Chapter 3

¹ Now when Darius reigned, he made a great feast unto all his subjects, and unto all his household, and unto all the princes of Media and Persia, ² and to all the governors and captains and lieutenants that were under him, from India unto Ethiopia, in the hundred twenty and seven provinces. ³ And when they had eaten and drunken, and being satisfied were gone home, then Darius the king went into his bedchamber, and slept, and soon after awoke.

1Esd 3:1-3

⁴ Then three young men, that were of the guard that kept the king’s body, spoke one to another; ⁵ Let every one of us speak a sentence: he that shall overcome, and whose sentence shall seem wiser than the others, unto him shall the King Darius give great gifts, and great things in token of victory: ⁶ as to be clothed in purple, to drink in gold, and to sleep upon gold, and a chariot with bridles of gold, and a headtire of fine linen, and a chain about his neck: ⁷ and he shall sit next to Darius because of his wisdom, and shall be called Darius’s cousin.

1Esd 3:4-7

⁸ And then every one wrote his sentence, sealed it, and laid it under the pillow of King Darius; ⁹ and said that, when the king is risen, [some] will give him the writing; and of whose side the king and the three princes of Persia shall judge that his sentence is the wisest, to him shall the victory be given, as was appointed. ¹⁰ The first wrote, Wine is the strongest. ¹¹ The second wrote, The king is strongest. ¹² The third wrote, Women are strongest: but above all things Truth beareth away the victory.

1Esd 3:8-12

¹³ Now when the king was risen up, they took their writings, and delivered [them] unto him, and [so] he read [them]: ¹⁴ and sending forth he called all the princes of Persia and Media, and the governors, and the captains, and the lieutenants, and the chief officers; ¹⁵ and sat him down in the royal seat of judgment; and the writing was read before them. ¹⁶ And he said, Call the young men, and they shall declare their own sentences. So they were called, and came in. ¹⁷ And he said unto them, Declare unto us your mind concerning the writings.

1Esd 3:13-17

¹⁸ and he said thus, O ye men, how exceeding strong is wine! it causeth all men to err that drink it: ¹⁹ it maketh the mind of the king and of the fatherless child to be all one; of the bondman and of the freeman, of the poor man and of the rich: ²⁰ it turneth also every thought into jollity and mirth, so that a man remembereth neither sorrow nor debt: ²¹ and it maketh every heart rich, so that a man remembereth neither king nor governor; and it maketh to speak all things by talents: ²² and when they are in their cups, they forget their love both to friends and brethren, and a little after draw out swords: ²³ but when they are from the wine, they remember not what they have done. ²⁴ O ye men, is not wine the strongest, that enforceth to do thus? And when he had so spoken, he held his peace.

1Esd 3:18-24