Chapter Three

1–3. Darius’s banquet. 4–13. Contest of the bodyguards. 14–24. Speech of the first bodyguard about the power of wine.

1 Esdras 3:1. And King Darius held a great banquet for his subjects and his household and all the nobles of Media and Persia, 1. And King Darius held a great banquet. This refers to the Persian king Darius Hystaspis (521–485 BCE). – And his household: the Greek “oikogenes” means a slave born in the king’s own house.

1 Esdras 3:2. and all the satraps and commanders and governors of the lands subject to him, from India to Ethiopia, in one hundred twenty-seven satrapies. 2. In one hundred twenty-seven satrapies: from Judea (in the text of Ezra, “from India”) to Ethiopia. Cf. Daniel 6:1; Esther 1:1; 8:9. In the book of Daniel (6:1) it is said: 120 satrapies; but Herodotus (III, 89) mentions only 20. Apparently Herodotus had a different division in mind.

1 Esdras 3:3. And they ate and drank and, when satisfied, departed; and King Darius went to his bedroom and slept, and afterward awoke. 3. And King Darius… slept and then awoke (exypnos egeneto). Some authors render this last expression: “fell into deep sleep.” With such a translation, the conversation of the king’s bodyguards that follows would be understandable. But the expression exypnos egeneto undoubtedly carries the meaning given in the Russian translation. Darius, evidently, after the banquet slept restlessly. This kept the bodyguards awake and, perhaps, to drive away sleep, they conducted the conversation described below.

1 Esdras 3:4. Meanwhile three young men who were bodyguards, keeping watch over the body of the king, said to one another: 1 Esdras 3:5. let each of us state one word about what is strongest? And whose word proves wiser than the other’s, King Darius will give him great gifts and great reward. 4–5. In reproducing the account of chapter III, Josephus gives it a somewhat different character. In his view, the contest of the bodyguards occurred at the initiative of Darius himself. Awaking before dawn and unable to fall back asleep, Darius entered into conversation with the bodyguards and gave a promise to reward generously that one of them who would speak the wisest word on the theme set by him.

1 Esdras 3:6. And he shall be dressed in purple and drink from golden vessels, and sleep on gold, and ride in a chariot with horses in golden bridles, wear on his head a fillet of fine linen and a necklace on his neck, 1 Esdras 3:7. and he shall sit second after Darius for his wisdom, and shall be called a kinsman of Darius. 7. As a reward to the winner, it is promised that he shall be called a kinsman of Darius. A royal kinsman (synchenes) is a high honorific title (1 Macc 10:89; 2 Macc 2:1).

1 Esdras 3:8. And immediately, each having written his own word, they sealed and placed it under the pillow of King Darius and said: 1 Esdras 3:9. when the king wakes, let this writing be brought to him, and whoever the king and the three nobles of Persia recognize as having the wisest word, to him shall the advantage be given, as it is written. 9. And whoever the king and the three nobles of Persia recognize. At the head of Persian governance stood seven nobles – representatives of seven noble houses (cf. Ezra 7:14, Esth 1:14). It is possible that from the seven, three were distinguished as the noblest. To them the writer is referring.

1 Esdras 3:10. One wrote: wine is strongest of all. 1 Esdras 3:11. Another wrote: the king is strongest. 1 Esdras 3:12. A third wrote: women are strongest, but truth conquers everything. 1 Esdras 3:13. And when the king awoke, they brought him this writing, and he read it. 1 Esdras 3:14. And sending for them, he summoned all the nobles of Persia and Media, and the satraps and commanders and governors of the provinces and his advisers, 1 Esdras 3:15. and sat in the council hall, and the writing was read aloud to them. 1 Esdras 3:16. And he said: summon these young men, let them explain their words. And they were called and came in. 1 Esdras 3:17. And he said to them: explain what you have written. And the first began, he who spoke about the power of wine, and spoke thus: 17. And he said to them. In the Greek: kai eipan, and “they said.”

1 Esdras 3:18. O men! How mighty is wine! It brings confusion upon the minds of all who drink it; 18. It brings confusion upon the minds of all who drink. The word “minds” (dianoia) in the Greek text belongs to the following verse, and in verse 18 it has been inserted by the translators.

1 Esdras 3:19. it makes the mind of the king and of the slave, the free man and the poor man, the rich man, all alike; 1 Esdras 3:20. and it turns every mind toward gaiety and joy, so that a person does not remember any sorrow or any debt, 1 Esdras 3:21. and it makes all hearts rich, so that no one thinks of the king or the satrap, and it causes everyone to speak of his own talents. 21. And it causes everyone to speak of his own talents, that is, to imagine himself possessing talents.

1 Esdras 3:22. And when they are drunk, they forget their goodwill toward friends and brothers and quickly draw swords, 1 Esdras 3:23. and when they sober up from wine, they do not remember what they did. 1 Esdras 3:24. O men! Is not wine the strongest of all when it causes such deeds? And having said this, he fell silent.