1
Es 2:1-20.
简体中文
英語原文
Es 2:1-20.
ESTHER CHOSEN TO BE QUEEN.
1-3. After these things, when the wrath of king Ahasuerus was appeased--On recovering from the violent excitement of his revelry and rage, the king was pierced with poignant regret for the unmerited treatment he had given to his beautiful and dignified queen. But, according to the law, which made the word of a Persian king irrevocable, she could not be restored. His counsellors, for their own sake, were solicitous to remove his disquietude, and hastened to recommend the adoption of all suitable means for gratifying their royal master with another consort of equal or superior attractions to those of his divorced queen. In the despotic countries of the East the custom obtains that when an order is sent to a family for a young damsel to repair to the royal palace, the parents, however unwilling, dare not refuse the honor for their daughter; and although they know that when she is once in the royal harem, they will never see her again, they are obliged to yield a silent and passive compliance. On the occasion referred to, a general search was commanded to be made for the greatest beauties throughout the empire, in the hope that, from their ranks, the disconsolate monarch might select one for the honor of succeeding to the royal honors of Vashti. The damsels, on arrival at the palace, were placed under the custody of "Hege, the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women," that is, the chief eunuch, usually a repulsive old man, on whom the court ladies are very dependent, and whose favor they are always desirous to secure.
5
無題
简体中文
5. 书珊城堡里有一个犹大人——末底改在朝廷中担任某种职务。但他“坐在王门那里”
(斯 2:21)
并不一定意味着他处于看门人那种卑微的地位；因为按照居鲁士（Cyrus）所立的一项制度，所有国家官员都必须在外院候命，直到被召入觐见之室。因此，他可能是一位具有一定官职尊荣的人。这人有一个在掳掠期间出生的孤儿表妹，在他的照管之下；她因容貌极其俊美，便成为这次被选入后宫的少女之一。她有幸立即赢得太监总管的好感
[斯 2:9]。
她甜美可爱的容貌，使所有看见她的人都喜爱她
(斯 2:15，
末句)。她的希伯来名字
(斯 2:7)
是哈大沙（Hadassah），即“番石榴（myrtle）”之意；进入后宫之后，便改为以斯帖（Esther），即金星维纳斯（Venus），象征美貌与好运
[GESENIUS]。
英語原文
5. Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew--Mordecai held some office about the court. But his "sitting at the king's gate"
(Es 2:21)
does not necessarily imply that he was in the humble condition of a porter; for, according to an institute of Cyrus, all state officers were required to wait in the outer courts till they were summoned into the presence chamber. He might, therefore, have been a person of some official dignity. This man had an orphan cousin, born during the exile, under his care, who being distinguished by great personal beauty, was one of the young damsels taken into the royal harem on this occasion. She had the good fortune at once to gain the good will of the chief eunuch
[Es 2:9].
Her sweet and amiable appearance made her a favorite with all who looked upon her
(Es 2:15,
last clause). Her Hebrew name
(Es 2:7)
was Hadassah, that is, "myrtle," which, on her introduction into the royal harem, was changed to Esther, that is, the star Venus, indicating beauty and good fortune [GESENIUS].
11
無題
简体中文
11. 末底改天天在女子院前走动——后宫是不可侵犯的圣所，其内所发生的事对外人而言，犹如远在千里之外一般隐秘。但他借着太监得到若干暗示。
英語原文
11. Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women's house--The harem is an inviolable sanctuary, and what is transacted within its walls is as much a secret to those without as if they were thousands of miles away. But hints were given him through the eunuchs.
12
無題
简体中文
12. 众女子照例先洁净身体十二个月，因为满了洁净的日子，然后挨次进去见亚哈随鲁王——为这所指望的尊荣，要花整整一年的时间预备。考虑到这是在王宫里进行的事，所规定的如此漫长时期，加上所用的昂贵芳香的化妆品如此丰盛，大概都是朝廷礼仪所要求的。
英語原文
12. Now when every maid's turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus--A whole year was spent in preparation for the intended honor. Considering that this took place in a palace, the long period prescribed, together with the profusion of costly and fragrant cosmetics employed, was probably required by state etiquette.
17
無題
简体中文
17. 王爱以斯帖过于众女子——王最终选定了以斯帖，她在亚哈随鲁眼前蒙了恩。他将她擢升至正室、即王后的尊位。其余的参赛者则在后宫各有安排的住所，保留次室之位——东方君王所拥有的次室为数众多。
把王后的冠冕戴在她头上——这冠冕不过是一条紫色的丝带，缀以白纹，缠于额上。婚礼以盛大的宴席庆祝；为纪念这一吉庆之时，“他给各省的人民豁免，并照王的厚意赐礼物”。波斯王后的妆奁，乃是将国内各处若干城邑的税收归给她，用以支付她个人与家中的开销。其中有些赋税，王在此时予以免除或减少。
英語原文
17. the king loved Esther above all the women--The choice fell on Esther, who found favor in the eyes of Ahasuerus. He elevated her to the dignity of chief wife, or queen. The other competitors had apartments assigned them in the royal harem, and were retained in the rank of secondary wives, of whom Oriental princes have a great number.
he set the royal crown upon her head--This consisted only of a purple ribbon, streaked with white, bound round the forehead. The nuptials were celebrated by a magnificent entertainment, and, in honor of the auspicious occasion, "he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the king." The dotation of Persian queens consisted in consigning to them the revenue of certain cities, in various parts of the kingdom, for defraying their personal and domestic expenditure. Some of these imposts the king remitted or lessened at this time.
21
Es 2:21-23.
简体中文
斯 2:21-23。
末底改发现叛逆，被记于史册。
21. 当那时候……王的两个太监……恼怒，想要下手害王，等等——这图谋王命的阴谋，很可能是因瓦实提被废而起的报复，这些太监可能是为她效力，并在她的怂恿之下行动的。因着末底改的警觉——尽管他的忠心当时并未被人注意——这阴谋被挫败了；谋反者被判死刑；又因这事被记在朝廷史记上，后来便成了末底改被擢升至有权势有影响力之职位的契机；而这一职位，正是神护理为促进犹太民族利益所要他担任的。
英語原文
Es 2:21-23.
MORDECAI, DISCOVERING A TREASON, IS RECORDED IN THE CHRONICLES.
21. In those days . . . two of the king's chamberlains . . . were wroth and sought to lay hand on the king, &c.--This secret conspiracy against the king's life probably arose out of revenge for the divorce of Vashti, in whose interest, and at whose instigation, these eunuchs may have acted. Through the vigilance of Mordecai, whose fidelity, however, passed unnoticed, the design was frustrated, while the conspirators were condemned to be executed and as the matter was recorded in the court annals, it became the occasion afterwards of Mordecai's preferment to the place of power and influence for which, in furtherance of the national interests of the Jews, divine providence intended him.
斯 2:1-20。
以斯帖被选立为王后。
1-3. 这事以后，亚哈随鲁王的忿怒止息——王从狂饮与暴怒的剧烈激动中平息下来以后，便因自己对待那位美丽而端庄的王后所施的不公而深感受责，痛悔不已。但按照使波斯王的话不可更改的律法，她已无法被复位。他的谋臣为了自身的缘故，亟欲为王解除这烦忧，便急忙进言，建议采纳一切适当的方法，好叫他们的君王能另得一位容貌与被废王后相当、或更胜一筹的配偶，以满足其心意。在东方专制国家中有这样的风俗：当一道命令传到一家，要一名年轻女子进宫时，她的父母无论如何不情愿，也不敢为女儿拒绝这“荣耀”；尽管他们明知她一旦进入后宫，便永无再见之日，也不得不默然顺从。在所论的这次情形中，王下令在全帝国之内普遍搜寻最美的少女，盼望君王能从她们中间选立一位，得享继承瓦实提王后之尊荣的殊荣。这些少女到达宫中之后，便被交托给“希该，王的太监，掌管女子的”看管，也就是太监总管——通常是一位令人厌憎的老人，宫中女眷对他极为依赖，总是极想博取他的好感。