Old Testament

New Testament

Esther 13:6-16 Catholic Public Domain Version (CPDV)

6. Meanwhile, they craftily deceive by fraud the ears of single-minded leaders, and they judge others according to their own nature.

7. These things are proven both from the ancient histories and from those things which happen daily: how the zeal of kings can be corrupted by the evil suggestions of such persons.

8. Therefore, we will make provision for the peace of all the provinces.

9. Neither should you think, if we change our orders, that they come from a fickle mind, but that we draw conclusions from the quality and necessity of the times, just as the expediency of the public good demands.

10. And, so that you may more clearly understand what we are saying: Haman the son of Hammedatha, a Macedonian both in mind and ancestry, and foreign to Persian blood, and with his cruelty contaminating our piety, was accepted by us as a sojourner.

11. And our humanity proved to be so great towards him that he was called our father and was adored by all as second only to the king.

12. But he was so filled with arrogance as to strive to deprive us of our kingdom and our life.

13. For example, with certain strange and unheard of machinations, he sought the death of Mordecai, whose faith and kindness kept us alive, and Esther, the partner of our kingdom, and all their people.

14. This he planned so that, after they were executed, he might work treason against us in our solitude and transfer the kingdom of the Persians to the Macedonians.

15. But we, having been resolved to ruin in death the mortal Jews, discovered no fault within them, but on the contrary, they use just laws

16. and are sons of the highest and greatest and ever-living God, by whose kindness the kingdom was handed down both to our fathers and to us, and is cared for even unto this day.

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