Anno quarto regnantibus Ptolemæo et Cleopatra, attulerunt Dosithæus, qui se sacerdotem et Levitici generis ferebat, et Ptolemæus filius ejus, hanc epistolam phurim, quam dixerunt interpretatum esse Lysimachum Ptolemæi filium in Jerusalem.

In the fourth year of the reign of Ptolemy and Cleopatra, Dositheus, who said he was a priest, and of the Levitical race, and Ptolemy his son brought this epistle of Phurim, which they said Lysimachus the son of Ptolemy had interpreted in Jerusalem.

This document about the feast of Purim, said to have been translated by Lysimachus son of Ptolemy, a native of Jerusalem, was first made public in the fourth year of king Ptolemy and queen Cleopatra, by Dosithaeus, who claimed to be a priest of true Levite descent, and his son, who was also called Ptolemy.

Anno secundo, regnante Artaxerxe maximo, prima die mensis Nisan, vidit somnium Mardochæus filius Jairi, filii Semei, filii Cis, de tribu Benjamin:

In the second year of the reign of Artaxerxes the great, in the first day of the month Nisan, Mardochai the son of Jair, the son of Semei, the son of Cis, of the tribe of Benjamin:

On the first day of the month Nisan, in the second year of the great Artaxerxes, a vision came in a dream to Mardochaeus the Benjamite, who was descended from Cis through Jairi and Semei.

homo Judæus, qui habitabat in urbe Susis, vir magnus, et inter primos aulæ regiæ.

A Jew who dwelt in the city of Susan, a great man and among the first of the king’s court, had a dream.

Although a Jew, he dwelt at Susan, and was a man of consequence in the royal court;

Erat autem de eo numero captivorum, quos transtulerat Nabuchodonosor rex Babylonis de Jerusalem cum Jechonia rege Juda.

Now he was of the number of the captives, whom Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon had carried away from Jerusalem with Jechonias king of Juda:

he belonged to that band of exiles who were carried off from Jerusalem by Nabuchodonosor, king of Babylon, together with the king of Juda, Jechonias.

Et hoc ejus somnium fuit: apparuerunt voces, et tumultus, et tonitrua, et terræmotus, et conturbatio super terram:

And this was his dream: Behold there were voices, and tumults, and thunders, and earthquakes, and a disturbance upon the earth.

His dream was this: Mutterings and uproar at first, thunder and earthquake, and commotion all over the world,

et ecce duo dracones magni, paratique contra se in prælium.

And behold two great dragons came forth ready to fight one against another.

and from these two dragons disengaged themselves, ready to join battle.

Ad quorum clamorem cunctæ concitatæ sunt nationes, ut pugnarent contra gentem justorum.

And at their cry all nations were stirred up to fight against the nation of the just.

Roused by their clamour, the whole world rose to levy war against one innocent nation;

Fuitque dies illa tenebrarum et discriminis, tribulationis et angustiæ, et ingens formido super terram.

And that was a day of darkness and danger, of tribulation and distress, and great fear upon the earth.

it was a time of darkness and of peril, of affliction and sore need, and great fear brooded over all the earth.

Conturbataque est gens justorum timentium mala sua, et præparata ad mortem.

And the nation of the just was troubled fearing their own evils, and was prepared for death.

Then this innocent nation, terrified by the misfortunes which threatened it, already marked down to die,

Clamaveruntque ad Deum: et illis vociferantibus, fons parvus creavit in fluvium maximum, et in aquas plurimas redundavit.

And they cried to God: and as they were crying, a little fountain grew into a very great river, and abounded into many waters.

cried out to the Lord. And at their cry, a great river grew out of a little spring, and rolled on in full flood;

Lux et sol ortus est, et humiles exaltati sunt, et devoraverunt inclytos.

The light and the sun rose up, and the humble were exalted, and they devoured the glorious.

the sun returned, and the sunlight, the weak triumphed now, and tyranny fell a prey to their onslaught.

Quod cum vidisset Mardochæus, et surrexisset de strato, cogitabat quid Deus facere vellet: et fixum habebat in animo, scire cupiens quid significaret somnium.

And when Mardochai had seen this, and arose out of his bed, he was thinking what God would do: and he kept it fixed in his mind, desirous to know what the dream should signify.

All this Mardochaeus saw, and rose from his bed still wondering what the divine purpose was; still the vision haunted his mind, and he longed to know what was the meaning of it.