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.
The Jews Are Told to Fight Back
1 That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther all the property of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. Esther told the king that Mordecai was related to her, and from then on Mordecai was allowed to enter the king's presence. 2 The king took off his ring with his seal on it (which he had taken back from Haman) and gave it to Mordecai. Esther put Mordecai in charge of Haman's property.
3 Then Esther spoke to the king again, throwing herself at his feet and crying. She begged him to do something to stop the evil plot that Haman, the descendant of Agag, had made against the Jews. 4 The king held out the gold scepter to her, so she stood up and said, 5 “If it please Your Majesty, and if you care about me and if it seems right to you, please issue a proclamation to keep Haman's orders from being carried out—those orders that the son of Hammedatha the descendant of Agag gave for the destruction of all the Jews in the empire. 6 How can I endure it if this disaster comes on my people, and my own relatives are killed?”
7 King Xerxes then said to Queen Esther and Mordecai, the Jew, “Look, I have hanged Haman for his plot against the Jews, and I have given Esther his property. 8 But a proclamation issued in the king's name and stamped with the royal seal cannot be revoked. You may, however, write to the Jews whatever you like; and you may write it in my name and stamp it with the royal seal.”
9 This happened on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan. Mordecai called the king's secretaries and dictated letters to the Jews and to the governors, administrators, and officials of all the 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia. The letters were written to each province in its own language and system of writing and to the Jews in their language and system of writing. 10 Mordecai had the letters written in the name of King Xerxes, and he stamped them with the royal seal. They were delivered by riders mounted on fast horses from the royal stables.
11 These letters explained that the king would allow the Jews in every city to organize for self-defense. If armed men of any nationality in any province attacked the Jewish men, their children, or their women, the Jews could fight back and destroy the attackers; they could slaughter them to the last man and take their possessions. 12 This decree was to take effect throughout the Persian Empire on the day set for the slaughter of the Jews, the thirteenth of Adar, the twelfth month. 13 It was to be proclaimed as law and made known to everyone in every province, so that the Jews would be ready to take revenge on their enemies when that day came. 14 At the king's command the riders mounted royal horses and rode off at top speed. The decree was also made public in Susa, the capital city.
15 Mordecai left the palace, wearing royal robes of blue and white, a cloak of fine purple linen, and a magnificent gold crown. Then the streets of Susa rang with cheers and joyful shouts. 16 For the Jews there was joy and relief, happiness and a sense of victory. 17 In every city and province, wherever the king's proclamation was read, the Jews held a joyful holiday with feasting and happiness. In fact, many other people became Jews, because they were afraid of them now.
