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