1And King Darius held a great feast for all those under his authority, and for all the members of his household, and for all the nobles of Media and Persia,
2and for all the satraps, generals, and governors under him, from India to Ethiopia, in the one hundred and twenty-seven satrapies.
3And they ate and drank, and when they were satisfied, they departed. But Darius the king went to his bedchamber and slept, and then he awoke.
4Then the three young men of the bodyguard, who guarded the king’s person, said to one another,
5“Let each of us state one thing that is strongest. And whoever’s saying proves to be wiser than the others, King Darius will give him great gifts and great prizes of victory:
6to be clothed in purple, to drink from golden vessels, to sleep on a golden bed, and to have a chariot with a golden bridle, a turban of fine linen, and a chain around his neck.
7He will sit second to Darius because of his wisdom, and he will be called a kinsman of Darius.”
8Then each one wrote his saying, sealed it, and placed it under the pillow of King Darius. And they said,
9“When the king gets up, they will give him the writing. And whomever the king and the three nobles of Persia judge to have the wiser saying, to him the victory will be given, just as it is written.”
10The first wrote: “Wine is strongest.”
11The second wrote: “The king is strongest.”
12The third wrote: “Women are strongest, but above all things, truth is victorious.”
13And when the king awoke, they took the writing and gave it to him, and he read it.
14And sending for them, he summoned all the nobles of Persia and Media, and the satraps, generals, governors, and officials. And he sat in the council chamber, and the writing was read before them.
15And he said, “Call the young men, and they will explain their sayings.” So they were called, and they came in.
16And they were told, “Explain to us what you have written.” So the first, who had spoken about the strength of wine, began and said as follows:
17“Sirs, how strong is wine! It leads astray the mind of every person who drinks it.
18It makes the mind of the king and the orphan the same; the mind of the slave and the free, the mind of the poor and the rich.
19It turns every mind to feasting and gladness, and one remembers no sorrow and no debt.
20It makes every heart rich, and one remembers neither king nor satrap; it makes one speak of everything in terms of talents.
21And when they drink, they do not remember to show friendship to friends and brothers, and before long they draw their swords.
22And when they recover from the wine, they do not remember what they have done.
23Sirs, is not wine strongest, since it compels people to act this way?” And having said this, he fell silent.
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