1 Ezra 3

1Now King Darius put on a great banquet for all his subjects,

καὶ βασιλεὺς Δαρεῖος ἐποίησεν δοχὴν μεγάλην πᾶσιν τοῖς ὑπ᾿ αὐτὸν καὶ πᾶσιν τοῖς οἰκογενέσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ πᾶσιν τοῖς μεγιστᾶσιν τῆς Μηδίας καὶ τῆς Περσίδος

2He also invited all the satraps, commanders, and governors under him throughout the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces extending from India to Ethiopia.

καὶ πᾶσιν τοῖς σατράπαις καὶ στρατηγοῖς καὶ τοπάρχαις τοῖς ὑπ᾿ αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰνδικῆς μέχρι τῆς Αἰθιοπίας ἐν ταῖς ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι ἑπτὰ σατραπείαις

3They ate and drank, and when they were satisfied they returned home. As for King Darius, he returned to his bedchamber and slept, but awoke.

καὶ ἐφάγοσαν καὶ ἐπίοσαν καὶ ἐμπλησθέντες ἀνέλυσαν ὁ δὲ Δαρεῖος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀνέλυσεν εἰς τὸν κοιτῶνα καὶ ἐκοιμήθη καὶ ἔξυπνος ἐγένετο

4Then the three young men who were attending the king as bodyguards said one to the other,

τότε οἱ τρεῖς νεανίσκοι οἱ σωματοφύλακες οἱ φυλάσσοντες τὸ σῶμα τοῦ βασιλέως εἶπαν ἕτερος πρὸς τὸν ἕτερον

5'Let each of us speak one strong saying, and whichever saying of ours seems to be the strongest, King Darius will give him great gifts and a feast in his honor.

εἴπωμεν ἕκαστος ἡμῶν ἕνα λόγον ὃς ὑπερισχύσει καὶ οὗ ἂν φανῇ τὸ ῥῆμα αὐτοῦ σοφώτερον τοῦ ἑτέρου δώσει αὐτῷ Δαρεῖος ὁ βασιλεὺς δωρεὰς μεγάλας καὶ ἐπινίκια μεγάλα

6He will be dressed in purple, drink from gold cups, and sleep in a gold bed. He will have a chariot with a gold-studded bridle, a turban of fine linen, and a gold necklace around his neck.

καὶ πορφύραν περιβαλέσθαι καὶ ἐν χρυσώμασιν πίνειν καὶ ἐπὶ χρυσῷ καθεύδειν καὶ ἅρμα χρυσοχάλινον καὶ κίδαριν βυσσίνην καὶ μανιάκην περὶ τὸν τράχηλον

7Because of his wisdom he will sit second to Darius and will be addressed as kinsman of Darius.'

καὶ δεύτερος καθιεῖται Δαρείου διὰ τὴν σοφίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ συγγενὴς Δαρείου κληθήσεται

8So each one then wrote down his saying, sealed it, and placed it under the pillow of King Darius. They said,

καὶ τότε γράψαντες ἕκαστος τὸν ἑαυτοῦ λόγον ἐσφραγίσαντο καὶ ἔθηκαν ὑπὸ τὸ προσκεφάλαιον Δαρείου τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ εἶπαν

9'When the king awakens, they will give the writings to him and the one whose saying the king and the three nobles of Persia may judge the wisest, the victory shall be given to him, as it is written.'

ὅταν ἐγερθῇ ὁ βασιλεύς δώσουσιν αὐτῷ τὸ γράμμα καὶ ὃν ἂν κρίνῃ ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ οἱ τρεῖς μεγιστᾶνες τῆς Περσίδος ὅτι ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ σοφώτερος αὐτῷ δοθήσεται τὸ νῖκος καθὼς γέγραπται

10The first one wrote, 'Wine is the strongest.'

ὁ εἷς ἔγραψεν ὑπερισχύει ὁ οἶνος

11The second wrote, 'The king is the strongest.'

ὁ ἕτερος ἔγραψεν ὑπερισχύει ὁ βασιλεύς

12The third wrote, 'Women are the strongest, but above all things the truth conquers.'

ὁ τρίτος ἔγραψεν ὑπερισχύουσιν αἱ γυναῖκες ὑπὲρ δὲ πάντα νικᾷ ἡ ἀλήθεια

13So when the king was awakened, he took the writings they gave to him, and he read them.

καὶ ὅτε ἐξηγέρθη ὁ βασιλεύς λαβόντες τὸ γράμμα ἔδωκαν αὐτῷ καὶ ἀνέγνω

14Then he sent forth and invited all the nobles of Persia and Media and the satraps, commanders, governors, and highest officials. He took his place in the seat of judgment, and the writings were read in their presence.

καὶ ἐξαποστείλας ἐκάλεσεν πάντας τοὺς μεγιστᾶνας τῆς Περσίδος καὶ τῆς Μηδίας καὶ σατράπας καὶ στρατηγοὺς καὶ τοπάρχας καὶ ὑπάτους καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἐν τῷ χρηματιστηρίῳ καὶ ἀνεγνώσθη τὸ γράμμα ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν

15He said, 'Call the young men, and they will clarify their sayings.' So they were summoned and came in.

καὶ εἶπεν καλέσατε τοὺς νεανίσκους καὶ αὐτοὶ δηλώσουσιν τοὺς λόγους αὐτῶν καὶ ἐκλήθησαν καὶ εἰσήλθοσαν

16They said to them, 'Interpret for us the sayings you wrote.'

καὶ εἶπαν αὐτοῖς ἀπαγγείλατε ἡμῖν περὶ τῶν γεγραμμένων

17So the first, who spoke about the strength of wine, began and said thus:

καὶ ἤρξατο ὁ πρῶτος ὁ εἴπας περὶ τῆς ἰσχύος τοῦ οἴνου καὶ ἔφη οὕτως

18'Men, how is wine the strongest? It leads astray the mind of all who drink it.

ἄνδρες πῶς ὑπερισχύει ὁ οἶνος πάντας τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοὺς πίνοντας αὐτὸν πλανᾷ τὴν διάνοιαν

19It makes a single mind of both the king and the orphan, of the servant and the freeman, and of the poor man and the rich man.

τοῦ τε βασιλέως καὶ τοῦ ὀρφανοῦ ποιεῖ τὴν διάνοιαν μίαν τήν τε τοῦ οἰκέτου καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἐλευθέρου τήν τε τοῦ πένητος καὶ τὴν τοῦ πλουσίου

20It turns every mind to feasting and gladness, and it does not remember any pain or any debt.

καὶ πᾶσαν διάνοιαν μεταστρέφει εἰς εὐωχίαν καὶ εὐφροσύνην καὶ οὐ μέμνηται πᾶσαν λύπην καὶ πᾶν ὀφείλημα

21Wine makes all hearts rich, does not remember a king or satrap, and makes everyone talk in big money terms.

καὶ πάσας καρδίας ποιεῖ πλουσίας καὶ οὐ μέμνηται βασιλέα οὐδὲ σατράπην καὶ πάντα διὰ ταλάντων ποιεῖ λαλεῖν

22When men drink, they do not remember to act as a friend to friends, and after a short while they draw swords.

καὶ οὐ μέμνηται ὅταν πίνωσιν φιλιάζειν φίλοις καὶ ἀδελφοῖς καὶ μετ᾿ οὐ πολὺ σπῶνται μαχαίρας

23But when they become sober, they do not remember what they did.

καὶ ὅταν ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴνου γενηθῶσιν οὐ μέμνηται ἃ ἔπραξαν

24O men, is not wine the strongest because it forces us to do such things?' So he spoke in this way and then became silent.

ὦ ἄνδρες οὐχ ὑπερισχύει ὁ οἶνος ὅτι οὕτως ἀναγκάζει ποιεῖν καὶ ἐσίγησεν οὕτως εἴπας