The Jews Destroy Their Enemies
1 The thirteenth day of Adar came, the day on which the royal proclamation was to take effect, the day when the enemies of the Jews were hoping to get them in their power. But instead, the Jews triumphed over them. 2 In the Jewish quarter of every city in the empire the Jews organized to attack anyone who tried to harm them. People everywhere were afraid of them, and no one could stand against them. 3 In fact, all the provincial officials—governors, administrators, and royal representatives—helped the Jews because they were all afraid of Mordecai. 4 It was well-known throughout the empire that Mordecai was now a powerful man in the palace and was growing more powerful. 5 So the Jews could do what they wanted with their enemies. They attacked them with swords and slaughtered them.
6 In Susa, the capital city itself, the Jews killed five hundred people. 7-10 Among them were the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews: Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha. However, there was no looting.
11 That same day the number of people killed in Susa was reported to the king. 12 He then said to Queen Esther, “In Susa alone the Jews have killed five hundred people, including Haman's ten sons. What must they have done out in the provinces! What do you want now? You shall have it. Tell me what else you want, and you shall have it.”
13 Esther answered, “If it please Your Majesty, let the Jews in Susa do again tomorrow what they were allowed to do today. And have the bodies of Haman's ten sons hung from the gallows.” 14 The king ordered this to be done, and the proclamation was issued in Susa. The bodies of Haman's ten sons were publicly displayed. 15 On the fourteenth day of Adar the Jews of Susa got together again and killed three hundred more people in the city. But again, they did no looting.
16 The Jews in the provinces also organized and defended themselves. They rid themselves of their enemies by killing seventy-five thousand people who hated them. But they did no looting. 17 This was on the thirteenth day of Adar. On the next day, the fourteenth, there was no more killing, and they made it a joyful day of feasting. 18 The Jews of Susa, however, made the fifteenth a holiday, since they had slaughtered their enemies on the thirteenth and fourteenth and then stopped on the fifteenth. 19 This is why Jews who live in small towns observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a joyous holiday, a time for feasting and giving gifts of food to one another.
The Festival of Purim
20 Mordecai had these events written down and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, throughout the Persian Empire, 21 telling them to observe the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Adar as holidays every year. 22 These were the days on which the Jews had rid themselves of their enemies; this was a month that had been turned from a time of grief and despair into a time of joy and happiness. They were told to observe these days with feasts and parties, giving gifts of food to one another and to the poor. 23 So the Jews followed Mordecai's instructions, and the celebration became an annual custom.
24 Haman son of Hammedatha—the descendant of Agag and the enemy of the Jewish people—had cast lots (“purim,” they were called) to determine the day for destroying the Jews; he had planned to wipe them out. 25 But Esther went to the king, and the king issued written orders with the result that Haman suffered the fate he had planned for the Jews—he and his sons were hanged from the gallows. 26 That is why the holidays are called Purim. Because of Mordecai's letter and because of all that had happened to them, 27 the Jews made it a rule for themselves, their descendants, and anyone who might become a Jew, that at the proper time each year these two days would be regularly observed according to Mordecai's instructions. 28 It was resolved that every Jewish family of every future generation in every province and every city should remember and observe the days of Purim for all time to come.
29 Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai, also wrote a letter, putting her full authority behind the letter about Purim, which Mordecai had written earlier. 30 The letter was addressed to all the Jews, and copies were sent to all the 127 provinces of the Persian Empire. It wished the Jews peace and security 31 and directed them and their descendants to observe the days of Purim at the proper time, just as they had adopted rules for the observance of fasts and times of mourning. This was commanded by both Mordecai and Queen Esther. 32 Esther's command, confirming the rules for Purim, was written down on a scroll.
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.
