Haman Plots to Destroy the Jews
1 Some time later King Xerxes promoted a man named Haman to the position of prime minister. Haman was the son of Hammedatha, a descendant of Agag. 2 The king ordered all the officials in his service to show their respect for Haman by kneeling and bowing to him. They all did so, except for Mordecai, who refused to do it. 3 The other officials in the royal service asked him why he was disobeying the king's command; 4 day after day they urged him to give in, but he would not listen to them. “I am a Jew,” he explained, “and I cannot bow to Haman.” So they told Haman about this, wondering if he would tolerate Mordecai's conduct. 5 Haman was furious when he realized that Mordecai was not going to kneel and bow to him, 6 and when he learned that Mordecai was a Jew, he decided to do more than punish Mordecai alone. He made plans to kill every Jew in the whole Persian Empire.
7 In the twelfth year of King Xerxes' rule, in the first month, the month of Nisan, Haman ordered the lots to be cast (“purim,” they were called) to find out the right day and month to carry out his plot. The thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, was decided on.
8 So Haman told the king, “There is a certain race of people scattered all over your empire and found in every province. They observe customs that are not like those of any other people. Moreover, they do not obey the laws of the empire, so it is not in your best interests to tolerate them. 9 If it please Your Majesty, issue a decree that they are to be put to death. If you do, I guarantee that I will be able to put 375 tons of silver into the royal treasury for the administration of the empire.”
10 The king took off his ring, which was used to stamp proclamations and make them official, and gave it to the enemy of the Jewish people, Haman son of Hammedatha, the descendant of Agag. 11 The king told him, “The people and their money are yours; do as you like with them.”
12 So on the thirteenth day of the first month Haman called the king's secretaries and dictated a proclamation to be translated into every language and system of writing used in the empire and to be sent to all the rulers, governors, and officials. It was issued in the name of King Xerxes and stamped with his ring. 13 Runners took this proclamation to every province of the empire. It contained the instructions that on a single day, the thirteenth day of Adar, all Jews—young and old, women and children—were to be killed. They were to be slaughtered without mercy and their belongings were to be taken. 14 The contents of the proclamation were to be made public in every province, so that everyone would be prepared when that day came.
15 At the king's command the decree was made public in the capital city of Susa, and runners carried the news to the provinces. The king and Haman sat down and had a drink while the city of Susa was being thrown into confusion.
Hamanni ge Jodeǁînab nî hîkākā ǃkhaisa ra ǀapeǀape
1 ǁAe-i khaoǃgâb ge gao-aob Ahasverosa, Hamedatab ôab, Haman ti ǀon hâ Agagǁîba hoadi xa ǀgapi ǃharosa gao-ommi ǃnâ ge mā. 2 Gao-aob ge ǁîb ǃoabas ǃnâ mâ ǂamsagu hoaga ge mîmā, Hamanni aiǃâ gu nî ǃgamǃgâsa, ǃgôasiba gu ǁîba nî ǁgause. ǁÎgu ge Mordekaib, Hamanni aiǃâb nî ǃgamǃgâ ǃkhaisa ge ǂkhāb ǀguib ose, hoatsama ǁnāti ge dī. 3 Nau ǂamkhoegu gao-aob ǃoabas ǃnâ ge mâ i gu ge Mordekaiba ge dî: “Tare-i ǃaromats gao-aob mîmāsa ra ǃûǂam?” 4 Tsēsa xu tsēs ǁga gu ge ǁîba gere ǃhoaǁnâdana ǂgao, xaweb ge ǁîga ge ǃgâ ǂgao tama hâ i. Tsîb ge “Tita ge a Jodeǁî tsî ta ge Hamanni aiǃâ a ǃgamǃgâ ǁoa” ti ge ǃeream. ǁNā-amaga gu ge Hamanna, Mordekaib ge gao-aob mîmāsa ǁnâuǀnamoǃnâ ǃkhaisa ge mîba, î gu kō iseb Mordekaiba nē ǃkhais ǀkha nî aiǃgû ǃkhaisa. 5 Mordekaib ǁîb aiǃâ ǃgamǃgâ tsîb ǃgôasiba mā bi tama ǃkhaisab ge mû, ob ge Hamanna kaise ge ǁaixa. 6 Tsîb ge Mordekaib a Jodeǁî ǃkhaisab ge ǂano, ǁîb ǀguiba tama i tsîb Jodeǁîn hoana gao-aob Ahasverosi di gaosib hoab ǃnâ nî ǃgamǂui ǃkhaisa gere ǀapeǀape.
7 Disiǀgamǀaǁî kurib gao-aob Ahasverosi ǂgaeǂguis dib ǃnâ, ǂguro ǁkhâb Nisanni ǃnâb ge Hamanna ge mîmā, îs Pursa aohe, ǁnās ge ǀkhūsa, îb ǂhunuma tsēs tsî ǁkhâb tsîra, ǁîra aib Jodeǁîna nî ǃgamǂuira ǂanǂui. Disiǃnonaǀaǁî tsēs disiǀgamǀaǁî ǁkhâb, Adari dis ge ǂhanu tsēs ase ge mîǁguihe.
8 Ob ge Hamanna gao-aob Ahasverosa ge mîba: “ǂAnǂansa ǁaes di khoen ge hoa ǀkharigu sa gaosib hoab digu ǃnâ ǀgarusase hâ, xawen ge nau khoena xu ra ǀgorasen. ǁÎn ǂhanugu ge nau khoen diga xu a ǀkhara. ǁNās ǀgui tamas, ǁîn ge gaosib ǂhanugu tsîna ǁnâuǀnam tama hâ tsî sats ge ǁnāsa mā-am tide. 9 ǃGôahesatse, ǁnās xats ga ǃgâibahe, o mîmā-e māǂui în ǁîna ǃgamǂuihe. O ta ge tita ǃnonakaidisi tsî hakadisiǀoadisi kiloxramgu ǀhaiǀuriba gao-aosi ǁuiǂgaes ǃnâ gaosib sîsengu di aiǃgûs ǃaroma nî ǂgā.”
10 Gao-aob ge ǁîb ǀkhunuǂnûidas, xoasa ǂanǂandi gere ǁapoǁapo-ūhesa ǀkhunub âba xu ūǁnâ tsî Jodeǁîn di khākhoeb, Hamanni, Hamedatab ôab, Agagǁîba ge mā. 11 Tsîb ge gao-aoba “ǁNā ǀhaiǀuriba ūhâ, îts ǂgaots ra khami ǁnā ǁaes ǀkha dī” ti Hamanna ǃoa ge mî.
12 Disiǃnonaǀaǁî tsēs ǂguro ǁkhâb dis aib ge Hamanna gao-aob xoa-aoga ǂgaiǀhao tsî ǂanǂansa, gaosib ǃnâ ǂansa gowa-i hoa-i tsî xoa-ai-i hoa-i ǃnâs nî ǂnûiǃkhunihese ge khomaiba; ǂgaeǂgui-aogu tsî ǃhūǃkhōmâi-aogu ǃoas nî sîǂuihese. Nēs ge gao-aob Ahasverosi ǀons ǃnâ māǂuihe tsî gao-aob di ǀkhunuǂnûidas ǀkha ge ǂganamǀgaiǀgaihe. 13 Sîǂkhanitani-aogu ge mâ ǀkharib gaosib dib hoab ǃoa nē ǂanǂansa ge ǃgû-ū. Nē ǂanǂans ge ǀgui mîǀguisa tsēs, disiǃnonaǀaǁî tsēs disiǀgamǀaǁî ǁkhâb, Adari dis ain hoaraga Jodeǁîn ǂkhamn tsî kairan, aoregu, taredi tsî ǀgôan tsîn hoana nî ǃgamǂuihe tsîn ǁîn xūna nî ūhe ǃkhaisa ge ǃkhōǂgā hâ i.
14 ǃKhōǂgāb nē ǂhanub dib ge mâ ǀkharib hoab ǃnâ nî ǂanǂanhe în hoaraga khoena ǂan, î-i mâ-i hoa-e ǁnā tsēs ǃaroma ǂhomisen hâse hâ.
15 Nē mîmās gao-aob dis ge ǁkhāti ǃhaese ǂhôa-aogu xa kai ǃās Susas ǃnâ ge ǂanǂanhe. Gao-aob tsî Hamanni tsîkha ge ǂauxûi-e ǂnôa gere ā, xawe kai ǃās Susas di khoen ge kaise ge burugâ hâ i.
