Livre d'Esther 8

JERUSALEM	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Ce jour même le roi Assuérus donna à la reine Esther la maison d'Aman, le persécuteur des Juifs, etMardochée fut présenté au roi, à qui Esther avait révélé ce qu'il était pour elle.	1 That same day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the persecutor of the Jews.Mordecai was presented to the king, Esther having revealed their mutual relationship.
2 Le roi avait repris son anneau à Aman; il l'ôta de son doigt pour le donner à Mardochée, à qui, de soncôté, Esther confia la gestion de la maison d'Aman.	2 The king, who had recovered his signet ring from Haman, took it off and gave it to Mordecai, whileEsther gave Mordecai charge of Haman's house.
3 Esther alla une seconde fois parler au roi. Elle se jeta à ses pieds, elle pleura, elle se le renditfavorable en vue de faire échouer la méchanceté d'Aman l'Agagite et le dessein qu'il avait conçu contre les Juifs.	3 Esther again went to speak to the king. She fel at his feet, weeping and imploring his favour, to frustratethe malice that Haman the Agagite had been plotting against the Jews.
4 Le roi lui tendit son sceptre d'or. Esther se releva donc et se tint debout en face de lui.	4 The king held out the golden sceptre to her, whereupon Esther stood up and faced him.
5 "Si tel est le bon plaisir du roi, lui dit-elle, et si vraiment j'ai trouvé grâce devant lui, si ma demandelui paraît juste et si je suis moi-même agréable à ses yeux, qu'il veuille révoquer expressément les lettresqu'Aman, fils de Hamdata, l'Agagite, a fait écrire pour perdre les Juifs de toutes les provinces royales.	5 'If such is the king's good pleasure,' she said, 'and if I have found favour before him, if my petition seemsproper to him and if I myself am pleasing to his eyes, may he be pleased to issue a written revocation of theletters which Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, has had written, ordering the destruction of the Jewsthroughout the royal provinces.
6 Comment pourrais-je voir mon peuple dans le malheur qui va l'atteindre? Comment pourrais-je êtretémoin de l'extermination de ma parenté?"	6 For how can I look on, while my people suffer what is proposed for them? How can I bear to witness theextermination of my relatives?'
7 Le roi Assuérus répondit à la reine Esther et au Juif Mardochée: "En ce qui me concerne, j'ai donné àEsther la maison d'Aman après l'avoir fait pendre pour avoir voulu perdre les Juifs.	7 King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, 'I for my part have given EstherHaman's house, and have had him hanged on the gal ows for planning to destroy the Jews.
8 Pour vous, écrivez au sujet des Juifs ce que vous jugerez bon, au nom du roi. Scellez ensuite del'anneau royal. Car tout édit rédigé au nom du roi et scellé de son sceau est irrévocable."	8 You, for your part, write what you please as regards the Jews, in the king's name, and seal it with theking's signet; for any edict written in the king's name and sealed with his signet is irrevocable.'
9 Les scribes royaux furent convoqués aussitôt -- c'était le troisième mois, qui est Sivân, le vingt-troisième jour -- et, sur l'ordre de Mardochée, ils écrivirent aux Juifs, aux satrapes, aux gouverneurs, aux grandsofficiers des provinces échelonnées de l'Inde à l'Ethiopie, soit 127 provinces, à chaque province selon sonécriture, à chaque peuple selon sa langue et aux Juifs selon leur écriture et leur langue.	9 The royal scribes were summoned at once -- it was the third month, the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day -- and at Mordecai's dictation an order was written to the Jews, the satraps, governors and principalofficials of the provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia, a hundred and twenty-seven provinces, to eachprovince in its own script, and to each people in its own language, and to the Jews in their own script andlanguage.
10 Ces lettres, rédigées au nom du roi Assuérus et scellées de son sceau, furent portées par descourriers montés sur des chevaux des haras du roi.	10 These letters, written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king's signet, were carried bycouriers mounted on horses from the king's own stud-farms.
11 Le roi y octroyait aux Juifs, en quelque ville qu'ils fussent, le droit de se rassembler pour mettre leurvie en sûreté, avec permission d'exterminer, égorger et détruire tous gens armés des peuples ou des provinces quivoudraient les attaquer, avec leurs femmes et leurs enfants, comme aussi de piller leurs biens.	11 In them the king granted the Jews, in whatever city they lived, the right to assemble in self-defence,with permission to destroy, slaughter and annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attackthem, together with their women and children, and to plunder their possessions,
12 Cela se ferait le même jour dans toutes les provinces du roi Assuérus, le treizième jour du douzièmemois, qui est Adar.	12 with effect from the same day throughout the provinces of King Ahasuerus -- the thirteenth day of thetwelfth month, which is Adar. (a) The text of the letter was as fol ows: (b) 'The Great King, Ahasuerus, to thesatraps of the hundred and twenty-seven provinces which stretch from India to Ethiopia, to the provincialgovernors and to al our loyal subjects, greeting: (c) 'Many people, repeatedly honoured by the extreme bountyof their benefactors, only grow the more arrogant. It is not enough for them to seek our subjects' injury, butunable as they are to support the weight of their own surfeit they turn to scheming against their benefactorsthemselves. (d) Not content with banishing gratitude from the human heart, but elated by the plaudits of peopleunacquainted with goodness, notwithstanding that all is for ever under the eye of God, they expect to escape hisjustice, so hostile to the wicked. (e) Thus it has often happened to those placed in authority that, havingentrusted friends with the conduct of affairs and al owed themselves to be influenced by them, they findthemselves sharing with these the guilt of innocent blood and involved in irremediable misfortunes, (f) the uprightintentions of rulers having been misled by false arguments of the evil y disposed. (g) This may be seen withoutrecourse to the history of earlier times to which we have referred; you have only to look at what is before you, atthe crimes perpetrated by a plague of unworthy officials. (h) For the future, we shall exert our efforts to assurethe tranquil ity and peace of the realm for al , (i) by adopting new policies and by always judging matters that arebrought to our notice in the most equitable spirit. (k) 'Thus Haman son of Hammedatha, a Macedonian, without adrop of Persian blood and far removed from our goodness, enjoyed our hospitality (l) and was treated by us withthe benevolence which we show to every nation, even to the extent of being proclaimed our 'father' and beingaccorded universal y the prostration of respect as second in dignity to the royal throne. (m) But he, unable tokeep within his own high rank, schemed to deprive us of our realm and of our life. (n) Furthermore, by tortuouswiles and arguments, he would have had us destroy Mordecai, our saviour and constant benefactor, with Estherthe blameless partner of our majesty, and their whole nation besides. (o) He thought by these means to leave uswithout support and so to transfer the Persian empire to the Macedonians. (p) 'But we find that the Jews, markedout for annihilation by this arch-scoundrel, are not criminals: they are in fact governed by the most just of laws.(q) They are children of the Most High, the great and living God to whom we and our ancestors owe thecontinuing prosperity of our realm. (r) You will therefore do wel not to act on the letters sent by Haman son ofHammedatha, since their author has been hanged at the gates of Susa with his whole household: a fittingpunishment, which God, Master of the Universe, has speedily inflicted on him. (s) Put up copies of this lettereverywhere, al ow the Jews to observe their own customs without fear, and come to their help against anyonewho attacks them on the day original y chosen for their maltreatment, that is, the thirteenth day of the twelfthmonth, which is Adar. (t) For the al -powerful God has made this day a day of joy and not of ruin for the chosenpeople. (u) You, for your part, among your solemn festivals celebrate this as a special day with every kind offeasting, so that now and in the future, for you and for Persians of good will, it may commemorate your rescue,and for your enemies may stand as a reminder of their ruin. (v) 'Every city and, more generally, every country,which does not fol ow these instructions, wil be mercilessly devastated with fire and sword, and made not onlyinaccessible to human beings but hateful to wild animals and even birds for ever.'
13 La copie de cet édit, destiné à être promulgué comme loi dans chaque province, fut publiée parmitoutes les populations afin que les Juifs se tinssent prêts au jour dit à tirer vengeance de leurs ennemis.	13 Copies of this edict, to be promulgated as law in each province, were published to the various peoples,so that the Jews could be ready on the day stated to avenge themselves on their enemies.
14 Les coursiers, montant des chevaux royaux, partirent en grande hâte et diligence sur l'ordre du roi.Le décret fut aussi publié dans la citadelle de Suse.	14 The couriers, mounted on the king's horses, set out in great haste and urgency at the king's command.The edict was also published in the citadel of Susa.
15 Mardochée sortit de chez le roi revêtu d'un habit princier de pourpre violette et de lin blanc,couronné d'un grand diadème d'or et portant un manteau de byssus et de pourpre rouge. La ville de Suse toutentière retentit d'allégresse.	15 Mordecai left the royal presence in a princely gown of violet and white, with a great golden crown and acloak of fine linen and purple. The city of Susa shouted for joy.
16 Ce fut, pour les Juifs, un jour de lumière, de liesse, d'exultation et de triomphe.	16 For the Jews there was light and gladness, joy and honour.
17 Dans toutes les provinces, dans toutes les villes, partout enfin où parvinrent les ordres du décretroyal, ce ne fut pour les Juifs, qu'allégresse, liesse, banquets et fêtes. Parmi la population du pays bien des gensse firent Juifs, car la crainte des Juifs s'appesantit sur eux.	17 In every province and in every city, wherever the king's command and decree arrived, there was joyand gladness among the Jews, with feasting and holiday-making. Of the country's population many becameJews, since now the Jews were feared.