Jodeǁîn ge ǃkhamǃoan nîsa ra mā-amhe
1 ǁNā tsēs ǁkhās aib ge gao-aob Ahasverosa, Hamanni, Jodeǁîn khākhoeb di xūn hoana gao-aos Estersa ge mā. Esters ge gao-aoba Mordekaib a ǁîs di ǀaokhoe ǃkhaisa ge mîba tsîb ge Mordekaiba ǁnā ǁaeba xu, gao-aob tawa gao-ommi ǃnâ ǂgâsa ge mā-amhe. 2 Gao-aob ge ǁîb di ǀkhunuǂnûidas, gao-aosi ǁgauǁgaus xa hâ-aihes, hîab ge Hamanna xu ū-oasa, ūǁnâ tsî Mordekaiba ge mā. Esters ge Mordekaiba, Hamanni xūnab nî kōǃgâse ge ǁgaumâi.
3 Esters ge ǁkhawa gao-aob ǀkha ge ǃhoa. ǁÎs ge gao-aob ǂai-am aoǁguisen tsî ā tsî ge ǀkhoma, îb Hamanni, Agagǁîb ge Jodeǁîn ǃoagu dī ǂkhaba ǀapesa ǀû kai. 4 Gao-aob ge ǁîb di ǃhuniǀuri gaohaiba Estersa ǃoa ge ǀhōǂui tsîs ge khâi tsî gao-aob aiǃâ mâ 5 tsî ge mî “Gao-aotsa iga ǃgâiba tsîts ga tita ǀkhomxa, o Hamanni, Hamedatab Agagǁîb ôab di mîmāde nî ǁkhae-e ǂanǂan-e xoaǂui, î di ǁîb di ǀapedi hoaraga Jodeǁîn nî gaosib ǃnâ ǃgamǂuihe ǃkhais dide tā dīǀoaǀoahe. 6 Mâti ta nēti ī tsūǀkhāb ti khoen ai ra hāba nî mûǃhara? Mâti ta ti ǀaokhoen di hîkākāhesa nî mûǃhara?”
7 Ob ge gao-aob Ahasverosa gao-aos Esters tsî Jodeǁîb, Mordekaib tsîra ǃoa ge mî: “Hamanni xūna ta ge Estersa ge mā tsî mû, ǁîba ta ge ǁîb di ǂkhaba ǀapes Jodeǁîn ǃoagub ge ūhâ is ǃaroma ge ǂgāmâi. 8 Saro ǁnâi ǂgao ro ra xū-i hoa-e Jodeǁîn ǃoa ti ǀons ǃnâ xoa î ti ǀkhunuǂnûidas ǀkha ǁgâi-ai. ǂAnǂan-i gao-aob ǀons ǃnâ xoahe tsî gao-aosi ǁgauǁgaus xa ǂnôa-aihe i a ǂgae-oahe ǁoa xuige.”
9 ǀGamdisiǃnonaǀaǁî tsēs, ǃnonaǁî ǁkhâb, Sivanni dis ai gu ge gao-aob di xoa-aogu hoaga ge ǂgaiǀhaohe. ǁÎgu ge Mordekaib ge mîmān hoana sîǂkhanidi ǃnâ ge xoa, Jodeǁîn, ǃhūǃkhōmâi-aogu tsî ǃkhōdana-aogu hoaraga ǀguikaidisi tsî ǀgamdisihûǀa ǀkharigu digu tsîn ǃoa, Indiaba xu Etiopiab kōse. Mâ ǀkharib hoab ǃoa i ge ǁîb khoen ra ǁnâuǃā gowab tsî xoaǀgaub ǃnâ ge xoahe. Jodeǁîn on ge ǁîn di gowab ǂûb tsî xoaǀgaub ǃnâ ge xoabahe. 10 Mordekaib ge sîǂkhanide gao-aob Ahasverosi ǀons ǃnâ xoa tsî gao-aob ǀkhunuǂnûidas ǁgauǁgausaosa ge ǂnûi-ai. ǁÎdi ge ǃhae hāgu, gao-aob ǂûb digu ai ra ǃgapi sîsabegu ǀkha ge sîǂuihe.
11 Nē sîǂkhanidi ǃnâ i ge ge xoasa i gao-aob, mâ ǃās hoas ǃnâ hâ Jodeǁîna, ǀhaoǀhaosen tsîn nî ǃkhamǃoabasen ǃkhaisa ra mā-amsa. Jodeǁîn ge ǁkhāti ǁâtanisen hâ khoen, mâ ǁaes tsî ǀkharib din hoan hîa ǁîna ra ǁnāǂamna ǃkhamǃoa tsî nî hîkākā, ǀgôan tsî taradi ona tsî xūn âna nî ūbasen. 12 Nēn hoanan ge hoaraga ǀkharigu gao-aob Ahasverosi digu ǃnâ mîmâisa tsēs, disiǃnonaǀaǁî tsēs disiǀgamǀaǁî ǁkhâb, Adari dis ai nî dī.
13 Nē mîmās ge hoaraga khoen nî ǁîsa ǂanse mâ ǀkharib hoab ǃnâ ǂhanub ase nî ǂnûiǂgāhe, în Jodeǁîna ǁnātsē, khākhoen ânan nî ǀkhaobase ǁkhāse ǂhomisen hâse hâ.
14 O gu ge sîsabega ǃhae hāgu ai ǂoa tsî ǃhaese ǁnāpa xu ge ǃgapi gao-aob ge mîmā khami. Nē mîmās ge omǂnamisa ǃās Susas ǃnâ ge māǂuihe.
15 Mordekaib ge gao-aoba xu ge ǃgû, ǂhoa tsî ǃuri gaosaraba ana hâse tsî ǁnā sarab ai ǁgā ǂhoaǀapa tsaura lapin ǀkha ǂomsa anǂamsaraba ana tsî danas âb ai kai, ǃhuniǀuri ǃkhaiba ǀgapa hâse. Tsîn ge Susas khoena ǁîban ge mûo, dâ tsî gere ǃgâiaǂgao. 16 Jodeǁîn ge ǃnâba ge mû tsî dâb tsî ǃgâiaǂgaoba ge ūhâ i tsîn ge khoen xa ǃgôasiba ge māhe. 17 Mâ ǀkharib tsî mâ ǃās, gao-aob di mîmās tsî ǂhanub ge ǁîs ǃnâ a ǂanǂanhes hoas ǃnâb ge ǃgâiaǂgaob tsî dâb tsîna Jodeǁîn ǃnâ ge hâ i. ǁÎn ge ǂûǁarede dī tsî gere ǁâudī. ǂGui khoen nau ǁaedi din ge ge Jodeǁî kai, Jodeǁîn xan gere ǃao amaga.
A Happy Ending for the Jews
1 Before the end of the day, King Xerxes gave Esther everything that had belonged to Haman, the enemy of the Jews. Esther told the king that Mordecai was her cousin. So the king made Mordecai one of his highest officials 2 and gave him the royal ring that Haman had worn. Then Esther put Mordecai in charge of Haman's property.
3 Once again Esther went to speak to the king. This time she fell down at his feet, crying and begging, “Please stop Haman's evil plan to have the Jews killed!” 4 King Xerxes held out the golden scepter to Esther, 5 and she got up and said, “Your Majesty, I know that you will do the right thing and that you really love me. Please stop what Haman has planned. He has already sent letters demanding that the Jews in all your provinces be killed, 6 and I can't bear to see my people and my own relatives destroyed.”
7 King Xerxes then said to Esther and Mordecai, “I have already ordered Haman to be hanged and his house given to Esther, because of his evil plans to kill the Jews. 8 I now give you permission to make a law that will save the lives of your people. You may use my ring to seal the law, so that it can never be changed.”
9 On the twenty-third day of Sivan, the third month, the king's secretaries wrote the law. They obeyed Mordecai and wrote to the Jews, the rulers, the governors, and the officials of all 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia. The letters were written in every language used in the kingdom, including the Jewish language. 10 They were written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with his ring. Then they were taken by messengers who rode the king's finest and fastest horses.
11-13 In these letters the king said:
On the thirteenth day of Adar, the twelfth month, the Jews in every city and province will be allowed to get together and defend themselves. They may destroy any army that attacks them, and they may kill all of their enemies, including women and children. They may also take everything that belongs to their enemies.
A copy of this law is to be posted in every province and read by everyone.
14-15 Then the king ordered his messengers to take their fastest horses and deliver the law as quickly as possible to every province. When Mordecai left, he was wearing clothes fit for a king. He wore blue and white robes, a large gold crown, and a cape made of fine linen and purple cloth.
After the law was announced in Susa, everyone shouted and cheered, 16 and the Jews were no longer afraid. In fact, they were very happy and felt that they had won a victory.
17 In every province and city where the law was sent, the Jews had parties and celebrated. Many of the people in the provinces accepted the Jewish religion, because they were now afraid of the Jews.
