Esther Goes to the King
1 Queen Esther prayed for three days. Then she took off the clothes she had been wearing and put on her splendid robes again. 2-3 In all her royal splendor, she prayed again to her God and savior, who sees everything. Walking like a queen, she left her room accompanied by two servant women, one of them escorting her by the arm and 4 the other holding up the train of her robe. 5 Queen Esther's face was radiantly beautiful. She looked as cheerful as she was lovely, but in her heart she was terror-stricken. 6 She passed through all the doors and entered the throne room, where she stood before the king. He was seated on his royal throne, dressed in his glorious robes, which were covered with gold and precious jewels. It was an awe-inspiring sight. 7 His face glowed with splendor, but when he saw Esther, he stared at her with fierce anger. She grew weak and turned pale; she almost fainted and had to lean her head on her attendant's shoulder.
8 But God changed the king's anger into tender concern. He quickly rose from his throne and took her in his arms until she was able to stand. He calmed her with comforting words. 9 “What is it, Esther?” he said to her. “I am your husband. There's no need to be afraid. 10 Our law applies only to ordinary people; you will not die. 11 Come here to me.” 12 He lifted his gold scepter and touched her on the neck with it. Then he kissed her and said, “Tell me what you want.”
13 “When I looked at you, my lord, I thought I was seeing an angel of God,” the queen answered, “and I was overcome by your awesome majesty. 14 You are so marvelous and your face is so full of kindness.”
15 But while she was speaking, she fainted again. 16 The king was concerned about her, and all his attendants tried to revive her.
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Esther Invites the King and Haman to a Banquet
17 “What is it, Esther?” the king asked. “Tell me what you want, and you shall have it—even if it is half of my empire.”
18 Esther replied, “Today is a special day for me. If it please my lord, I would like you and Haman to be my guests tonight at a banquet I am preparing for you.”
19 The king then ordered Haman to come quickly, so that they could be Esther's guests. So the king and Haman went to Esther's banquet. 20 Over the wine the king again said to her, “Tell me what you want, Queen Esther.”
21 Esther replied, 22 “If my lord is kind enough to grant my request, I would like you and Haman to be my guests tomorrow at another banquet that I will prepare for you. It will be just like this one.”
Haman Plots to Kill Mordecai
23 When Haman left the king he was happy and in a good mood, until he saw Mordecai the Jew in the courtyard of the palace. That made him furious, 24 but he went on home. Then he invited his friends to his house and asked his wife Zeresh to join them. 25 He boasted to them about how rich he was and about the honor the king had paid him when he promoted him to high office and made him prime minister. 26 “What is more,” Haman said, “Queen Esther gave a banquet for no one but the king and me, and we are invited back tomorrow. 27 But none of this means a thing to me as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting in the courtyard of the palace.”
28 Then his wife and all his friends suggested, “Why don't you have a gallows put up, seventy-five feet high? Tomorrow morning you can ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it, and then you can go with the king to the banquet and enjoy yourself.” Haman thought it was a good idea, so he had the gallows built.
Esters ge gao-aob ǃoa ra ǃgû
1 [1] Gao-aos Esters ge ǃnona tsēdi ǀgaiba ge ǀgore. ǀGoretoas ges khaoǃgâs ge ǁîs ge ana hâ i ǃoasarana ǂgaeǂui tsî ǁkhawa ǁîs di ǂkhaira sarana ge ana. 2-3 [2-3] ǁÎs di gao-aosi ǂkhaisib ǃnâs ge ǁkhawa ǁîs Elo tsî Hui-aob, mâ xū-i hoa-e ra mûb ǃoa ge ǀgore. Gao-ao-i khamis ge ǁîs di hâǃnâ-omsa xu ǀgam ǃkhōǂuisa sîsenaora xa ǁnūhe hâse ge ǃgû. ǀGuis ge ǁôab ai ge ǃkhō si hâ i 4 [4] tsî naus ge gaxu ǃâb ǁîs sarab diba ǃgâbǀkhāb ai gere tani. 5 [5] Gao-aos Esters di ais ge kaise ge îxa i. ǁÎs ge khoe-i xa ǀnamhe khoe-i khami ge ǂkhî i, xaweb ge ǁîs ǂgaoba ǃaob xa ge ǃkhōhe hâ i. 6 [6] ǁÎs ge hoaraga dao-amdi ǃnâ-u ǂgâǃkharu tsî trons di ǃnā-oms ǃnâ ǂgâ tsî gao-aob ais aiǃâ ge sī mâ. ǁÎb ge ǁîb di gaosi trons ai, ǁîb di ǂkhaisa anaǂamsarab, ǃhuniǀurib tsî ǃgomǀgausa anixūn ǀkha ge anisa iba ana hâse ge ǂnôa i. Nē īsib gao-aob dib ge kaise ge ǃaoǃaosa i. 7 [7] ǁÎb ais ge ǂkhaisasib xa gere ǂkhai, xaweb ge Estersab ge mû, o ǁîsa ǁaib ǀkha ge kō. ǁÎs ge ǂkhabu tsî ge ǀhai, somke-ai tsî danas âs ǀkha ǁîs ǀkha ge hâ i khoes di ǃhōs ai ge ǃgâsen.
8 [8] Xaweb ge Eloba gao-aob di ǁaiba tsamtsiǃnâsib ǃnâ ge ǀkharaǀkhara. ǁÎb ge ǃhaese ǁîb di tronsa xu khâi tsî ǁîsa ǁîb di ǃomkha ǃnâ mâ ǁkhās nîs kōse ge ǃkhōmâi. ǁÎb ge ǁîsa ǁkhaeǂgaomîdi ǀkha ge ǁkhaeǂgao. 9 [9] Tsîb ge ǁîs ǃoa ge mî: “Tare-e kha Esterse? Tita ge a sa ǃgame-ao, ǃaos nî xū-i ge a ǀkhai. 10 [10] Sida ǃhūb di ǂhanub ge ǀnî khoen ǃaroma ǀgui hâ tsîs ge ǃgamhe tide. 11 [11] Tita ǃoa hā re.” 12 [12] ǁÎb ge ǁîb ǃhuniǀuri gaohaiba ūkhâi tsî ǁîsa ǃaos âs ai ge tsâǀkhā. ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge ǁîsa ǁnam tsî “Tare-es ǂhâba hâ ǃkhaisa mîba te re” ti ge mî.
13 [13] “Ti gao-aotse, sa ǃoa ta go kō-o, o ta ge Elob ǀhomǃgā-e ta ra mû ti go ǂâi tsîb ge ti ǂgaoba sa ǂkhaisib di ǃaob xa goro ǀkhū. 14 [14] Sats ge a buruburuxa tsî sa ais ge khoexaǃnâsib xa ǀoa hâ” tis ge gao-aosa ge ǃeream.
15 [15] Xawes ge noxopas ra ǃhoa hîa ǁkhawa ge somke-ai. 16 [16] Gao-aob ge ǁîs xa ge ǂâiǂhansen, tsîn ge ǁîb di hoaraga sîsenaon ǁnāpa ge hâ ina ǁîs ǀomsas nî hō-oa ǃkhaisa gere dītsâ.
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Esters ge gao-aob tsî Hamanni hâkha ǂûǁare-i ǃoa ra ǁkhauǂui
17 [3] Ob ge gao-aoba ǁîsa ge dî: “Tare-e Esterse? Tare-es ǂhâba hâ ǃkhaisas ga mîba te, os ge ǁî-e nî hō; ǃkhare ǃâ-i ti gaosib di-i ka xawes tsîna.”
18 [4] Os ge Estersa ge ǃeream: “Nēs ge tita ǃaroma a ǀō-aisa tsē. Ti gao-aoba iga ǃgâiba, o ta ge sats tsî Hamanni tsîkho, nēǃoe sakho ta go aiǂhomiba ǂûǁares ǃoa ra ǁkhauǂui.”
19 [5] Gao-aob ge Hamanna ǃhaese Esters di ǂgansa kha nî dīǀoaǀoase ge hā kai tsî kha ge hoakha Esters di ǂûǁares ǁga ge ǃgû. 20 [6] ǂAuxûi-en ra ā hîab ge gao-aoba ǁkhawa ǁîsa ge dî: “Gao-aos Esterse, tare-es ǂhâba hâ ǃkhaisa mîba te re. ǂGans ra xū-i hoa-es ge nî hō.”
21 [7] Os ge ge ǃeream: 22 [8] “Ti gao-aob ga ǁnātikōse ǃgâi tsî ti ǂgans ai oe-am, o ta ge sats tsî Hamanni tsîkho ǁkhawa, ǁari ta nî aiǂhomi ǂûǁares ǁga ra ǁkhauǂui. ǁNās tsîn ge nēs ǁkhās khami nî ī.”
Hamanni ge Mordekaiba ǃgamsa ra ǀapeǀape
23 [9] Xawe Hamanni ge gao-aoba xu ǃgâiaǂgao tsî ǃgâitsâsen rase ge ǃgû, Mordekaib, Jodeǁîbab ge gao-ommi omǂnamib ǃnâ mûǂnôas kōse. Mordekaibab ge mû, ob ge kaise ǁaixa, 24 [10] xaweb ge oms ǁga ge ǁaru. ǁÎb ge ǀhōsan âba ǁîb oms ǁga ǁkhauǂui tsî ǁîb taras Seres tsîn nî ǁhao ǃkhaisa ge ǂgan. 25 [11] ǁÎb ge ǁîn ais ai mâtikōseb ǃkhū hâ ǃkhais tsî gao-aob xab ge ǃgôasib ǃoa sîsenni ǃnâ ǀgapi ǃharosa māhe tsî gao-aob xōǀkhā ǀgamǁî ǂgaeǂgui-aose dīhe ǃkhais ǀkha gere koasen. 26 [12] ǃAruǀîb ge Hamanna ge mî: “Gao-aos ge ǀnî khoe-i ose, tita ǀguita gao-aob ǀkha ǂûǁares ǁga go ǁkhau hâ i tsîs ge ǁaris ǃaromas tsîna ǁkhawa go ǁkhauǂui khom. 27 [13] Xawen ge nēn hoana, ǁnā Jodeǁîb, Mordekaiba ta ǀgapi ǃharos ǃnâ gao-ommi tawa ra mûs kōse xū-i tsîna harebeba te tama hâ.”
28 [14] On ge ǁîb taras tsî ǁîb ǀhōsana ge ǀapemā bi: “Tare-i ǃaromats ǀgamdisikoroǀa meterga ǀgapi ǂgāhaiba kuru kai tama hâ? ǁArikam ǁgoagats ge gao-aoba ǂgan ǁkhā, îb Mordekaiba ǁîb ai ǂgāmâihe, ots ge ǁnās khaoǃgâ gao-aob ǀkha ǂûǁares ǃoa ǃgû tsî ǁnāpa ǂgaots ras kōse sī ǃgâiǃgâisen ǁkhā.” Hamanni ge ǃgâi ǀape-i ti ǂâi tsî ǂgāhaiba ge kuru kai.
