The Koine Bible

And King Darius made a great banquet for all under him and for all the members of his household and for all the great men of Media and Persia

and to all the satraps and generals and local governors under him, from India as far as Ethiopia, in the one hundred twenty-seven satrapies

And they ate and drank and, having been filled, they departed; and Darius the king departed to the bedchamber and slept and became awake.

Then the three young men, the bodyguards, the ones guarding the body of the king, said one to another

Let each one of us speak one word, which shall prevail; and to whomever his word shall appear wiser than the other’s, King Darius will give him great gifts and great prizes for victory

and to be clothed in purple and to drink in gold vessels and to sleep on gold and a chariot with golden bridles and a linen turban and a necklace around the neck

and second he shall sit next to Darius because of his wisdom, and he shall be called a kinsman of Darius

And then, each having written his own word, they sealed it and placed it under the cushion of King Darius, and said

When the king rises, they will give him the letter, and whomever the king and the three nobles of Persia judge that his word is wiser, to him the victory will be given, as it is written.

The one wrote, Wine is stronger.

The other wrote, The king is strongest.

The third wrote: Women prevail, but above all truth prevails.

And when the king had arisen, they took the letter and gave it to him, and he read it.

And sending out, he called all the nobles of Persia and Media and satraps and generals and local rulers and governors, and he sat in the audience chamber, and the letter was read before them.

And he said, Call the young men, and they themselves will declare their words. And they were called, and they entered.

And they said to them, Report to us concerning the things that have been written.

And the first began, the one who had spoken about the strength of wine, and he said thus

Men, how wine prevails over all men who drink it; it leads astray the mind.

of both the king and the orphan it makes the mind one, and that of the servant and that of the free man, and that of the poor and that of the rich

and he turns every thought into feasting and gladness, and does not remember any sorrow and any debt

and he makes all hearts rich and he does not remember king nor satrap, and he makes everything to speak through talents

and they do not remember, when they drink, to be friendly with friends and brothers, and after not much they draw swords

And when they have become from wine, they do not remember what they have done.

Men, is not wine stronger, that it thus compels one to act? And he was silent after saying this.