Esther Invites the King and Haman to a Banquet
1 On the third day of her fast Esther put on her royal robes and went and stood in the inner courtyard of the palace, facing the throne room. The king was inside, seated on the royal throne, facing the entrance. 2 When the king saw Queen Esther standing outside, she won his favor, and he held out to her the gold scepter. She then came up and touched the tip of it. 3 “What is it, Queen Esther?” the king asked. “Tell me what you want, and you shall have it—even if it is half my empire.”
4 Esther replied, “If it please Your Majesty, I would like you and Haman to be my guests tonight at a banquet I am preparing for you.”
5 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. 6 Over the wine the king asked her, “Tell me what you want, and you shall have it. I will grant your request, even if you ask for half my empire.”
7 Esther replied, 8 “If Your Majesty 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. At that time I will tell you what I want.”
Haman Plots to Kill Mordecai
9 When Haman left the banquet he was happy and in a good mood. But then he saw Mordecai at the entrance of the palace, and when Mordecai did not rise or show any sign of respect as he passed, Haman was furious with him. 10 But he controlled himself and went on home. Then he invited his friends to his house and asked his wife Zeresh to join them. 11 He boasted to them about how rich he was, how many sons he had, how the king had promoted him to high office, and how much more important he was than any of the king's other officials. 12 “What is more,” Haman went on, “Queen Esther gave a banquet for no one but the king and me, and we are invited back tomorrow. 13 But none of this means a thing to me as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the entrance of the palace.”
14 So his wife and all his friends suggested, “Why don't you have a gallows built, seventy-five feet tall? Tomorrow morning you can ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it, and then you can go to the banquet happy.”
Haman thought this was a good idea, so he had the gallows built.
Esters ge gao-aob tsî Hamanni tsîkha ǂûǁares ǃoa ra ǁkhauǂui
1 ǃNonaǁî tsēs, ǁîs di ǂûtama* hâs dis ais ge Estersa ǁîs di gao-aosi sarana ana tsî ǃgû tsî gao-aob gao-aosi ai-ommi ǃnâ, gao-aosi ǃnā-ommi aiǃâ dao-ams ǃoa-ai sī ge mâ. Gao-aob ge ommi ǃnâ trons âb ai dao-ams ǃoa-ai ge ǂnôa i. 2 Tsî gao-aob ge gao-aos Estersa ai-ommi ǃnâ mûmâo, os ge ǁîb mûǁae ǀkhomma ge hō tsîb ge ǃhuniǀuri gaohaib ǁîb ǃomǁaeb ge ūhâ iba ǁîs ǃoa ge ǀhōǂui. Os ge Estersa ǃgûǀgū tsî gaohaib ǀamsa ge tsâǀkhā. 3 Ob ge gao-aoba ge dî: “Tare-e gao-aos Esterse? Mîba te re tare-es ǂhâba hâsa? ǃkhare ǃâb ti gaosib dib ka xawes tsînas ge nî māhe.”
4 Os ge Estersa ge ǃeream: “Gao-aotsa iga ǃgâibao, o ta ge sats tsî Hamanni tsîkho satsa ta go aiǂhomiba ǂûǁaresa ǃoa nētsē ra ǁkhauǂui.”
5 Ob ge gao-aoba ge mîmā, îb Hamanna ǃhaese ǀkhī, î kha Esters go ǂgan khami dī. Tsî kha ge gao-aob tsî Hamanni tsîkha Esters ge aiǂhomi ǂûǁares ǃoa ge ǃgû. 6 ǂAuxûi-en ra ā hîab ge gao-aoba ǁîsa ge dî: “Gao-aos Esterse, tare-es ǂhâba hâ ǃkhaisa mîba te re. ǃKhare ǃâb ti gaosib dib ka xawes ge nî māhe.”
7 Os ge Estersa ge ǃeream: “Ti ǂgans tsî ǀkhomas ge nēsa. 8 Gao-aots ga ǁnātikōse ǃgâi tsî ti ǂgansa ūǃoao, o kho sats tsî Hamanni tsîkho ǁkhawa ǁari ta nî aiǂhomiba kho ǂûǁaes ǃoa hā re. O ta ge ti ǁkhoreba nî ǂanǂan tsi.”
Hamanni ge Mordekaiba ǃgamsa ra ǀapeǀape
9 Hamanni ge ǃgâiaǂgao tsî ǃgâitsâsen rase ǁnā ǂûǁaresa xu ge ǂoaxa. Xaweb ge Mordekaibab ge gao-ommi dao-ams ǃnâ mûǂnôa, tsîb ge Mordekaiba khâi tsî ǃgôasiba mā bi tama i, o ǁîb ǂama kaise ge ǁaixa. 10 Xaweb ge Hamanna ǁkhaesen tsî oms ǁga ge ǁaru. ǁÎb ge ǀhōsan âba ǁîb oms ǁga ge ǁkhauǂui tsî ǁîb taras, Seres tsîna ge ǂgan, îs hā. 11 ǁÎb ge ǁîn ais ai mâtikōseb ǃkhū hâ, mâtikō ǀgôagab ūhâ tsî gao-aob xab ge ǃgôasib ǃoa sîsenni ǃnâ ǀgapiǀgapihe tsî gao-aob xab ge nau ǂamkhoegu ǃgâ-ai ǀgapi ǃharosa māhe ǃkhais ǀkha gere koasen. 12 ǃAruǀîb ge Hamanna ge mî: “ǁNās ǀgui tamas, gao-aos Esters tsîn ge tita ǀguita gao-aob ǀkha, ǂûǁares ǃoa go ǁkhauǂui hâ i tsîs ge ǁkhāti ǁaris tsîna tita tsî gao-aob tsîkhom ǀguikhomma ǂûǁares ǃoa ǁkhauǂui hâ. 13 Xawen ge nēn hoana ǁnā Jodeǁîb, Mordekaib, gao-ommi tawa ǀgapi ǃharos ǃnâ ǂnôa ǃkhaisa ta ra mûs kōse, xū-i xare-e harebeba te tama hâ.”
14 On ge ǁîb taras Seres tsî ǁîb ǀhōsana ǁîba ge ǀapemā: “ǁAubexa korodisiǀgamǀa meterga ǀgapi ǂgāhaiba kuru kai, î ǁarikam ǁgoaga gao-aoba ǂgan, îb Mordekaiba ǁîb ai ǂgāmâihe. Ots ge ǁnās khaoǃgâ ǃgâiaǂgao rase gao-aob ǀkha ǂûǁaes ǃoa a ǃgû ǁkhā.”
Hamanni ge ǃgâi ǀapes ge nēsa ti ǂâi tsî ǂgāhaiba ge kuru kai.
