1 Esdras 3

New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised

The Debate of the Three Bodyguards

3 Now King Darius gave a great banquet for all that were under him, all that were born in his house, and all the nobles of Media and Persia, 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 went away, and King Darius went to his bedroom; he went to sleep, but woke up again.

⁴ Then the three young men of the bodyguard, who kept guard over the person of the king, said to one another, ⁵ ‘Let each of us state what one thing is strongest; and to the one whose statement seems wisest, King Darius will give rich gifts and great honours of victory. ⁶ He shall be clothed in purple, and drink from gold cups, and sleep on a gold bed,^[a] and have a chariot with gold bridles, and a turban of fine linen, and a necklace around 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 King Darius, 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 above all things truth is victor.’^[b]

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 He said, ‘Call the young men, and they shall explain their statements.’ So they were summoned, and came in. ¹⁷ They said to them, ‘Explain to us what you have written.’

The Speech about Wine

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 everyone talk in millions.^{[c] 22} When people drink they forget to be friendly with friends and kindred, 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 people to do these things?’ When he had said this, he stopped speaking.