The Book of Esther

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- Kapitel 15 -

And he entrusted her (there was no question but that it was Mordecai) to go in to the king, and to petition on behalf of her people and her native land.(a)

“Remember,” he said, “the days of your lowliness, how you were nurtured as if in my hand, because Haman, who is second after the king, has spoken against us to death.(b)

And you must call upon the Lord, and speak with the king on our behalf, and free us from death.”(c)

So, on the third day, she put away her ornate apparel, and surrounded herself with glory.(d)

And when she was shining in a royal manner, and had called upon God, the Guide and Savior of all, she took two maids with her.

And she was leaning upon one of them, as if, out of delicateness and great tenderness, she were not able to bear carrying her own body.

And the other maid followed her lady, carrying her garment flowing on the ground.

Yet she had a rosy color pouring over her face, for, with gracious and bright eyes, she restrained a sorrowful soul and very great fear.

And so, entering hesitantly through a series of doors, she stood opposite the king, where he sat upon his royal throne, clothed in royal robes, and shining with gold and precious stones. And he was terrible to behold.

And when he had lifted up his face, and with burning eyes had shown the fury of his heart, the queen collapsed, and her color turned pale, and she rested her exhausted head upon her handmaid.

And God changed the king’s spirit into gentleness; quickly and apprehensively, he leapt from his throne, and lifting her up in his arms until she came to herself, he coaxed her with these words:

“What is the matter, Esther? I am your brother, do not be afraid.(e)

You will not die. For this law has not been established for you, but for all others.

So approach and touch the scepter.”

And since she remained silent, he took the golden scepter and placed it on her neck, and he kissed her and said, “Why do you not speak to me?”

She answered, “I saw you, my lord, as an angel of God, and my heart was disturbed for fear of your glory.

For you, my lord, are great and wonderful, and your face is full of grace.”(f)

And while she was speaking, she collapsed again, because she was out of breath.(g)

But the king was troubled, and all his servants consoled her.

Fußnoten

(a)7:16 Verse 7:16 (which is 15:1 in the Latin Vulgate) is often omitted from English versions of Esther, even though it is consistently found in the Clementine Latin Vulgate. It has been placed here, in its logical position within the narrative.(Conte)

(b)7:10 The phrase “dierum humilitatis tuæ” refers to the time when Esther was a lowly commoner, not the queen of the Persian empire. The phrase “nutrita sis in manu mea” refers to the time when Esther was raised or nurtured by Mordecai. The word “sis” indicates a figure of speech: “as if in my hand.”(Conte)

(c)7:11 Latin has no quotation marks, so quotes are understood by the context. Sometimes, when the context does not make it clear that the sentence is a quote, the word “inquit” is added, meaning “he said.” Here verses 7:10 – 7:11 are from verses 15:2 – 15:3 in the Latin Vulgate. These verses are found in the Greek version of the text, but not the Hebrew.(Conte)

(d)9:1 The glory she surrounded herself with was her glorious apparel, including her crown. Notice that she takes off ornate apparel and puts on even better garments.(Conte)

(e)9:9 The word “frater” meaning brother is often used in the Bible to refer to persons who are not children of the same parents. The word brother has broad meaning in the Bible.(Conte)

(f)9:14 Here is an example in Scripture of the term “full of grace” also found in the Hail Mary prayer.(Conte)

(g)9:15 The word pene can have various very diverse meanings. In this context, it is certainly used to mean “because” or “for” and is not used as a noun. The word exanimata can refer to death, (ex anima, out of the soul, or the soul leaves). The word can also mean out of breath, since anima mean spirit or breath or the breath of life.(Conte)