Talmai — Addition E 11: The king finds the Jews innocent, living by just laws, sons of the living God.
Licence: English and apparatus CC BY 4.0 (Talmai, Wroot Press); Greek from Swete, CC BY-SA. https://talmai.wrootpress.com/rights/
Canonical: https://talmai.wrootpress.com/unit/esth-plus-08.12-11/
Source edition: H. B. Swete, The Old Testament in Greek, 19.8.1a-24a

GREEK: ἡμεῖς δὲ τοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ τρισαλιτηρίου παραδεδομένους εἰς ἀφανισμὸν Ἰουδαίους εὑρίσκομεν οὐ κακούργους ὄντας, δικαιοτάτοις δὲ πολιτευομένους νόμοις, ὄντας δὲ υἱοὺς τοῦ ὑψίστου μεγίστου ζῶντος θεοῦ τοῦ κατευθύνοντος ἡμῖν τε καὶ τοῖς προγόνοις ἡμῶν τὴν βασιλείαν ἐν τῇ καλλίστῃ διαθέσει.
ENGLISH (draft-awaiting-approval): But we find that the Jews, handed over to destruction by this thrice-accursed man, are not evildoers, but govern themselves by the most just laws, and are sons of the Most High, the greatest, living God, who directs the kingdom for us and for our ancestors in the finest order.

PARALLELS:
- [Flagged] Otzar Midrashim, Midrashim on Megilat Esther, Midrash on the Book of Esther 6 (Otzar Midrashim: Midrash on the Book of Esther) — conduit: medieval retranslation. The assembled sages refuse Haman's request and vindicate Israel as God's 'near ones' whom the world cannot stand without, matching the counter-edict's finding that the Jews are not evildoers but sons of the living God -- the same vindication-within-the-letter-scene.
- [Verbatim] Tosefet le-Esther, צו המלך השני (Tosefet le-Esther (he.wikisource editorial page: Additions to Esther in Hebrew)) — conduit: medieval retranslation. 'שנראה אותם מחזיקים בדת יושר. ובני עליון ואלהים חיים' renders Addition E's apologetic 'sons of the Most High, the living God' language, foreign to MT.
- [Flagged] Sifrei Aggadah on Esther, Midrash Abba Guryon 3:13 (Sifrei Aggadah on Esther: Midrash Abba Guryon) — conduit: lost intermediary. MT never has the Persian king speak of God; both here and in Addition E's letter the king himself concedes the Jews' God is great and protects them -- a shared non-MT theological move in the same speaker's mouth.
- [Motif] Rashi on Megillah 16a:14:1 (Rashi on Bavli Megillah 9a-17a) — conduit: oral. A gentile voice conceding 'if he is of the seed of the Jews you will not prevail' matches the king's concession that the Jews are 'sons of the living God.'
- [Motif] Yalkut Shimoni on Nach 1054:13 (Yalkut Shimoni on Esther (Remez 1046-1061)) — conduit: lost intermediary. Michael's defense that Israel is accused not of idolatry or bloodshed but of keeping God's law matches the plus's royal finding that the Jews are no evildoers but govern themselves by the most just laws, sons of the living God; not MT material.
- [Motif] Aramaic Targum to Esther 8:16 (Aramaic Targum to Esther (Targum Rishon)) — conduit: Aramaic. The same specific list of religious observances supports the plus's claim that the Jews govern themselves by 'the most just laws.'
- [Verbatim] Targum Sheni on Esther 8:13:1 (Targum Sheni on Esther) — conduit: Aramaic. Targum Sheni 8:13 reproduces Addition E clause by clause in the Greek's order (review §3); verbatim under the written standard.
- [Motif] Sifrei Aggadah on Esther, Midrash Panim Acherim, Version II 3:9 (Sifrei Aggadah on Esther: Midrash Panim Acherim, Version II) — conduit: lost intermediary. Ahasuerus refuses to sell the Jews because they are a deposit (pikadon) entrusted to him and because their God destroyed Pharaoh, Sisera, Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar -- the Persian king's own confession that the Jews' God protects them, matching Addition E's finding that they are 'sons of the living God.'
- [Motif] Megillah 15b:5 (Bavli Megillah 9a-17a) — conduit: oral. 'Israel occupied themselves with Torah, the nations did not' matches the plus's finding that the Jews 'govern themselves by the most just laws.'
- [Motif] Sifrei Aggadah on Esther, Midrash Abba Guryon 3:12 (Sifrei Aggadah on Esther: Midrash Abba Guryon) — conduit: lost intermediary. Both mount the identical non-MT defense that the Jews are indicted for no chargeable conduct except keeping the law/Torah -- Michael's brief and Addition E's verdict take the same argument-shape, which MT never adjudicates at all.
- [Motif] Targum Sheni on Esther 7:6:1 (Targum Sheni on Esther) — conduit: Aramaic. Esther identifies her people to the king as 'the nation of the Jews, called the sons of the Master of all' -- matching Addition E's 'sons of the Most High, the greatest, living God.'
- [Flagged] Sifrei Aggadah on Esther, Midrash Panim Acherim, Version I 1:8 (Sifrei Aggadah on Esther: Midrash Panim Acherim, Version I) — conduit: lost intermediary. Ahasuerus refuses to sell the Jews because their God destroyed Pharaoh, Sisera, Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar -- the Persian king's own confession that the Jews' God protects and empowers them, matching Addition E's finding that they are 'sons of the living God' who 'directs the kingdom.'
- [Motif] Sifrei Aggadah on Esther, Midrash Panim Acherim, Version II 3:10 (Sifrei Aggadah on Esther: Midrash Panim Acherim, Version II) — conduit: lost intermediary. Ahasuerus tells Haman 'you have no business with them but with the Holy One' -- the king's own acknowledgment that the Jews answer to God alone, matching Addition E's finding that they are 'sons of the Most High, the living God who directs the kingdom for us.'