1 Esdras
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,
3:2 And to all the governors and captains and lieutenants that were under
him, from India unto Ethiopia, of an hundred twenty and seven provinces.
3:3 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
awaked.
3:4 Then three young men, that were of the guard that kept the king's body,
spake one to another;
3:5 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:
3:6 As, to be clothed in purple, to drink in gold, and to sleep upon gold,
and a chariot with bridles of gold, and an headtire of fine linen, and a
chain about his neck:
3:7 And he shall sit next to Darius because of his wisdom, and shall be
called Darius his cousin.
3:8 And then every one wrote his sentence, sealed it, and laid it under king
Darius his pillow;
3:9 And said that, when the king is risen, some will give him the writings;
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.
3:10 The first wrote, Wine is the strongest.
3:11 The second wrote, The king is strongest.
3:12 The third wrote, Women are strongest: but above all things Truth beareth
away the victory.
3:13 Now when the king was risen up, they took their writings, and delivered
them unto him, and so he read them:
3:14 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;
3:15 And sat him down in the royal seat of judgment; and the writings were
read before them.
3:16 And he said, Call the young men, and they shall declare their own
sentences. So they were called, and came in.
3:17 And he said unto them, Declare unto us your mind concerning the
writings. Then began the first, who had spoken of the strength of wine;
3:18 And he said thus, O ye men, how exceeding strong is wine! it causeth all
men to err that drink it:
3:19 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:
3:20 It turneth also every thought into jollity and mirth, so that a man
remembereth neither sorrow nor debt:
3:21 And it maketh every heart rich, so that a man remembereth neither king
nor governor; and it maketh to speak all things by talents:
3:22 And when they are in their cups, they forget their love both to friends
and brethren, and a little after draw out swords:
3:23 But when they are from the wine, they remember not what they have done.
3:24 O ye men, is not wine the strongest, that enforceth to do thus? And when
he had so spoken, he held his peace.
