Aggada -- Translations into English; Bible. Old Testament -- Legends; Jewish legends; Midrash -- Translations into English
As he rode along, Mordecai gave praise to God: "I will extol Thee, O
Lord; for Thou hast raised me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice
over me. O Lord my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me. O
Lord, Thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol; Thou hast kept me alive,
that I should not go down to the pit." Whereupon his pupils joined in
with: "Sing praise unto the Lord, O ye saints of His, and give thanks
to His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment; in His favor is
life; weeping may tarry for the night, but joy cometh in the morning."
Haman added the verse thereto: "As for me, I said in my prosperity, I
shall never be moved. Thou, Lord, of Thy favor hadst made my mountain
to stand strong. Thou didst hide Thy face; I was troubled." Queen
Esther continued: "I cried to Thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made
supplication. What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the
pit? Shall the dust praise Thee? Shall it declare Thy truth?" and the
whole concourse of Jews present cried out: "Thou hast turned for me my
mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth, and girded me
with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee, and
not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto Thee forever."
(172)
When this procession passed the house of Haman, his daughter was
looking out of the window. She took the man on the horse to be her
father, and the leader of it, Mordecai. Raising a vessel filled with
offal, she emptied it out over the leader her own father. Scarce had
the vessel left her hand, when she realized the truth, and she threw
herself from the window, and lay crushed to death on the street below.
(173)
In spite of the sudden change in his fortunes, Mordecai ended the
eventful day as he had begun it, in prayer and fasting. No sooner was
the procession over than he put off the royal robes, and, again
covering himself with sackcloth, he prayed until night fell.
Haman was plunged in mourning, partly on account of the deep disgrace
to which he had been subjected, partly on account of the death of his
daughter. (174) Neither his wife nor his friends could advise him how
to mend his sad fortunes. They could hold out only sorry consolation to
him: "If this Mordecai is of the seed of the saints, thou wilt not be
able to prevail against him. Thou wilt surely encounter the same fate
as the kings in their battle with Abraham, and Abimelech in his quarrel
with Isaac. As Jacob was victorious over the angel with whom he
wrestled, and Moses and Aaron caused the drowning of Pharaoh and his
host, so Mordecai will overcome thee in the end." (175)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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