Esther 2
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Esther chapter 2 is given here in full, verse by verse, in Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), with the Greek text of the Septuagint set beneath each verse. The text follows the Septuagint tradition received throughout the Orthodox Church.
Patristic commentary for this chapter has not yet been attached. The translator's notes for this chapter (2) follow the text. Related material may be found among the Church Fathers and the theology tables.
Esther 2
1And after this the king's anger was pacified, and he no more mentioned Astin, bearing in mind what she had said, and how he had condemned her.Καὶ μετὰ τοὺς λόγους τούτους ἐκόπασεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ θυμοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἔτι ἐμνήσθη τῆς Ἀστίν, μνημονεύων οἷα ἐλάλησε, καὶ ὡς κατέκρινεν αὐτήν.
2Then the servants of the king said, Let there be sought for the king chaste and beautiful young virgins.Καὶ εἶπαν οἱ διάκονοι τοῦ βασιλέως, ζητηθήτω τῷ βασιλεῖ κοράσια ἄφθορα καλὰ τῷ εἴδει·
3And let the king appoint local governors in all the provinces of his kingdom, and let them select fair and chaste young damsels and bring them to the city Susa, into the women's apartment, and let them be consigned to the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women; and let things for purification and other attendance be given to them.Καὶ καταστήσει ὁ βασιλεὺς κωμάρχας ἐν πάσαις ταῖς χώραις τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐπιλεξάτωσαν κοράσια παρθενικὰ καλὰ τῷ εἴδει εἰς Σοῦσαν τὴν πόλιν εἰς τὸν γυναικῶνα· καὶ παραδοθήτωσαν τῷ εὐνούχῳ τοῦ βασιλέως τῷ φύλακι τῶν γυναικῶν· καὶ δοθήτω σμῆγμα, καὶ ἡ λοιπὴ ἐπιμέλεια.
4And let the woman who shall please the king be queen instead of Astin. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.Καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἣ ἂν ἀρέσῃ τῷ βασιλεῖ, βασιλεύσει ἀντὶ Ἀστίν· καὶ ἤρεσε τῷ βασιλεῖ τὸ πρᾶγμα, καὶ ἐποίησεν οὕτως.
5Now there was a Jew in the city Susa, and his name was Mardochaeus, the son of Jairus, the son of Semeias, the son of Cisaeus, of the tribe of Benjamin;Καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἦν Ἰουδαῖος ἐν Σούσοις τῇ πόλει, καὶ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Μαρδοχαῖος ὁ τοῦ Ἰαΐρου, τοῦ Σεμείου, τοῦ Κισαίου, ἐκ φυλῆς Βενιαμίν,
6who had been brought a prisoner from Jerusalem, which Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon had carried into captivity.ὃς ἦν αἰχμάλωτος ἐξ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἣν ᾐχμαλώτευσε Ναβουχοδονόσορ βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος.
7And he had a foster child, daughter of Aminadab his father's brother, and her name was Esther; and when her parents were dead, he brought her up for a wife for himself: and the damsel was beautiful.Καὶ ἦν τούτῳ παῖς θρεπτή, θυγάτηρ Ἀμιναδὰβ ἀδελφοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὄνομα αὐτῇ Ἐσθήρ· ἐν δὲ τῷ μεταλλάξαι αὐτῆς τοὺς γονεῖς, ἐπαίδευσεν αὐτὴν ἑαυτῷ εἰς γυναῖκα· καὶ ἦν τὸ κοράσιον καλὸν τῷ εἴδει.
8And because the king's ordinance was published, many damsels were gathered to the city Susa under the hand of Gai; and Esther was brought to Gai the keeper of the women.Καὶ ὅτε ἠκούσθη τὸ τοῦ βασιλέως πρόσταγμα, συνήχθησαν πολλὰ κοράσια εἰς Σοῦσάν τὴν πόλιν ὑπὸ χεῖρα Γαῒ, καὶ ἤχθη Ἐσθὴρ πρὸς Γαῒ τὸν φύλακα τῶν γυναικῶν.
9And the damsel pleased him, and she found favor in his sight; and he hasted to give her the things for purification, and her portion, and the seven maidens appointed her out of the palace: and he treated her and her maidens well in the women's apartment.Καὶ ἤρεσεν αὐτῷ τὸ κοράσιον, καὶ εὗρε χάριν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἔσπευσε δοῦναι αὐτῇ τὸ σμῆγμα, καὶ τὴν μερίδα, καὶ τὰ ἑπτὰ κοράσια τὰ ὑποδεδειγμένα αὐτῇ ἐκ βασιλικοῦ· καὶ ἐχρήσατο αὐτῇ καλῶς καὶ ταῖς ἅβραις αὐτῆς ἐν τῷ γυναικῶνι·
10But Esther did not reveal her family nor her kindred: for Mardochaeus had charged her not to tell.Καὶ οὐχ ὑπέδειξεν Ἐσθὴρ τὸ γένος αὐτῆς οὐδὲ τὴν πατρίδα· ὁ γὰρ Μαρδοχαῖος ἐνετείλατο αὐτῇ μὴ ἀπαγγεῖλαι.
11But Mardochaeus used to walk every day by the women's court, to see what would become of Esther.Καθʼ ἑκάστην δὲ ἡμέραν περιεπάτει ὁ Μαρδοχαῖος κατὰ τὴν αὐλὴν τὴν γυναικείαν, ἐπισκοπῶν τί Ἐσθὴρ συμβήσεται.
12Now this was the time for a virgin to go into the king, when she should have fulfilled twelve months; for so are the days of purification fulfilled, six months while they are anointing themselves with oil of myrrh, and six months with spices and women's purifications.Οὗτος δὲ ἦν καιρὸς κορασίου εἰσελθεῖν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, ὅταν ἀναπληρώσῃ μῆνας δεκαδύο· οὕτως γὰρ ἀναπληροῦνται αἱ ἡμέραι τῆς θεραπείας, μῆνας ἓξ ἀλειφομέναις ἐν σμυρνίνῳ ἐλαίῳ, καὶ μῆνας ἓξ ἐν τοῖς ἀρώμασι καὶ ἐν τοῖς σμήγμασι τῶν γυναικῶν,
13And then the damsel goes in to the king; and the officer to whoever he shall give the command, will bring her to come in with him from the women's apartment to the king's chamber.καὶ τότε εἰσπορεύεται πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα· καὶ ᾧ ἐὰν εἴπῃ, παραδώσει αὐτὴν συνεισέρχεσθαι αὐτῷ ἀπὸ τοῦ γυναικῶνος ἕως τῶν βασιλείων·
14She enters in the evening, and in the morning she departs to the second women's apartment, where Gai the king's chamberlain is keeper of the women: and she goes not in to the king again, unless she should be called by name.Δείλης εἰσπορεύεται, καὶ πρὸς ἡμέραν ἀποτρέχει εἰς τὸν γυναικῶνα τὸν δεύτερον, οὗ Γαῒ ὁ εὐνοῦχος τοῦ βασιλέως ὁ φύλαξ τῶν γυναικῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἔτι εἰσπορεύεται πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, ἐὰν μὴ κληθῇ ὀνόματι.
15And when the time. was fulfilled for Esther the daughter of Aminadab the brother of Mardochaeus' father to go in to the king, she neglected nothing which the chamberlain, the women's keeper, commanded; for Esther found grace in the sight of all that looked upon her.Ἐν δὲ τῷ ἀναπληροῦσθαι τὸν χρόνον Ἐσθὴρ τῆς θυγατρὸς Ἀμιναδὰβ ἀδελφοῦ πατρὸς Μαρδοχαίου εἰσελθεῖν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, οὐδὲν ἠθέτησεν ὧν ἐνετείλατο ὁ εὐνοῦχος ὁ φύλαξ τῶν γυναικῶν· ἦν γὰρ Ἐσθὴρ εὑρίσκουσα χάριν παρὰ πάντων τῶν βλεπόντων αὐτήν.
16So Esther went in to king Artaxerxes in the twelfth month, which is Adar, in the seventh year of his reign.καὶ εἰσῆλθεν Ἐσθὴρ πρὸς Ἀρταξέρξην τὸν βασιλέα τῷ δωδεκάτῳ μηνὶ, ὅς ἐστιν Ἀδάρ, τῷ ἑβδόμῳ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ.
17And the king loved Esther, and she found favor beyond all the other virgins: and he put on her the queen's crown.Καὶ ἠράσθη ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἐσθὴρ, καὶ εὗρε χάριν παρὰ πάσας τὰς παρθένους, καὶ ἐπέθηκεν αὐτῇ τὸ διάδημα τὸ γυναικεῖον.
18And the king made a banquet for all his friends and great men for seven days, and he highly celebrated the marriage of Esther; and he made a release to those who were under his dominion.Καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς πότον πᾶσι τοῖς φίλοις αὐτοῦ καὶ ταῖς δυνάμεσιν ἐπὶ ἡμέρας ἑπτά, καὶ ὕψωσε τοὺς γάμους Ἐσθήρ, καὶ ἄφεσιν ἐποίησε τοῖς ὑπὸ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ.
19But Mardochaeus served in the palace.Ὁ δὲ Μαρδοχαῖος ἐθεράπευεν ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ.
20Now Esther had not revealed her * kindred; for so Mardochaeus commanded her, to fear God, and perform his commandments, as when she was with him: and Esther changed not her manner of life.Ἡ δὲ Ἐσθὴρ οὐχ ὑπέδειξε τὴν πατρίδα αὐτῆς· οὕτως γὰρ ἐνετείλατο αὐτῇ Μαρδοχαῖος, φοβεῖσθαι τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ποιεῖν τὰ προστάγματα αὐτοῦ, καθὼς ἦν μετʼ αὐτοῦ· καὶ Ἐσθὴρ οὐ μετήλλαξε τὴν ἀγωγὴν αὐτῆς.
21And two chamberlains of the king, the chiefs of the body-guard, were grieved, because Mardochaeus was promoted; and they sought to kill king Artaxerxes.Καὶ ἐλυπήθησαν οἱ δύο εὐνοῦχοι τοῦ βασιλέως οἱ ἀρχισωματοφύλακες, ὅτι προήχθη Μαρδοχαῖος, καὶ ἐζήτουν ἀποκτεῖναι Ἀρταξέρξην τὸν βασιλέα.
22And the matter was revealed to Mardochaeus, and he made it known to Esther, and she declared to the king the matter of the conspiracy.Καὶ ἐδηλώθη Μαρδοχαίῳ ὁ λόγος, καὶ ἐσήμανεν Ἐσθήρ, καὶ αὐτὴ ἐνεφάνησε τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς.
23And the king examined the two chamberlains, and hanged them: and the king gave orders to make a note for a memorial in the royal † records of the good offices of Mardochaeus, as a commendation.Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἤτασε τοὺς δύο εὐνούχους, καὶ ἐκρέμασεν αὐτούς· καὶ προσέταξεν ὁ βασιλεὺς καταχωρίσαι εἰς μνημόσυνον ἐν τῇ βασιλικῇ βιβλιοθήκῃ ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐνοίας Μαρδοχαίου, ἐν ἐγκωμίῳ.
Translator's Notes
These notes come from the printed edition of Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), and record where the Greek differs from the English rendering or admits more than one reading.
- v. 20*Gr. country.
- v. 23†Gr. library.