Ester 10

LA SACRA BIBBIA	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Il re Assuero stabilì un'imposta sul paese e sulle isole del mare.	1 The king passed that night without sleep, and so he ordered the histories and chronicles of former times to be brought to him. And when they were reading them before him,
2 E tutti gli atti di forza e di potenza e i dettagli della grandezza di Mardocheo, che il re esaltò, non sono forse scritti nel libro delle cronache dei re di Media e di Persia?	2 they came to that place where it had been written, how Mordecai had reported the treachery of Bigthan and Teresh the eunuchs, who desired to cut the throat of king Artaxerxes.
3 Nell'anno quarto del regno di Tolomeo e Cleopatra, Dositeo, che si dice essere sacerdote e levita, e Tolomeo suo figlio, portarono la lettera pubblicata riguardo alla festa di Purim; essi affermavano essere quella la vera ed essere stata interpretata da Lisimaco, figlio di Tolomeo, residente a Gerusalemme.	3 When the king had heard this, he said, “What honor and reward has Mordecai been given for this fidelity?” His servants and ministers said to him, “He has received no compensation at all.”
	4 And immediately the king said, “Who is in the atrium?” For, you see, Haman was entering the inner atrium of the king’s house to suggest to the king that he should order Mordecai to be hanged on the gallows, which had been prepared for him.
	5 The servants answered, “Haman is standing in the atrium.” And the king said, “Let him enter.”
	6 And when he had entered, he said to him, “What ought to be done for the man whom the king wishes to honor?” But Haman, thinking in his heart and supposing that the king would honor no one else but himself,
	7 answered, “The man whom the king wishes to honor,
	8 ought to be clothed with the king’s apparel, and be set upon the horse that the king rides, and receive the royal crown upon his head.
	9 And let the first of the king’s rulers and sovereigns hold his horse, and, as they advance through the street of the city, proclaim before him and say, ‘Thus shall he be honored, whom the king decides to honor.’ ”
	10 And the king said to him, “Hurry, take the robe and the horse, and do as you have said to Mordecai the Jew, who sits in front of the gate of the palace. Be careful not to omit any of those things which you have mentioned.”
	11 And so Haman took the robe and the horse, and arraying Mordecai in the street of the city, and setting him on the horse, he went before him and cried out, “He is worthy of this honor, whom the king has decided to honor.”
	12 And Mordecai returned to the palace door. And Haman hurried to go to his house, mourning and hiding his head.
	13 As they were still speaking, the king’s eunuchs arrived and compelled him to go quickly to the feast, which the queen had prepared.