Mordecai's Strange Dream
1-3 Mordecai, a Jew who belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, was taken into exile, along with King Jehoiachin of Judah, when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia captured Jerusalem. Mordecai was the son of Jair, a descendant of Kish and Shimei. He now lived in the Persian city of Susa, where he was an important official in the royal court of Xerxes the great king.
During the second year of Xerxes' reign, on the first day of the month of Nisan, Mordecai had a dream. 4 He dreamed that there was great noise and confusion, loud thunder, and an earthquake, with terrible turmoil on the earth. 5 Then two huge dragons appeared, ready to fight each other. 6 They made a dreadful noise, and all the nations got ready to make war against God's nation of righteous people. 7 For the world it was a day of darkness and gloom, trouble and distress, destruction and ruin. 8 All of God's righteous people were troubled, in great fear of what was about to happen to them. They prepared for death, 9 but they cried out to God for help. In the dream their prayer was answered by a great river which came flowing out of a small spring. 10 The day dawned, the sun rose, and the humble people were made strong and destroyed their arrogant enemies.
11 Mordecai woke up from this dream in which he saw what God planned to do. He thought about it all day and tried to understand what it meant.
Mordecai Saves the King's Life
12 While Mordecai was resting in the courtyard of the palace, where two of the king's eunuchs, Gabatha and Tharra, were on guard, 13 he overheard them plotting together. He listened carefully to what they were saying and learned that they were making plans to kill the king. So Mordecai went to King Xerxes and told him about the plot of the two eunuchs. 14 The king had them questioned, and when they confessed, they were led away and executed.
15 The king had an account of this written in the official records, and Mordecai also wrote an account of it. 16 Then the king appointed Mordecai to a position at court and gave him many gifts as a reward for what he had done.
17 But Haman son of Hammedatha, a Bougaean who was respected by the king, tried to cause trouble for Mordecai and his people the Jews, because Mordecai had been responsible for the death of the two eunuchs.
1
Queen Vashti Defies King Xerxes
18-19 These things happened in the time of King Xerxes, who ruled 127 provinces, all the way from India to Ethiopia, from his royal throne in Susa, Persia's capital city. 20 In the third year of his reign, the king gave a banquet for all his advisers, the representatives of the other countries, the noblemen from Persia and Media, and the governors of the provinces. 21 For six whole months he made a show of the riches of the imperial court with magnificent and expensive celebrations.
22 After the feast the king gave a banquet for the people of other nations who were in the city. It lasted a week and was held in the palace courtyard, 23 which was decorated with linen and cotton curtains, held by cords of purple linen attached to silver and gold blocks on marble and stone columns. Couches made of gold and silver had been placed in the courtyard, which was paved with green and white marble and mother-of-pearl. The couches were spread with a fine, thin fabric of many colors, with roses around the edges. 24 There were gold and silver cups, and one of them, decorated with jewels worth more than a thousand tons of silver, had been set out for display. There was plenty of good wine from the king's own supply. 25 There were no limits on the drinks. The king had given orders to the palace servants that they should provide him and his guests with as much as they wanted.
26 Meanwhile, inside the royal palace Queen Vashti was giving a banquet for the women.
27 On the seventh day of his banquet the king was feeling happy, so he called in the seven eunuchs who were his personal servants, Haman, Bazan, Tharra, Boraze, Zatholta, Abataza, and Tharaba. 28 He ordered them to bring in the queen, so that he could place the royal crown on her head and show her off to the officials and all his guests, for she was a beautiful woman. 29 But Queen Vashti refused to obey and would not come with the servants. This embarrassed the king and made him furious.
30 He told his advisers about Vashti's reply and asked them to give a legal opinion about what he should do. 31-32 Three of them, who were closest to the king and held the highest offices, came and told him what the law required and what should be done to Queen Vashti for disobeying the command he had given her through his servants. They were Arkesaeus, Sarsathaeus, and Malesear, officials of Persia and Media.
33 Then the king told his officials and the governors of Media and Persia how the queen had defied him. So Muchaeus said to the king and everyone present: “Queen Vashti has insulted not only you but all of us as well. 34-35 As soon as our wives hear what the queen has done, they will be bold enough to defy their husbands and treat them with disrespect in the same way that Vashti has treated you. 36 If, then, it please Your Majesty, issue a royal proclamation that Vashti may never again appear before the king. Have it written into the laws of Media and Persia. Then give her place as queen to some better woman. There is no other way. 37 When your proclamation is made known all over this empire, then every woman will treat her husband with proper respect, whether he is rich or poor.”
38 The king and his officials liked this idea, and the king did as Muchaeus suggested. 39 To each of the royal provinces he sent a message in the language of that province, saying that every husband must be respected in his own home.
Mordekaib di ǁnaetisa tama ǁhapos
1-3 [1-3] Mordekai ti ǀon hâ Jodeǁîb, Benjaminni ǃhaos dib ge Babilons gao-aob Nebukadnesari xa Jerusalemsa xu Judeab gao-aob Jekoniab ǀkha ǃkhōsis ǃnâ ge ūhe. Mordekaib ge Jairi ôa tsî Simeib tsî Kisi tsîkha di suriba xu ge hâ i. ǁÎb ge ǁnā ǁaeb ǃnâ Persiab di kaiǃās, Susas ǃnâ ge ǁan hâ i tsî kai gao-aob Artaxerxeb di gao-ommi ǃnâ mûmûsa ǂammâisase gere ǃoaba.
ǀGamǁî kurib kai gao-aob Artaxerxeb di ǂgaeǂguis dib di ǂguro tsēs Nisanǁkhâb dis aib ge Mordekaiba ǁhapo-e ge ūhâ i. 4 [4] ǁÎb ge ǁnāpa kai ǂkhupib tsî kai ǀgarusaǂâisib, ǀgaisa ǃgurub tsî ǃhūǂgubib kai gagasi sâoǃnâsib tsî ǃaoba ǃhūbaib ai ge ǃaromab tsîn xa ge ǁhapo. 5 [5] O kha ge ǀgam kai drakkha, nēb nî naub ǀkha ǃkhamse ǂhomisen hâse ge ǂkherexa. 6 [6] ǁÎkha ge ǃhuriǃhurisa ǀōba gere dī tsîdi ge hoaraga ǁaede Elob ǁaes, ǂhanu-ai khoen dis ǃoagu nî torodīse ge ǂhomisen. 7 [7] ǁNā tsēs ge ǃhūbaiba ǃkhaeb tsî ǃkhaenab, ǂhansens tsî ǃaob, ǁgâiǀāb tsî kai ǀhūsasib tsîna ge ǃkhōǂgāba hâ i. 8 [8] On ge hoa ǂhanu-ai khoen Elob dina ǂhansens tsî kai ǃaob, ǁîn ǀkha nî ǀgūǁaeb ǃnâ ī xūn dib tsîn ǃnâ ge hâ i. ǁÎn ge ǁōba ge aiǂhomisenba, 9 [9] xawen ge Elob ǃoa huib ǃaroma ge ǂgaiǂui. ǁHapos ǃnâs ge ǁîn ǀgoresa, kai ǃāb, ǂkhari ǀausa xu gere dâuǂoaxab ǀkha ge ǃereamhe. 10 [10] ǁGoa i ge tsîs ge soresa ǂoaxa on ge ǃgamǃgamsensa khoena ge ǀgaiǀgaihe tsî ǁîn di ǁîǃgôasen hâ khākhoena ge hîkākā.
11 [11] Mordekaib ge ǁîb di ǁhapos, ǁîs ǃnâb ge tare-eb Eloba ra ǀape ǃkhaisa mûsa xu ge ǂkhai. ǁÎb ge hoaraga tsēsa ǁîs xa gere ǂâiǂâisen tsî tare-es ra ǂâibasen ǃkhaisa gere ǁnâuǃā ǂgao.
Mordekaib ge gao-aob ûiba ra sâu
12 [12] ǀGuitsēb ge Mordekaiba gao-ommi omǂnamib, gao-aob ǂammâisakha hîa, ǁîb di ǂhunuma ǃoaba-aokha, Gabatab tsî Tarab hâkha xa gere ǃûiheb ǃnâb sâǁgoe hâ hîa, 13 [13] ǁîkha ǀapeǀhaosa ge ǁnâu. ǁÎb ge ǂōrisase ǁîkha gere mî xūna ǃgâ tsî ǁnā ǀgaub ai gao-aoba ǃgamsa kha ra ǀape ǃkhaisa ge ǁnâu. Mordekaib ge gao-aob Artaxerxeb ǃoa ǃgû tsî nē ǀgam khoekha ǀapeǀhaosa ǁîba ge mîba. 14 [14] Gao-aob ge ǁîkha ge dîǂuiǃnâ kai tsîkha ge ǁîkha ǀapesa kha ge ǁguiǁnâ, o ūbēhe tsî sī ge ǃgamhe.
15 [15] Gao-aob ge nē ge ī xūn nî ǂhanusi xoaǁguigu ǃnâ xoamâihe ǃkhaisa ge mîmā. Mordekaib tsîn ge ǁkhāti nē ge ī xūna ge xoamâi. 16 [16] Ob ge gao-aoba Mordekaiba gao-ommi danase ǁgaumâi tsî ǁîba dīb âb di mādawa-ams ase ǂgui ǀkhaexūna ge mā.
17 [17] Xawe Hamanni, Hamedatab ôab, Bougaiǁîb, gao-aob xa ge ǀgapiǃgôahe hâ ib ge Mordekaib tsî ǁîb khoen, Jodeǁîn tsîna gere tsûtsû ǂgao, Mordekaib ge ǁnā ǀgam ǂammâisakha, gao-aob dikha di ǁōba ǃaroma xui-ao.
1
Gao-aob Artaxerxeb di ǂûǁares
18-19 [1-2] Nē xūn ge gao-aob Artaxerxeb ge ǀguikaidisi tsî ǀgamdisihûǀa ǀkhariga Indiaba xu Etiopiab kōse, Persiab di kaiǃās, Susas ǃnâ hâ tronsa xu gere ǂgaeǂgui ǁaeb ǃnâ ge ī. 20 [3] ǃNonaǁî kurib ǁîb ǂgaeǂguis dib ǃnâb ge hoa ǀapemā-aogu, ǀnî ǀkharigu di ǂnûǁkhaeba-aogu, Persiab tsî Mediaba xu ge hā ǃgôaǃgôasa khoegu tsî ǀkharigu di gowoniagu ǃaroma ǂûǁare-e ge dī. 21 [4] Nēs khaoǃgâb ge ǃnani ǁkhâgu ǀgaiba, ǁîb ǃkhūsib di ǁgauǂui-e, ǂoaǂamsa tsî ǃgomǀgausa ǁâudīb ǀkha ge dī.
22 [5] Nē ǁâudīb ǀunis aib ge gao-aoba nau ǁaedi khoen, ǃās ǃnâ ge hâ ina ǂûǁare-e ge dība. Nē ǁâudīb ge ǃnani tsēdi ǀgaiba gao-ommi di omǂnamib, 23 [6] lapin tsî ǃapin ǀkha dīhe hâ mûǂuidaolapigu ǀkha anihe tsî ǂhoaǀapa tsurigu ǀkha ǀhaiǀuri tsî ǃhuniǀurirâidi hîa marmerǂkhâǃnâgu tsî ǀnî ǃgomǀgausa ǀuin ai ge ǃgaehe hâ in ǃnâ ge dīhe. Sâ-aikharogu, ǃhuniǀurib tsî ǀhaiǀurib ǀkha kuruhe hâgu ge ǃam tsî ǃuri marmerǀuigu tsî ǃgomǀgausa ǀuin ǀkha ǁguiǂuisa ǃkhaib ai, omǂnamib ǃnâ ge mâihe hâ i. ǁÎgu ge ǂgui ǃkharagaǃnâgu ǀûga ūhâ tsaura lapigu, amǃgâgu ai ge ǃkhāde ūhâ igu ǀkha ge ǀgâi-aisa i. 24 [7] ǁNāpa di ge ǃhuniǀuri tsî ǀhaiǀuri āǃnâxapade ge hâ i. ǁÎdi di ǀguis, ǀguiǀoadisi tongu ǀhaiǀurib xa ǃnāsa ǁkhāsiba ūhâ ǃgomǀgausa ǀuidi ǀkha ge anisa is ge khoen nî mûse ge ǁgauǂuihe hâ i. ǁNāpa i ge ǃnāsa, ǃgâi ǂauxûi-e gao-aob di ǂhunuma ǂauxûina xu ge hâ i. 25 [8] ǁNāpa i ge mâtikō ān ǀguin a māǂuihe ǁkhā ǃkhais di xoaǁgui-e ge hâ tama hâ i. Gao-aob ge gao-ommi sîsenaona ǁîb tsî ǁîb ǀkha ra ǁhao khoen tsîn ǂhâban hâs kōse nî ǂnâbahe ǃkhaisa ge mîmā.
26 [9] ǁKhā ǁaeb ǁkhāb ais ge gao-aos Astinsa tarekhoede ǁkhoaxa ǁâudī-e gao-ommi ǃnâ gere dība.
27 [10] Hûǁî tsēs ǁîb ǂûǁares dis aib ge gao-aoba ǃgâise gere tsâ, tsîb ge hû ǂammâisagu, ǁîb di ǂhunuma ǃoaba-aogu Hamanni, Basanni, Tarab, Boraseb, Satoltab, Abatasab tsî Tarabab tsîga ge ǂgai. 28 [11] ǁÎb ge ǁîga ge mîmā, î gu gao-aosa hā-ū, îb ǁîsa gao-aosi kronsa ǀgapa tsî ǂgaeǂgui-aon tsî ǁhao-aona, kaises ge îsa i xui-ao ǁgau. 29 [12] Xawes ge gao-aos Astinsa ǁnâuǀnamoǃnâ tsî ǂammâisagu, ǁîb ǂhunuma ǃoaba-aogu ǀkha ǀkhī ǂgao tama ge i. Nē ǃkhais ge gao-aoba taotao tsî ge ǁaixa kai.
30 [13] ǁÎb ge Astins ge ǃeream bi ǀgausa ǁîb ǀapemā-aoga mîba tsî ǁîga ge ǂgan, î gu ǂhanusi mûǂgāǀgaub ǃoa ǁîba tare-eb ǁîs ǀkha nî dī ǃkhaisa mîba. 31-32 [14-15] Arkesaeub, Sarsataeub, Maleseari tsî gowoniagu Persiab tsî Mediab digu, gao-aob ǀgūse ge hâ igu, ǁîb xōǀkhā ge ǀgapi ǃharodi ǃnâ ǂnôa igu ge ǁîb ǃoa hā tsî ǁîba tare-eb gao-aos Astins, ǁîb ge ǂammâisagu, ǁîb di ǂhunuma ǃoaba-aogu ǃnâ-ū mā mîmāsa ge ǁnâuǀnamoǃnâs ǀkha dī ǁkhā ǃkhaisa ge mîba.
33 [16] Gao-aob ge tare-es ge gao-aosa dī tsî ǁîba ǁnâuǀnamoǃnâ ǃkhaisa ǂamkhoegu tsî gowoniagu Persiab tsî Mediab digu tsîga ge mîba. Ob ge Mukaeuba gao-aob tsî Mediab tsî Persiab di gowoniagu ǃoa ge mî: “Gao-aos Astins ge sats ǀguits ose, xawe ǁkhāti sige hoage tsîna ge mîǁgaiǁgai. 34-35 [17-18] ǁÎs ge gao-aob Artaxerxeba ǁnâuǀnamoǃnâ ǃkhaisa di ga ǁnâu, o di ge Persiab tsî Mediab gowoniagu di taradi tsîna ǁîdi aoga nî ǁnâuǀnamoǃnâ. 36 [19] ǁNā-amaga Gao-aotse satsa iga ǃgâibao, gao-aosi mîmāsa māǂui, îs Astinsa tā tātsē ǁkhawa gao-aots aiǃâ hā. As nē ǃkhaisa Mediab tsî Persiab di ǂhanugu ǃnâ xoaǁguihe. Î ǁîs di gaosisa ǁîs ǃgâ-ai ǃgâi tarekhoesa mā. ǀNî ǀgau-i ge a ǀkhai. 37 [20] Sa mîmās ga hoaraga gaosib ǃnâ khoraǂuihe, os ge mâ taras hoasa ǁîs ǃgame-aoba nēsib ga ǃkhū tamas ka io ǀgâsa, xawes tsîna ǂhâbasa ǃgôasiba nî mā.”
38 [21] Gao-aob tsî gowoniagu tsîn ge nē mîdi xa ge ǃgâibahe tsîb ge gao-aoba Mukaeub ge mî khami ge dī. 39 [22] Gao-aob ge mâ gao-aosi ǀkharib hoab ǁga, ǁnā ǀkharib di gowab ǃnâ, mâ aob hoab ǁîb di oms ǂûs ǃnâ nî ǃgôahe, ti ra mî mîmāsa ge sîǂui.
