The Jews Destroy Their Enemies
1 The first law that the king had made was to be followed on the thirteenth day of Adar, the twelfth month. This was the very day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to do away with them. But the Jews turned things around, 2 and in the cities of every province they came together to attack their enemies. Everyone was afraid of the Jews, and no one could do anything to oppose them.
3 The leaders of the provinces, the rulers, the governors, and the court officials were afraid of Mordecai and took sides with the Jews. 4 Everyone in the provinces knew that the king had promoted him and had given him a lot of power.
5 The Jews took their swords and did away with their enemies, without showing any mercy. 6-10 They killed 500 people in Susa, but they did not take anything that belonged to the ones they killed. Haman had been one of the worst enemies of the Jews, and ten of his sons were among those who were killed. Their names were Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha.
11 Later that day, someone told the king how many people had been killed in Susa. 12 Then he told Esther, “Five hundred people, including Haman's ten sons, have been killed in Susa alone. If that many were killed here, what must have happened in the provinces? Is there anything else you want done? Just tell me, and it will be done.”
13 Esther answered, “Your Majesty, please let the Jews in Susa fight to defend themselves tomorrow, just as they did today. And order the bodies of Haman's ten sons to be hanged in public.”
14 King Xerxes did what Esther had requested, and the bodies of Haman's sons were hung in Susa. 15 Then on the fourteenth day of Adar the Jews of the city got together and killed 300 more people. But they still did not take anything that belonged to their enemies.
16-17 On the thirteenth day of Adar, the Jews in the provinces had come together to defend themselves. They killed 75,000 of their enemies, but the Jews did not take anything that belonged to the ones they killed. Then on the fourteenth day of the month the Jews celebrated with a feast.
18 On the fifteenth day of the month the Jews in Susa held a holiday and celebrated, after killing their enemies on the thirteenth and the fourteenth. 19 This is why the Jews in the villages now celebrate on the fourteenth day of the month. It is a joyful holiday that they celebrate by feasting and sending gifts of food to each other.
The Festival of Purim
20 Mordecai wrote down everything that had happened. Then he sent letters to the Jews everywhere in the provinces 21 and told them:
Each year you must celebrate on both the fourteenth and the fifteenth of Adar, 22 the days when we Jews defeated our enemies. Remember this month as a time when our sorrow was turned to joy, and celebration took the place of crying. Celebrate by having parties and by giving to the poor and by sharing gifts of food with each other.
23 They followed Mordecai's instructions and set aside these two days every year as a time of celebration.
The Reason for the Festival of Purim
24 Haman was the son of Hammedatha and a descendant of Agag. He hated the Jews so much that he planned to destroy them, but he wanted to find out the best time to do it. So he cast lots.
25 Esther went to King Xerxes and asked him to save her people. Then the king gave written orders for Haman and his sons to be punished in the same terrible way that Haman had in mind for the Jews. So they were hanged. 26 Mordecai's letter had said that the Jews must celebrate for two days because of what had happened to them. This time of celebration is called Purim, which is the Hebrew word for the lots that were cast. 27 Now every year the Jews set aside these two days for having parties and celebrating, just as they were told to do. 28 From now on, all Jewish families must remember to celebrate Purim on these two days each year.
29 Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, wanted to give full authority to Mordecai's letter about the Festival of Purim, and with his help she wrote a letter about the feast. 30 Copies of this letter were sent to Jews in the 127 provinces of King Xerxes. In the letter they said:
We pray that all of you will live in peace and safety.
31 You and your descendants must always remember to celebrate Purim at the time and in the way that we have said. You must also follow the instructions that we have given you about mourning and going without eating.
32 These laws about Purim are written by the authority of Queen Esther.
Ovajuda mave yandeke ovanavita na wo
1 Eyuva oritjamurongo na yetatu romueze Adar re ya, eyuva omaraerero wombara mu ya sokuungura, eyuva ovanavita nOvajuda mu va undja okutwa Ovajuda kehi youvara wawo. Nungwari moruveze rwanao, Ovajuda omba kara noutoṋi kombanda yawo. 2 Momaturiro wOvajuda motjihuro atjihe peke mehi rouhona, Ovajuda ve rikuta kumwe kutja ve rwise ngamwa auhe ngu ma vanga okuvehihamisa. Novandu ngamwa akuhe ave tira Ovajuda, nu kapa ri umwe ngwaa yenene okuvepirukira. 3 Mouatjiri, ozohongora azehe zomahi, okutja ozongooneya novakarere vouhona, novakuramenepo vouhona, va vatera Ovajuda, owo avehe tjinga aave tira Mordekai. 4 Otjiṋa hi tja tjiukwa nawa mouhona auhe kutja Mordekai nambano omurumendu omunauvara nomunamasa mondjuwo youhona, nokutja u rira ko omunamasa tjinene. 5 Ovajuda otjaave tjiti otja pu mave vanga kovanavita na wo. Owo ve ve rwisa nomangaruvyo nave ve zepa.
6 MOsusa, otjihuro ohongora otjini, Ovajuda va zepa mo ovandu omasere yetano. 7 Mokati kawo mwa ri ovazandu mba omurongo va Haman, omuzandu wa Hamedata, omunavita nOvajuda: OoParsandata na Dalfon na Aspara, 8 na Porata na Adalia na Aridata, 9 na Parmasta na Arisai na Aridai na Wajesata. 10 Nungwari kapa ri oviṋa mbya huurwa.
11 Meyuva tjingero ndo otjivaro tjovandu mba ṱa mOsusa tja tjivisiwa kombara. 12 Nu ombara arire tji ya tja nai kombara oserekaze Ester: “MOsusa atjiyerike Ovajuda va zepa mo ovandu omasere yetano puna ovanatje omurongo va Haman. Okutja motukondwa twarwe twouhona va zepa mbe ṱeki pi! Mo vanga tjike rukwao? Pewa ihi tji mo vanga. Nu ndji raera otjiṋa tjarwe tji movanga, nami me ku pe.”
13 Ester wa zira a tja: “Omuhona ombara tji ma vanga, ve esa Ovajuda ve tjite rukwao muhuka imbi mbi va yandjerwa okutjita ndino. Rakiza kutja oturova twovazandu mba omurongo va Haman tu rekarekisiwe komiti kukuturikwa ovandu.” 14 Ombara ya rakiza kutja otjiṋa hi tji tjitwe nao, nomaraerero nga ya tjivisiwa mOsusa. Oturova twovazandu omurongo va Haman twa raisiwa mouhaiya motjirongo. 15 Meyuva oritjamurongo na yane romueze Adar, Ovajuda va Susa ve rikuta kumwe rukwao nave zepa ovandu varwe omasere yetatu motjihuro. Nungwari wina kave huurire ovihuurwa.
16 Ovajuda momahi wouhona wina ve rikuta kumwe nave riyeura oveni. Owo va humburura ovanavita na wo mokuzepa ovandu 75,000 mbe ve nyengerwe. Nungwari owo kave huurire ovihuurwa. 17 Imbi vya tjitwa meyuva oritjamurongo na yetatu romueze Adar. Nu mependukirwa, meyuva ndi oritjamurongo na yane, kape tjitirwe omazepero rukwao; nowo otji va tjita eyuva ndo ri rire eyuva rondjoroka norokunyanda omukandi. 18 Nungwari Ovajuda mba va Susa va tjita eyuva oritjamurongo na yetano ri rire eyuva rondjoroka, indu tji va za nokuzepa ovanavita na wo meyuva oritjamurongo na yetatu noritjamurongo na yane, nave isa okuzepa ovandu meyuva ndi oritjamurongo na yetano. 19 Ovajuda mbe tura movirongo oviṱiṱi opaave zu okutjita eyuva oritjamurongo na yane romueze Adar ri rire eyuva rondjoroka noromukandi norokupasana oviyandjewa vyovikurya.
Omukandi wo Purim
20 Mordekai wa tjangisa ovitjitwa mbi, na hindi otutuu kOvajuda avehe, popezu nokokure, mouhona auhe wOvapersie, 21 ame ve raere kutja ve ṱakamise eyuva oritjamurongo na yane noritjamurongo na yetano komueze Adar ye rire omayuva womasuviro mombura aihe. 22 Inga onga ri omayuva Ovajuda mu ve rikuturire oveni kovanavita na wo; imbwi ombwa ri omueze mu mwa runduruka oruveze rworuhoze norwomerihahiziro ru rire oruveze rwondjoroka norwenyando. Ovajuda va raerwa kutja ve zepe omukandi momayuva nga wenyando, nokutja ve pasane oviyandjewa vyovikurya, nokuyandja kovasyona wina. 23 Ovajuda otji va ṱakamisa omaraerero wa Mordekai nga, nomatjitiro wenyando nga ya rira otjitjitwa tjombura aihe kOvajuda.
24 Haman, omuzandu wa Hamedata nondekurona ya Agag, omunavita nOvajuda, wa yumbire ozohanga nḓaa ku zu “oPurim,” okuzikamisa eyuva rokuyandeka Ovajuda; eye we ripurire okuzepa Ovajuda avehe. 25 Nungwari Ester wa ya kombara, nombara ya tjanga nai pitisa omarakiza, nga tjita kutja Haman a hihamisirwe omayengero eye nga ri na wo nOvajuda, indu eye novazandu ve tji va turikirwe komuti. 26 Omayuva ngo wondjoroka opu ya isanenwa kutja oPurim mena rorutuu rwa Mordekai na mena raimbi avihe mbya tjitirwe kOvajuda. 27 Ovajuda oveni ve rizikira etwako pamwe nozondekurona zawo nauhe ngu ma rire Omujuda, kokutja moruveze ndwa zikamisiwa mombura aihe, omayuva nga yevari ye ṱakamisiwe aruhe otja komaraerero wa Mordekai. 28 Ihi tja tjivisiwa kutja omaṱunḓu aehe wOvajuda, wozondekurona nḓu maaze ya kombunda, momahi aehe wouhona na movihuro avihe, maye sokuzemburuka nokuṱakamisa omayuva wOpurim moruveze aruhe ndu maru ya.
29 Nu ombara oserekaze Ester, omusuko wa Abihail, wina wa tjanga orutuu nouvara we auhe kutja a zeuparise indwi orutuu Mordekai ndwa tjangerere oPurim rukuru. 30 Orutuu ndwi rwa hindwa kOvajuda avehe, nomatjangururiro warwo ya hindwa komahi aehe esere nomirongo vivari na hambombari wouhona wa Persie. Oyo ya zerira po ohange nouṋingandu kOvajuda, 31 nai ve raere kutja owo nozondekurona zawo ve ṱakamise omayuva wOpurim, moruveze ndwa zikamisiwa tjimuna tji va yakurire omazikamisiro wokutjita omayuva wokuritjaera kovikurya noworuhoze. Ihi tja rakiziwa i Mordekai nombara oserekaze Ester. 32 Omarakiza wa Ester, nga zeuparisa omazikamisiro wOpurim, ya tjangwa membo rekuruhungi emangwa.
