1 Esdras 4

Then the second young man, the one who had spoken about the strength of the king, began to speak.

1Then the second, that had spoken of the strength of the king, began to say,

NoteThis chapter continues a contest begun in chapter 3. Three young bodyguards of King Darius each wrote down what he thought was the strongest thing in the world, sealed the answers, and put them under the king's pillow, with a reward promised to whoever argued best. The first said wine. The second, speaking here, says the king. The third will say women, and then truth.

2"Sirs, are not men the strongest, the men who rule over the sea and the land and everything in them?

2O ye men, do not men excel in strength that bear rule over sea and land and all things in them?

3But the king is mightier still, because he is lord of all these things and rules over them, and whatever he orders them to do, they do.

3But yet the king is more mighty: for he is lord of all these things, and hath dominion over them; and whatsoever he commandeth them they do.

4If he tells them to make war on one another, they do it. If he sends them out against enemies, they go, and they break down mountains, walls, and towers.

4If he bid them make war the one against the other, they do it: if he send them out against the enemies, they go, and break down mountains walls and towers.

5They kill and are killed, and they do not break the king's order. If they win, they bring everything to the king, both the goods they took and everything else.

5They slay and are slain, and transgress not the king’s commandment: if they get the victory, they bring all to the king, as well the spoil, as all things else.

6It is the same with those who are not soldiers and have nothing to do with wars, but farm the land. When they have harvested what they sowed, they bring it to the king, and they force one another to pay taxes to the king.

6Likewise for those that are no soldiers, and have not to do with wars, but use husbundry, when they have reaped again that which they had sown, they bring it to the king, and compel one another to pay tribute unto the king.

NoteThe KJV prints "husbundry" here, a variant of "husbandry," which meant farming and the working of land. It has nothing to do with husbands. The tax being described is paid in harvested crops, not coin.

7And yet he is only one man. If he orders them to kill, they kill. If he orders them to spare, they spare.

7And yet he is but one man: if he command to kill, they kill; if he command to spare, they spare;

8If he orders them to strike, they strike. If he orders them to lay a place waste, they lay it waste. If he orders them to build, they build.

8If he command to smite, they smite; if he command to make desolate, they make desolate; if he command to build, they build;

9If he orders them to cut down, they cut down. If he orders them to plant, they plant.

9If he command to cut down, they cut down; if he command to plant, they plant.

10So all his people and his armies obey him. What is more, he lies down, he eats and drinks, and he takes his rest,

10So all his people and his armies obey him: furthermore he lieth down, he eateth and drinketh, and taketh his rest:

11and these men keep watch all around him. Not one of them may leave and go do his own work, and they do not disobey him in anything.

11And these keep watch round about him, neither may any one depart, and do his own business, neither disobey they him in any thing.

12Sirs, how could the king not be the mightiest, when he is obeyed like this?" Then he stopped speaking.

12O ye men, how should not the king be mightiest, when in such sort he is obeyed? And he held his tongue.

13Then the third young man, who had spoken about women and about truth (this was Zorobabel) began to speak.

13Then the third, who had spoken of women, and of the truth, (this was Zorobabel) began to speak.

NoteZorobabel is the Greek spelling of Zerubbabel, a descendant of the kings of Judah who led the first group of exiles back from Babylon and governed Judea under Persian rule. Naming him here ties this contest story to the return from exile that the rest of the book is about.

14"Sirs, is the king not great? Are men not many? Is wine not strong? Who then is it that rules them, or is lord over them? Is it not women?

14O ye men, it is not the great king, nor the multitude of men, neither is it wine, that excelleth; who is it then that ruleth them, or hath the lordship over them? are they not women?

15Women gave birth to the king and to all the people who rule over sea and land.

15Women have borne the king and all the people that bear rule by sea and land.

16Men came from women. And women raised the men who planted the vineyards that the wine comes from.

16Even of them came they: and they nourished them up that planted the vineyards, from whence the wine cometh.

17Women also make clothes for men. Women bring honor to men. And without women men cannot exist.

17These also make garments for men; these bring glory unto men; and without women cannot men be.

18Yes, and if men have piled up gold and silver, or any other fine thing, do they not love a woman who is lovely to look at and beautiful?

18Yea, and if men have gathered together gold and silver, or any other goodly thing, do they not love a woman which is comely in favour and beauty?

NoteIn 1611 English "favour" could mean a person's face or looks, so "comely in favour and beauty" means good looking, not well liked.

19Do they not let all those things go and stare at her with their mouths hanging open, fixing their eyes on her? Do not all men want her more than silver or gold or any fine thing at all?

19And letting all those things go, do they not gape, and even with open mouth fix their eyes fast on her; and have not all men more desire unto her than unto silver or gold, or any goodly thing whatsoever?

NoteTo "gape" in 1611 meant to stare with the mouth hanging open in astonishment. It did not mean to yawn.

20A man leaves his own father, who raised him, and leaves his own country, and holds fast to his wife.

20A man leaveth his own father that brought him up, and his own country, and cleaveth unto his wife.

Note"Cleaveth unto" meant clings to or sticks fast to, the opposite of the other sense of cleave, to split. The wording deliberately echoes Genesis 2:24.

21He does not hesitate to spend his life with his wife, and he thinks no more of father, or mother, or country.

21He sticketh not to spend his life with his wife. and remembereth neither father, nor mother, nor country.

Note"He sticketh not to" meant he does not hesitate or hold back. It is not about sticking with her.

22By this too you must know that women rule over you. Do you not work and wear yourselves out, and then give and bring it all to the woman?

22By this also ye must know that women have dominion over you: do ye not labour and toil, and give and bring all to the woman?

23Yes, a man takes his sword and sets out to rob and to steal, to sail on the sea and on rivers.

23Yea, a man taketh his sword, and goeth his way to rob and to steal, to sail upon the sea and upon rivers;

24He looks a lion in the face and walks in the dark. And when he has stolen and plundered and robbed, he brings it to the woman he loves.

24And looketh upon a lion, and goeth in the darkness; and when he hath stolen, spoiled, and robbed, he bringeth it to his love.

25So a man loves his wife more than his father or his mother.

25Wherefore a man loveth his wife better than father or mother.

26Yes, there are many who have lost their minds over women, and have become slaves for their sake.

26Yea, many there be that have run out of their wits for women, and become servants for their sakes.

27Many also have died, and gone astray, and sinned, because of women.

27Many also have perished, have erred, and sinned, for women.

28And now, do you not believe me? Is the king not great in his power? Do not all lands fear to lay a hand on him?

28And now do ye not believe me? is not the king great in his power? do not all regions fear to touch him?

29Yet I saw him with Apame, the king's concubine, the daughter of the famous Bartacus, sitting at the king's right hand.

29Yet did I see him and Apame the king’s concubine, the daughter of the admirable Bartacus, sitting at the right hand of the king,

NoteA concubine was a woman formally attached to the king's household as a recognized secondary partner, with a settled place at court but not the standing of a queen. Sitting at the king's right hand was the highest place of honor in the room, normally given to his chief minister. "The admirable Bartacus" uses "admirable" for a Greek word meaning illustrious or famous, a rank at court rather than a compliment on his character.

30She took the crown off the king's head and put it on her own head, and she struck the king with her left hand.

30And taking the crown from the king’s head, and setting it upon her own head; she also struck the king with her left hand.

NoteThe crown was the emblem of royal power itself. For anyone else, taking it off the king's head, wearing it, or striking the king would have been a capital offense. That is the whole force of the story: she does with impunity what would cost another person his life.

31Even so, the king stared at her with his mouth open. If she smiled at him, he laughed too. But if she was displeased with him, the king had to coax her until she was friendly to him again.

31And yet for all this the king gaped and gazed upon her with open mouth: if she laughed upon him, he laughed also: but if she took any displeasure at him, the king was fain to flatter, that she might be reconciled to him again.

Note"Was fain to" meant was obliged to, had no choice but to. The king is not choosing to flatter her; he has to.

32Sirs, how can it be anything but true that women are strong, when they do such things?"

32O ye men, how can it be but women should be strong, seeing they do thus?

33Then the king and the nobles looked at one another. So he began to speak about truth.

33Then the king and the princes looked one upon another: so he began to speak of the truth.

34"Sirs, are women not strong? The earth is great, the sky is high, the sun is swift on its path, for it circles all the way around the sky and comes back to its own place in one day.

34O ye men, are not women strong? great is the earth, high is the heaven, swift is the sun in his course, for he compasseth the heavens round about, and fetcheth his course again to his own place in one day.

35Is not the one who makes these things great? So truth is great, and stronger than everything.

35Is he not great that maketh these things? therefore great is the truth, and stronger than all things.

36The whole earth calls on truth, and the sky blesses it. All works shake and tremble, and with truth there is nothing unjust.

36All the earth crieth upon the truth, and the heaven blesseth it: all works shake and tremble at it, and with it is no unrighteous thing.

NoteThe Greek here is compressed and disputed. It can mean that all works shake and tremble before truth, as the KJV reads it, or simply that all works shake and tremble while truth alone does not. The rendering leaves both readings open.

37Wine is unjust, the king is unjust, women are unjust, all human beings are unjust, and all their works are unjust; there is no truth in them, and in their injustice they will die.

37Wine is wicked, the king is wicked, women are wicked, all the children of men are wicked, and such are all their wicked works; and there is no truth in them; in their unrighteousness also they shall perish.

NoteOne Greek word, adikos, meaning unjust or not conforming to what is right, stands behind both "wicked" and "unrighteous" in the KJV of this speech. The point being made is legal rather than moral in the modern sense: everything else can be crooked in judgment, and truth cannot.

38But truth lasts, and is always strong. It lives and wins forever.

38As for the truth, it endureth, and is alwaYs strong; it liveth and conquereth for evermore.

39Truth shows no favor to anyone and takes no payment. It does what is just, and holds back from everything unjust and wicked, and everyone approves of what it does.

39With her there is no accepting of persons or rewards; but she doeth the things that are just, and refraineth from all unjust and wicked things; and all men do well like of her works.

Note"Accepting of persons" is the standard KJV phrase for partiality, deciding a case by who a person is rather than by the facts. "Rewards" in older English commonly meant bribes, so the two phrases together describe a judge who can be neither impressed nor bought.

40There is nothing unjust in truth's judgment. Truth is the strength, the kingdom, the power, and the majesty of all ages. Blessed be the God of truth."

40Neither in her judgment is any unrighteousness; and she is the strength, kingdom, power, and majesty, of all ages. Blessed be the God of truth.

Note"Of all ages" translates a phrase meaning of all the ages, that is, of all time. It does not mean people of every age.

41With that he stopped speaking. Then all the people shouted and said, "Great is truth, and mighty above all things!"

41And with that he held his peace. And all the people then shouted, and said, Great is Truth, and mighty above all things.

42Then the king said to him, "Ask for whatever you want, beyond what is set down in the writing, and we will give it to you, because you have been found the wisest. You will sit next to me and be called my cousin."

42Then said the king unto him, Ask what thou wilt more than is appointed in the writing, and we will give it thee, because thou art found wisest; and thou shalt sit next me, and shalt be called my cousin.

Note"The writing" is the sealed statement of the contest terms, which already set out the winner's prize, so the king is offering something beyond it. "My cousin" is not a claim of blood relation: "kinsman of the king" was a formal title at the Persian court, one of the highest honors a courtier could be given.

43Then he said to the king, "Remember the vow you made, to build Jerusalem, on the day you came to your throne,

43Then said he unto the king, Remember thy vow, which thou hast vowed to build Jerusalem, in the day when thou camest to thy kingdom,

44and to send back all the vessels that were carried off from Jerusalem, which Cyrus set aside when he vowed to destroy Babylon, and vowed to send them back there.

44And to send away all the vessels that were taken away out of Jerusalem, which Cyrus set apart, when he vowed to destroy Babylon, and to send them again thither.

Note"Vessels" here means the whole set of gold and silver equipment used in the temple worship, the bowls, basins, dishes, snuffers and utensils, which were carried off to Babylon when Jerusalem fell. Cyrus was the Persian king who captured Babylon and ordered these things returned to Jerusalem.

45You also vowed to build up the temple, which the Edomites burned when Judea was laid waste by the Chaldeans.

45Thou also hast vowed to build up the temple, which the Edomites burned when Judea was made desolate by the Chaldees.

Note"Chaldees" is the KJV's word for the Babylonians. The Edomites were a neighboring people living south and east of Judah, widely blamed by Jewish writers for joining in when Jerusalem fell; other accounts of the burning of the temple attribute it to the Babylonian army itself.

46And now, my lord the king, this is what I ask of you, and what I want from you, and this is the kingly generosity that comes from you yourself: I ask that you keep the vow that you vowed with your own mouth to the King of heaven."

46And now, O lord the king, this is that which I require, and which I desire of thee, and this is the princely liberality proceeding from thyself: I desire therefore that thou make good the vow, the performance whereof with thine own mouth thou hast vowed to the King of heaven.

47Then King Darius stood up and kissed him, and wrote letters for him to all the treasurers and governors and captains and local rulers, telling them to see him safely on his way, along with all those going up with him to build Jerusalem.

47Then Darius the king stood up, and kissed him, and wrote letters for him unto all the treasurers and lieutenants and captains and governors, that they should safely convey on their way both him, and all those that go up with him to build Jerusalem.

NoteDarius here is the Persian king Darius I. "Lieutenants" in the KJV does not mean military officers; it is its ordinary word for deputy provincial governors, the Persian officials who administered districts under the satraps.

48He also wrote letters to the governors in Celosyria and Phenice, and to those in Libanus, telling them to bring cedar wood from Libanus to Jerusalem, and to help him build the city.

48He wrote letters also unto the lieutenants that were in Celosyria and Phenice, and unto them in Libanus, that they should bring cedar wood from Libanus unto Jerusalem, and that they should build the city with him.

NoteCelosyria is Coele-Syria, the Persian province covering inland Syria and Palestine. Phenice is Phoenicia, the coastal strip of what is now Lebanon. Libanus is Mount Lebanon, whose cedar forests were the region's standard source of large building timber, prized because the wood is straight, fragrant and resistant to rot.

49He also wrote for all the Jews who went up out of his kingdom into Judea, about their freedom: that no officer, no ruler, no local ruler, and no treasurer should force his way into their houses,

49Moreover he wrote for all the Jews that went out of his realm up into Jewry, concerning their freedom, that no officer, no ruler, no lieutenant, nor treasurer, should forcibly enter into their doors;

NotePersian officials had a customary right to enter private houses to seize supplies, quarter soldiers, or conscript labor. The order withdraws that right from the returning Jews' households.

50and that all the land they held should be free, with no tax on it, and that the Edomites should hand over the villages of the Jews that they held at that time;

50And that all the country which they hold should be free without tribute; and that the Edomites should give over the villages of the Jews which then they held:

51and that twenty talents should be given every year toward building the temple, until the time it was finished;

51Yea, that there should be yearly given twenty talents to the building of the temple, until the time that it were built;

NoteA talent was a unit of weight, roughly seventy five pounds, about thirty four kilograms, of silver. Twenty talents a year was a very large grant, well beyond what a private donor could give.

52and another ten talents every year to pay for the burnt offerings on the altar each day, just as they had a command to offer seventeen;

52And other ten talents yearly, to maintain the burnt offerings upon the altar every day, as they had a commandment to offer seventeen:

NoteA burnt offering was an animal killed and then burned whole on the altar, with none of it eaten by priests or worshipers, which is why it had to be paid for out of a standing fund. The number seventeen matches no known rule for the daily offerings and has never been satisfactorily explained; many take it as a copying error in the Greek.

53and that all who came from Babylon to build the city should be free: they and their children after them, and all the priests who came as well.

53And that all they that went from Babylon to build the city should have free liberty, as well they as their posterity, and all the priests that went away.

54He also wrote about the money for their support, and about the priests' robes that they wear when they serve;

54He wrote also concerning. the charges, and the priests’ vestments wherein they minister;

Note"The charges" means the cost of their keep, a fixed allowance of food and supplies. The priests' "vestments" were the special garments worn only while serving at the altar and kept separate from ordinary clothing.

55and likewise about the support of the Levites, to be given to them until the day the house was finished and Jerusalem was built up.

55And likewise for the charges of the Levites, to be given them until the day that the house were finished, and Jerusalem builded up.

NoteThe Levites were members of the tribe of Levi who staffed the temple in supporting roles under the priests: musicians, gatekeepers, and those who handled the equipment and the practical work of the sanctuary. Like the priests, they held no farmland of their own and lived on allotted support.

56And he ordered that land and wages be given to all who guarded the city.

56And he commanded to give to all that kept the city pensions and wages.

NoteIn 1611 a "pension" was any regular payment or allowance, not a retirement income. The Greek word behind it is usually understood to mean allotments of land granted to the city's guards, which is why the rendering says land.

57He also sent back all the vessels from Babylon that Cyrus had set aside; and everything Cyrus had ordered, he ordered too, and sent it to Jerusalem.

57He sent away also all the vessels from Babylon, that Cyrus had set apart; and all that Cyrus had given in commandment, the same charged he also to be done, and sent unto Jerusalem.

58Now when this young man had gone out, he lifted his face toward heaven, in the direction of Jerusalem, and praised the King of heaven,

58Now when this young man was gone forth, he lifted up his face to heaven toward Jerusalem, and praised the King of heaven,

NoteJews away from Jerusalem prayed facing the city and its temple. He is outdoors in Persia, so turning toward Jerusalem is the gesture that marks this as prayer.

59and said, "Victory comes from you, wisdom comes from you, the glory is yours, and I am your servant.

59And said, From thee cometh victory, from thee cometh wisdom, and thine is the glory, and I am thy servant.

60Blessed are you, who have given me wisdom. I give thanks to you, Lord of our fathers."

60Blessed art thou, who hast given me wisdom: for to thee I give thanks, O Lord of our fathers.

61So he took the letters and went out, and came to Babylon, and told all of it to his brothers.

61And so he took the letters, and went out, and came unto Babylon, and told it all his brethren.

Note"Brethren" here means his fellow Jews, his kinsmen and countrymen in Babylon, not his literal brothers.

62And they praised the God of their fathers, because he had given them freedom and liberty

62And they praised the God of their fathers, because he had given them freedom and liberty

63to go up and build Jerusalem, and the temple that is called by his name. And they feasted with instruments of music and with gladness for seven days.

63To go up, and to build Jerusalem, and the temple which is called by his name: and they feasted with instruments of musick and gladness seven days.

Note"Called by his name" is a Hebrew idiom for belonging to someone: a house called by God's name is God's own house. Seven days was the standard length of a major public celebration, the same span as the great festivals.