Esther Addition A— Mordecai's Dream

In the second year of the reign of Artaxerxes the Great, on the first day of Nisan, Mordecai son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, had a dream.

Greek: Ἔτους δευτέρου βασιλεύοντος Ἀρταξέρξου τοῦ μεγάλου

He was a Jew dwelling in the city of Susa, a prominent man who served in the court of the king.

Greek: ἄνθρωπος Ιουδαῖος οἰκῶν ἐν Σούσοις τῇ πόλει

He was one of the captives whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carried away from Jerusalem with King Jeconiah of Judah.

Greek: ἦν δὲ ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἧς ᾐχμαλώτευσεν Ναβουχοδονοσορ

And this was his dream: there were cries and noise, thunder and earthquake, and turmoil upon the earth.

Greek: καὶ τοῦτο αὐτοῦ τὸ ἐνύπνιον

And look — two great dragons came forward, both prepared for battle, and they roared mightily.

Greek: καὶ ἰδοὺ δύο δράκοντες μεγάλοι ἕτοιμοι προῆλθον

At the sound of their roaring, every nation prepared for war, to fight against the nation of the righteous.

Greek: καὶ ἐγένετο ἀπὸ τῆς φωνῆς αὐτῶν πᾶν ἔθνος ἡτοιμάσθη εἰς πόλεμον

And look — a day of darkness and gloom, of tribulation and distress, affliction and great turmoil upon the earth.

Greek: καὶ ἰδοὺ ἡμέρα σκότους καὶ γνόφου

And the whole righteous nation was troubled, fearing the evils that threatened them,

Greek: καὶ ἐταράχθη πᾶν ἔθνος δίκαιον

and they prepared themselves to perish.

Greek: καὶ ἡτοιμάσθησαν ἀπολέσθαι

Then they cried out to God. And from their cry, as though from a tiny spring, there came a great river with abundant water.

Greek: καὶ ἐβόησαν πρὸς τὸν θεόν

Light dawned and the sun rose, and the lowly were exalted and consumed those held in honor.

Greek: φῶς ἐγένετο καὶ ὁ ἥλιος ἀνέτειλεν

Mordecai, who had seen this dream and what God had determined to do, kept it in his heart after he awoke,

Greek: Μαρδοχαῖος ὁ ἰδὼν τὸ ἐνύπνιον τοῦτο

and he sought in every way to understand it until nightfall.

Greek: καὶ ἡσύχασεν ἕως νυκτὸς βουλόμενος γνῶναι

Now Mordecai was resting in the courtyard with Gabatha and Tharra, two eunuchs of the king who guarded the courtyard.

Greek: Καὶ ἦν Μαρδοχαῖος ἀναπαυόμενος ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ

He overheard their plotting and investigated their designs, and discovered that they were preparing to assassinate King Artaxerxes. He reported this to the king.

Greek: ἤκουσέν τε αὐτῶν τοὺς λογισμούς

Then the king examined the two eunuchs, and when they confessed they were led away to execution.

Greek: καὶ ἐξήτασεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοὺς δύο εὐνούχους

The king recorded these events as a memorial, and Mordecai also recorded them. Then the king ordered Mordecai to serve in the court and rewarded him for this. But Haman, son of Hammedatha, a Bougaean, who was held in great honor by the king, sought to harm Mordecai and his people on account of the two eunuchs of the king.

Greek: καὶ ἔγραψεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοὺς λόγους τούτους εἰς μνημόσυνον