Additions to Esther 11

Wycliffe Bible

(In the Greek Esther, and likewise for the Hebrew Esther, the following verse serves as a Postscript after the 10 new verses added to Chapter 10.)

11 In the fourth year, when Ptolemy and Cleopatra reigned, Dositheus, that said himself to be a priest and of the kin of Levi, and Ptolemy, his son, brought this epistle of lots into Jerusalem, which epistle they said, that Lysimachus, the son of Ptolemy, translated. This is a rubric; for this beginning was in the common translation, which beginning is not told in Hebrew, neither at any of the translators. [The fourth year, reigning Ptolemy and Cleopatra, Dositheus, that a priest and of Levi kindred said himself to be, and Ptolemy, his son, brought this epistle of Purim, the which they said, Lysimachus, the son of Ptolemy, in Jerusalem to have interpreted. This forsooth was the beginning in the common translation, that neither in Hebrew, nor with any of the interpreters is told.]

(In the Greek Esther, verses 2-12 that follow, serve as a Prologue to Chapter 1; in the Hebrew Esther, they would be placed at verse 5 of Chapter 2.)

² In the second year, when Artaxerxes^[a], (that is, Xerxes, or Ahasuerus) the most reigned/the mightiest king reigned, Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, of the lineage of Benjamin, saw a dream in the first day of the month Nisan, that is, June; [The second year, reigning Artaxerxes* the most, the first day of the month Nisan, Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, of the lineage of Benjamin,]

³ and Mordecai was a man a Jew, that dwelled in the city of Susa, a great man, and among the chief men, or the first men, of the king’s hall. [a man Jew, that dwelt in the city of Susa, a great man, and among the first of the king’s hall, saw a sweven (or a dream).]

⁴ And he was of that number of prisoners [or captives], which Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had translated (or had transferred) from Jerusalem with Jeconiah, king of Judah. And this was his dream.

⁵ He saw that voices, and noises, and thunders, and earth-movings, and great troubling, appeared upon the earth. [There seemed voices, and noises, and thunders, and earthquakes, and disturbing (or troubling) upon the earth.]

⁶ And lo! two great dragons, and they were made ready against themselves into battle;

⁷ at whose cry all (the) nations were stirred together, to fight against the folk of just men. [at whose cry all nations be stirred together, that they fight against the folk of rightwise men.]

⁸ And that was a day of darknesses, and of peril, of tribulation, and of anguish, and great dread was then upon the earth. [And that day was of darknesses, and of peril, of tribulation, and of anguish, and great fear upon earth.]

⁹ And the folk of just [or rightwise] men, dreading their (own) evils, was disturbed (or troubled), and made ready to (or for) (the) death.

¹⁰ And they cried to God; and when they cried, a little well increased [or waxed] into a full great flood, and it turned again into full many waters.

¹¹ And then the light and the sun rose up; and meek men were enhanced (or exalted), and devoured (the) noble men. [Light and the sun is sprung; and meek men be enhanced, and they devoured the glorious.]

¹² And when Mordecai in his sleep had seen this thing, and had risen from his bed, he thought, what God would do, and he had fast set in his soul this vision, and coveted to know, what the dream signified. [The which thing when Mordecai had seen, and risen of the bed, he thought, what God would do, and fixed he had in the inwit, coveting to know, what the sweven should betoken.]