| 3 | 1 Esdras | ||
| 1 | Now King Darius gave a great banquet for all that were under him and all that were born in his house and all the nobles of Media and Persia | Depate of the bodyguards of Darius. 1Esd.3.1-4.63 | |
| 2 | and all the satraps and generals and governors that were under him in the hundred and twenty-seven satrapies from India to Ethiopia. | ||
| 3 | They ate and drank, and when they were satisfied they departed; and Darius the king went to his bedroom, and went to sleep, and then awoke. | ||
| 4 | Then the three young men of the bodyguard, who kept guard over the person of the king, said to one another, | A contest proposed. 1Esd.3.4-24 | |
| 5 | "Let each of us state what one thing is strongest; and to him whose statement seems wisest, Darius the king will give rich gifts and great honors of victory. | ||
| 6 | He shall be clothed in purple, and drink from gold cups, and sleep on a gold bed, and have a chariot with gold bridles, and a turban of fine linen, and a necklace about his neck; | ||
| 7 | and because of his wisdom he shall sit next to Darius and shall be called kinsman of Darius." | ||
| 8 | Then each wrote his own statement, and they sealed them and put them under the pillow of Darius the king, | ||
| 9 | and said, "When the king wakes, they will give him the writing; and to the one whose statement the king and the three nobles of Persia judge to be wisest the victory shall be given according to what is written." | ||
| 10 | The first wrote, "Wine is strongest." | ||
| 11 | The second wrote, "The king is strongest." | ||
| 12 | The third wrote, "Women are strongest, but truth is victor over all things." | ||
| 13 | When the king awoke, they took the writing and gave it to him, and he read it. | ||
| 14 | Then he sent and summoned all the nobles of Persia and Media and the satraps and generals and governors and prefects, | ||
| 15 | and he took his seat in the council chamber, and the writing was read in their presence. | ||
| 16 | And he said, "Call the young men, and they shall explain their statements." So they were summoned, and came in. | ||
| 17 | And they said to them, "Explain to us what you have written." Then the first, who had spoken of the strength of wine, began and said: | ||
| 18 | "Gentlemen, how is wine the strongest? It leads astray the minds of all who drink it. | ||
| 19 | It makes equal the mind of the king and the orphan, of the slave and the free, of the poor and the rich. | ||
| 20 | It turns every thought to feasting and mirth, and forgets all sorrow and debt. | ||
| 21 | It makes all hearts feel rich, forgets kings and satraps, and makes every one talk in millions. | ||
| 22 | When men drink they forget to be friendly with friends and brothers, and before long they draw their swords. | ||
| 23 | And when they recover from the wine, they do not remember what they have done. | ||
| 24 | Gentlemen, is not wine the strongest, since it forces men to do these things?" When he had said this, he stopped speaking. | ||
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