Esther Becomes Queen
1 Later, even after the king's anger had cooled down, he kept thinking about what Vashti had done and about his proclamation against her. 2 So some of the king's advisers who were close to him suggested, “Why don't you make a search to find some beautiful young virgins? 3 You can appoint officials in every province of the empire and have them bring all these beautiful young women to your harem here in Susa, the capital city. Put them in the care of Hegai, the eunuch who is in charge of your women, and let them be given a beauty treatment. 4 Then take the young woman you like best and make her queen in Vashti's place.”
The king thought this was good advice, so he followed it.
5 There in Susa lived a Jew named Mordecai son of Jair; he was from the tribe of Benjamin and was a descendant of Kish and Shimei. 6 When King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took King Jehoiachin of Judah into exile from Jerusalem, along with a group of captives, Mordecai was among them. 7 He had a cousin, Esther, whose Hebrew name was Hadassah; she was a beautiful young woman, and had a good figure. At the death of her parents, Mordecai had adopted her and brought her up as his own daughter.
8 When the king had issued his new proclamation and many young women were being brought to Susa, Esther was among them. She too was put in the royal palace in the care of Hegai, who had charge of the harem. 9 Hegai liked Esther, and she won his favor. He lost no time in beginning her beauty treatment of massage and special diet. He gave her the best place in the harem and assigned seven young women specially chosen from the royal palace to serve her.
10 Now, on the advice of Mordecai, Esther had kept it secret that she was Jewish. 11 Every day Mordecai would walk back and forth in front of the courtyard of the harem, in order to find out how she was getting along and what was going to happen to her.
12 The regular beauty treatment for the women lasted a year—massages with oil of myrrh for six months and with oil of balsam for six more. After that, each woman would be taken in turn to King Xerxes. 13 When she went from the harem to the palace, she could wear whatever she wanted. 14 She would go there in the evening, and the next morning she would be taken to another harem and put in the care of Shaashgaz, the eunuch in charge of the king's concubines. She would not go to the king again unless he liked her enough to ask for her by name.
15 The time came for Esther to go to the king. Esther—the daughter of Abihail and the cousin of Mordecai, who had adopted her as his daughter; Esther—admired by everyone who saw her. When her turn came, she wore just what Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the harem, advised her to wear. 16 So in Xerxes' seventh year as king, in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, Esther was brought to King Xerxes in the royal palace. 17 The king liked her more than any of the other women, and more than any of the others she won his favor and affection. He placed the royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti. 18 Then the king gave a great banquet in Esther's honor and invited all his officials and administrators. He proclaimed a holiday for the whole empire and distributed gifts worthy of a king.
Mordecai Saves the King's Life
19 Meanwhile Mordecai had been appointed by the king to an administrative position. 20 As for Esther, she had still not let it be known that she was Jewish. Mordecai had told her not to tell anyone, and she obeyed him in this, just as she had obeyed him when she was a little girl under his care.
21 During the time that Mordecai held office in the palace, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the palace eunuchs who guarded the entrance to the king's rooms, became hostile to King Xerxes and plotted to assassinate him. 22 Mordecai learned about it and told Queen Esther, who then told the king what Mordecai had found out. 23 There was an investigation, and it was discovered that the report was true, so both men were hanged on the gallows. The king ordered an account of this to be written down in the official records of the empire.
Ester, Omujuda, ta ningi omumbada wohamba Ahasveros
1 Konima yoinima ei, ehandu lohamba Ahasveros eshi la lota, oya dimbulukwa Vasti, osho e shi ninga naasho she mu tokolelwa. 2 Opo nee ovapiya vohamba, ovo ve i yakula tava ti: “Ohamba nai kongelwe oukadona ounyasha ve nondjelo iwa. 3 Ohamba nai tule mo moitukulwalongo aishe yoshilongo shayo ovahona, opo va ongele oukadona aveshe ovanyasha ovo ve nondjelo iwa, ve uye mohotengulu yaSusa mongulu yovalikadi, kelenga Hegai, omupashukili wovalikadi, e va pashukile. Ndele nava pewe omaadi okuvava oku va wapeka. 4 Nokakadona oko taka pandwa kohamba, naka ninge omumbada wohamba ponhele yomumbada Vasti.” Ondjovo ei ya wapalela ohamba, nosho ya ninga.
5 Mohotengulu yaSusa mwa li omulumenhu Omujuda, edina laye Mordekai yaJair yaSimei yaKis, Omubenjamin; 6 okwa kufwa muJerusalem nokwa li mokati keenghwate odo da li di nokuya moukwatwa pamwe naJekonia, ohamba yaJuda, yo ya twalwa ko kuNebukadnesar, ohamba yaBabilon.
7 Ndele ye okwa li omutekuli waHadassa, nokutya waEster, omona waxekulu, ndele okwa li ehe naxe ile ina. Ndele ye okwa li okakadona kawa kondjelo yako nokoshipala shako; ndele pefyo laxe nolaina, Mordekai e ka tambula omona waye. 8 Ndele oshipango shohamba nomhango yayo eshi ya shiivika, noukadona vahapu va ongelwa mohotengulu yaSusa komupashukili Hegai, ova eta yo Ester pamwe navo mongulu yohamba va diininwe kuHegai, omupashukili wovakainhu. 9 Nokakadona oko e ka panda ndele ka filwa onghenda kuye. Onghee hano okwa endelela oku ka pa omivavo dokuwapaleka, neendja de ka wapalela ndele e ka pa ovapiya ovakainhu vaheyali, va hoololwa vomongulu yohamba. Nokwe ka tula pamwe novapiya vako medimo liwa longulu yovakainhu.
10 Ester okwa li ina holola oshiwana shaye noludi laye, shaashi Mordekai okwe mu lombwela ehe shi popye. 11 Ndele efiku keshe Mordekai okwa enda mehale longulu yovakainhu a shiivifilwe ngeenge Ester oku li nawa ndele nonhumbi ta ningwa.
12 Ndele olufo lokakadona kamwe ngeenge la fika okuya kohamba Ahasveros, ko eshi ka wapalekwa eehani omulongo nambali pamhango yovakainhu (osheshi elilongekido lavo la pula efimbo li fike pomafiku oo. Eehani hamano nomaadi omirha neehani hamano nabalsam nomaadi ovakainhu makwao okuvava). 13 Okakadona eshi ka ya ngaha kohamba, aishe oyo ke i pula, ke i pewa ya dja mongulu yovakainhu ya twalwa pamwe nako kongulu yohamba. 14 Eshi ka ya mo onguloshi ndele ka aluka ongula, ka ya kongulu onhivali yovakainhu ya diininwa kuSaaskas, elenga lohamba, tali pashukile ovalikadi vohamba vopomunghulo. Itaka ka ya mo vali kohamba okuninga ohamba ye ka hokwa ndele tai ka ifana padina.
15 Olufo laEster, omona okakadona kaAbigail, xekulu yaMordekai, eshi la fika a ye mo kohamba, ko inaka hala sha shimwe, osho ashike Hegai, elenga lohamba, lo la pashukila ovakainhu, le ka lombwela. Ndele Ester okwa pandwa kwaaveshe ovo ve mu mona. 16 Ester okwa tambulwa kohamba Ahasveros mongulu yayo youhamba mohani onhimulongo nokutya, mohani Tebet, momudo omutiheyali wepangelo layo. 17 Nohamba ya li i hole Ester komesho yovakainhu aveshe noye mu hokwa ndele ye mu fila onghenda komesho youkadona aveshe. Ndele yo oye mu dika komutwe waye oshishani shohamba ndele ye mu ninga omumbada ponhele yaVasti. 18 Nohamba ya telekela omalenga ayo aeshe novapiya vayo aveshe oitendele inene, oitendele yaEster. Ndele yo ya shiivifila oitukulwalongo i dane efiku letulumuko ndele ya yandja eeshali di fike pakuyandja kohamba.
Mordekai ta holola ehangakeno
19 Oukadona eshi va ongelwa lutivali, fimbo Mordekai ta kala omutumba poshivelo shohamba. 20 Ester ina holola oshiwana shaye noludi laye, ngaashi Mordekai e mu lombwela. Ndele Ester okwa ninga ngaashi Mordekai e mu lombwela ngaashi mefimbo linya a kala mouteku waye. 21 Pomafiku tuu enya fimbo Mordekai a kala omutumba poshivelo shohamba, Bigtan naTeres, omalenga avali ohamba, ovanangeli vopoivelo, va handuka ndele va konga omhito va kwate ohamba Ahasveros. 22 Ndelenee Mordekai okwe shi uda nokwe shi shiivifila omumbada Ester. Ndele Ester e shi lombwela ohamba medina laMordekai. 23 Oshinima osho eshi sha konakonwa ndele sha monika osho oshili, venya vavali va endjelelifwa komuti. Ndele osho sha shangelwa membo omafimbo koshipala shohamba.
