Esther 8:6

Hebrew Bible

4 When the king extended to Esther the gold scepter, she arose and stood before the king. 5 She said, “If the king is so inclined, and if I have met with his approval, and if the matter is agreeable to the king, and if I am attractive to him, let an edict be written rescinding those recorded intentions of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, which he wrote in order to destroy the Jews who are throughout all the king’s provinces. 6 For how can I watch the calamity that will befall my people, and how can I watch the destruction of my relatives?” 7 King Ahasuerus replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Look, I have already given Haman’s estate to Esther, and he has been hanged on the gallows because he took hostile action against the Jews.

LXX Esther 8:6

Septuagint

4 Then the king stretched out to Esther the golden sceptre: and Esther arose to stand near the king. 5 And Esther said, If it seem good to thee, and I have found favour in thy sight, let an order be sent that the letters sent by Aman may be reversed, that were written for the destruction of the Jews, who are in thy kingdom. 6 For how shall I be able to look upon the affliction of my people, and how shall I be able to survive the destruction of my kindred? 7 And the king said to Esther, If I have given and freely granted thee all that was Aman's, and hanged him on a gallows, because he laid his hands upon the Jews, what dost thou yet further seek?

 Notes and References

"... In the second part of the sentence, in the Masoretic text Esther expresses concern for her relatives, while in the LXX she is concerned about her own safety. This interpretation in the LXX is probably directly related to Mordecai’s warning in 4:3 ‘Do not imagine that you, of all the Jews, will escape with your life by being in the king’s palace’ ..."

Tov, Emanuel The LXX translation of Esther: A Paraphrastic Translation of MT or a Free Translation of a Rewritten Version? (pp. 507-526) Brill, 2008

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