[Today’s English Version A.14; Revised Standard Version 12.3]

The Greek says that the king examined the two eunuchs. Some translations have assumed that the king himself did not examine them but rather had his subordinates examine them (so Today’s English Version, Revised English Bible and New American Bible; see comments on the next verse). Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente restates to say that the king “ordered an investigation.”

Confessed means that the eunuchs admitted that Mordecai’s accusation of their plotting was true. It may be necessary in translation to express this more explicitly; for example, “they agreed that they had made a plan to kill the king.”

Led to execution is literally “they were led away,” and some translations say “they were arrested” or “they were imprisoned” (so La Bible Pléiade, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). Both Revised Standard Version and Today’s English Version understand the Greek as a euphemism meaning that the two men were taken away and were executed. If a passive construction is difficult to use here, it may be helpful to restate and make the agent explicit, “the king had his men take them away” or “the king caused his men to take and kill them.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Noss, Philip A. A Handbook on the Book of Esther — Deuterocanon: The Greek Text. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .