immaginava in che modo potesse fare, ch' egli il potesse fare morire lui con tutti i Giudei i quali erano nel reame d' Assuero re.
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, che si chiama Nisan (cioè aprile), nel XII anno che regnava il re Assuero, in presenza di Aman fu data la sorte, e fu determinato in che dì e mese (Mardocheo con) tutti i Giudei dovessono essere morti; e uscì la sorte, che nel duodecimo mese, chiamato Adar (cioè marzo).
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 E andò Aman al re (nel duodecimo mese, che si chiamava Adar), e dissegli: signore, uno popolo è disperso tra la tua gente, il quale popolo tiene leggi per sè con nuovi costumi, e le nostre leggi non osservano, facendosi beffe de' tuoi comandamenti; e tu sai bene che il regno tuo non ha bisogno di tal gente.
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 E perciò, se ti piace, dàmmi lettera, ch' io li faccia morire; e io ti profero ch' io metterò nella tua tesauraria X milia talenti.
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 diede lo re ad Aman, figliuolo di Amadati della stirpe di Agag, perseguitator del popolo Giudeo, l' anello suo (secreto) col quale sigillava
11 'Keep the money,' he said, 'and you can have the people too; do what you like with them.'	11 E dissegli lo ariento che tu hai promesso sia tuo; e del popolo fa quello 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 Aman fece chiamare li scrittori del re, e questo a' di XIII del mese primo che si chiamava Nisan (cioè aprile); e scrissono tutto ciò che Aman comandò a tutti i prìncipi e giudici e vicari e chiunque avea alcuna signoria nel reame del re Assuero; Ed erano scritte [le lettere] in chiascheduna lingua, da parte del re Assuero, acciò che ciascuno le potesse leggere e intendere, ciascheduno la sua, per la varietà delle lingue. Mandò queste lettere da sua parte, sigillate col sigillo secreto,
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 che dovessero dare morte a tutti i Giudei, grandi e piccoli, maschi e femine, in uno dì; e questo (fecero) a dì XIII del decimo mese che si chiamava Adar (cioè marzo), e tutti i loro beni pigliassero.
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 La sentenza delle lettere sì era in questo modo che ogni uomo si provvedesse d' essere apparecchiato in quello dì (dare morte a' Giudei),
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 e che dovessero (di provincia in provincia) affrettare i corrieri d'adempiere lo comandamento del re (sì che fossero in ogni paese anzi tempo). E in Susa si pose incontanente il sugello pendente col privilegio. Il re e Aman istavano in grandi e belli conviti; e tutti i Giudei, ch' erano in Susa, erano in grande (tristizia e) pianto.