1 Esdras 3

1And King Dareios made a great banquet for all who were under him, and for all his household, and for all the nobles of Media and Persia,

2and to all the satraps and generals and governors under him, from India to Ethiopia, in the one hundred twenty-seven satrapies.

3And they ate and drank, and when they were filled, they departed. But Darius the king went into his bedchamber and slept, and then awoke.

4Then the three young men, the bodyguards who were guarding the king’s person, said to one another,

5Let each of us speak one word that will prevail; and whoever's statement is shown to be wiser than the other's, Darius the king will give him great gifts and great victory honors,

6and to put on purple, and to drink from gold vessels, and to sleep on gold, and to have a chariot with gold bridles, and a turban of fine linen, and a necklace around the neck,

7And he will be seated second to Darius because of his wisdom, and he will be called a kinsman of Darius.

8And then, after each had written his own statement, they sealed them and placed them under the pillow of Darius the king,

9And they said, “When the king rises, they will give him the writing; and the one whom the king and the three nobles of Persia judge to be the one whose word is wiser, to him the victory will be given, as it is written.”

10One wrote, “Wine is strongest.”

11The other wrote, “The king is stronger.”

12The third wrote, “Women are stronger, but above all things truth is victorious.”

13And when the king awoke, they took the letter and gave it to him, and he read it.

14And he sent and summoned all the nobles of Persia and Media, and the satraps and generals and local rulers and governors,

15And he sat in the council chamber, and the letter was read before them.

16And he said, “Call the young men, and they will declare their words.” And they were called, and they entered.

17And they said to them, “Tell us about what has been written.” And the first, who had spoken about the strength of wine, began and said thus:

18It makes the mind of the king and of the orphan one, and that of the servant and that of the free, and that of the poor and that of the rich;

19and it turns every mind to feasting and gladness, and one remembers no sorrow and no debt.

20and it makes every heart rich, and it remembers neither king nor satrap; and it makes everything speak in terms of talents.

21and they do not remember, when they are drinking, to show affection to friends and brothers, and before long they draw swords.

22And when they rise from the wine, they do not remember what they did.

23Men, does not wine prevail, since it compels one to act this way? And he became silent after saying this.

24And the second began to speak, the one who had spoken about the strength of the king,

25O men, do not men prevail, since they rule over the earth and the sea and everything in them?

26But the king prevails over them and rules over them, and he is master over them, and whatever he says to them, they will obey.

27If she tells them to make war, one against another, they do it; but if she sends them out against the enemies, they go and tear down the mountains and the walls and the towers.

28They kill and are killed, and they do not disobey the king’s word; and if they are victorious, they bring everything to the king, and whatever else they plunder.

29And those who do not serve in the army or fight, but farm the land, again, when they sow, after reaping they bring tribute to the king; and by compelling one another, they bring the taxes to the king.

30And he alone, if he says to kill, they kill; if he says to release, they release.

31He said to strike, and they strike; he said to lay waste, and they lay waste; he said to build, and they build.

32He said, ‘Cut it down,’ and they cut it down; he said, ‘Plant it,’ and they plant it.

33and all his people and his forces obey him. Besides this, he himself reclines and eats and drinks and sleeps;

34But they stand guard around him, and each one cannot go away and do his work, nor do they disobey him.

35O men, how does the king not prevail, since he is so obeyed? And he was silent.

36But the third, the one who spoke about women and about the truth—this was Zorobabel—began to speak,

37Men, is not the king great, and are not men many, and does not wine have strength? Who then is the one who rules over them, or who is the one who has mastery over them? Is it not women?

38Women gave birth to the king and to all the people who rule over sea and land;

39and from them they came to be, and these women nourished the very men who planted the vineyards from which wine comes,

40And these make the garments of men, and these bring glory to men, and men cannot exist apart from women.

41But if they gather gold and silver and every beautiful thing, and see one woman beautiful in appearance and beauty,

42And leaving all these things behind, they gape at her; with mouths hanging open they stare at her, and all choose her rather than gold and silver and every beautiful thing.

43A man leaves his own father, who raised him, and his own country, and clings to his own wife,

44and with the woman he gives up his life, and remembers neither father nor mother nor homeland.

45And from this you must know that women rule over you. Do you not labor and toil, and give and bring everything to women?

46And a man takes his sword and goes out to campaign and to plunder and to steal, and to sail on the sea and rivers,

47and he watches for the lion, and walks in darkness; and whenever he steals and snatches and breaks in, he brings it to his beloved.

48And a man loves his own wife more than his father and mother.

49And many lost their senses because of women, and became servants because of them;

50And many perished and were led astray and sinned because of women.

51And now you do not believe me. Is not the king great in his authority? Do not all the lands fear to touch him?

52I saw him, and Apame, the daughter of the admirable Bartacus, the king’s concubine, sitting at the king’s right hand,

53and she would take the crown from the king’s head and put it on herself, and she would strike the king with her left hand.

54And besides this, the king stared at her with his mouth open; and if she laughs at him, he laughs; but if she becomes angry with him, he flatters her so that she may be reconciled to him.

55O men, how are women not strong, since they do such things?

56And then the king and the nobles looked at one another, and he began to speak about the truth.

57Men, are not women strong? Great is the earth, and high is heaven, and swift in its course is the sun, because it turns in the circuit of heaven.

58and again it runs back to its own place in one day.

59Is not the one who does these things great? And truth is great, and stronger than everything.

60All the earth calls on truth, and heaven blesses her; and all works shake and tremble, and with her there is nothing unjust.

61Wine is unjust, the king is unjust, women are unjust, all the sons of men are unjust, and all their works are unjust—all such things. And there is no truth in them, and in their injustice they will perish.

62And truth remains and is strong forever, and lives and prevails forever and ever.

63and with her there is no partiality or distinction, but she does what is righteous apart from all that is unjust and evil; and all approve of her works,

64and in her judgment there is nothing unjust. And this is the strength and the kingdom and the authority and the majesty of all the ages. Blessed is the God of truth.