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.
Esther Invites the King and Haman to a Dinner
1 Three days later, Esther dressed in her royal robes and went to the inner court of the palace in front of the throne. The king was sitting there, facing the open doorway. 2 He was happy to see Esther, and he held out the gold scepter to her.
When Esther came up and touched the tip of the scepter, 3 the king said, “Esther, what brings you here? Just ask, and I will give you as much as half of my kingdom.”
4 Esther answered, “Your Majesty, please come with Haman to a dinner I will prepare for you later today.”
5 The king said to his servants, “Hurry and get Haman, so we can accept Esther's invitation.”
The king and Haman went to Esther's dinner, 6 and while they were drinking wine, the king asked her, “What can I do for you? Just ask, and I will give you as much as half of my kingdom.”
7-8 Esther replied, “Your Majesty, if you really care for me and are willing to do what I want, please come again tomorrow with Haman to the dinner I will prepare for you. At that time I will answer Your Majesty's question.”
Haman Plans To Kill Mordecai
9 Haman was feeling great as he left. But when he saw Mordecai at the palace gate, he noticed that Mordecai did not stand up or show him any respect. This made Haman really angry, 10 but he did not say a thing.
When Haman got home, he called together his friends and his wife Zeresh 11 and started bragging about his great wealth and all his sons. He told them the many ways that the king had honored him and how all the other officials and leaders had to respect him. 12 Haman added, “That's not all! Besides the king himself, I'm the only person Queen Esther invited for dinner. She has also invited the king and me to dinner tomorrow. 13 But none of this makes me happy, as long as I see that Jew Mordecai serving the king.”
14 Haman's wife and friends said to him, “Have a gallows built about 22 meters high, and tomorrow morning ask the king to hang Mordecai there. Then later, you can have dinner with the king and enjoy yourself.”
This seemed like a good idea to Haman, and he had the gallows built.
