Esther 1
1 India hoi Ethiopia prae khoek to, prae cumvai, pumphae sarihto ukkung, Ahasuerus dung ah,
King Xerxes ruled [a very big empire which had] 127 provinces. It extended from India [in the east] to Ethiopia [in the west].
2 siangpahrang Ahasuerus loe angraeng ohhaih ahmuen, Susan vangpui ah angraeng tangkhang nuiah siangpahrang ah anghnuthaih,
He ruled the empire [while he lived] in the capital city, Susa.
3 saning thumto naah, angmah ih angraengnawk hoi a tamnanawk hanah buhraenghaih a sak pae; Persia hoi Media prae ih misatuh angraengnawk, prae thung ih congkhang kaminawk hoi angraengnawk loe to ahmuen ah akoep o boih.
During the third year that he ruled his empire, he invited all his administrators and [other] officials to a big banquet/feast. He invited all the commanders of the armies of Persia and Media to come to the banquet. He also invited the governors and other leaders of the provinces.
4 To naah ni cumvai, quitazetto thung a prae lensawkhaih hoi a lensawkhaih to minawk khaeah patuek.
[The celebration] lasted for six months. During that time the king showed his guests all his wealth and other things that showed how great his kingdom was (OR, how great a king he was).
5 Patuekhaih ni boeng pacoengah, anih angraenghaih ahmuen Susan vangpui ah angzo, kathoeng kalen kaminawk boih hanah loe, siangpahrang angmah ih takha thungah, buhraenghaih to ni sarihto thung a sak pae;
At the end of those six months, the king invited people to another banquet. He invited to the banquet all the men who worked in the palace, including those who had important jobs and those who had unimportant jobs. [This celebration] lasted for seven days. It was in the courtyard of the palace in Susa.
6 to ahmuen loe puungan kanglung, kahing, kam-iing hoiah pathoep moe, sumkanglung bet ih thlung kamtaak tung nuiah, puungan tlangqui kamling hup hoiah a paeh.
[In the courtyard] were beautiful blue and white curtains that were fastened by white and purple cords/ribbons to rings that were on pillars made from [expensive white stone called] marble. [The guests sat on] gold and silver couches. The couches were on a pavement/floor which had on top of it designs made from various kinds of expensive stones.
7 Siangpahrang hoi kamcuk ah, siangpahrang ih misurtui loe sui boengloeng hoiah a naek o, boengloeng loe maeto hoi maeto krang anghmong ai.
[The guests] drank wine from gold cups. Each cup had a different design on it.
8 Misurtui naekhaih loe daan baktiah sak o, mi kawbaktih doeh tha patoh hoi nae o sak nganga ai; kami boih angmah koeh zetto naeksak hanah, siangpahrang mah angmah ih angraengnawk to lokpaek.
There was a lot of wine, because the king wanted the guests to drink as much as they wanted. But the king told the servants that they should not force anyone to drink more than he wanted.
9 Siangpahrang zu Vashti mah doeh siangpahrang Ahasuerus ih im ah nongpatanawk hanah buhraenghaih a sak pae toeng.
[At the same time, the king’s wife, ] Queen Vashti, invited the wives of the men who worked in the palace to a banquet [in another room in the palace].
10 Ni sarihto naah, siangpahrang Ahasuerus loe misurtui mah poeknawmsak, angmah ih toksah angraengnawk, Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar hoi Karkas khaeah,
On the last/seventh day of those banquets, when King Xerxes was partially drunk from drinking wine, he [summoned] seven of his personal servants. They were Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas.
11 siangparhrang zu Vashti loe kranghoih parai pongah, siangpahrang zu lumuek angmuek nasoe loe, minawk hoi angraengnawk hmaa ah, a kranghoihaih to patuek hanah angzoh o haih ah, tiah lokpaek.
He told them to bring Queen Vashti to him, wearing her crown. He wanted his guests to see that she was very beautiful.
12 Toe a zu loe siangpahrang ih toksah tangzat mii kadueh kaminawk mah thuih pae o ih, siangpahrang mah paek ih lok baktih toengah angzoh han koeh ai angmak pae; to naah siangpahrang loe paroeai palungphui, anih loe palungphui hmai baktiah amngaeh.
But when those servants told Vashti what the king wanted, she refused to go to the king [because she did not want to display her beauty in front of a group of half-drunk men]. So that caused the king to become very angry.
13 (Siangpahrang mah, daan panoek, katoeng ah lokcaek kop kaminawk khaeah sakzong ih baktih toengah, siangpahrang mah, angmah tlim ah toksah,
Immediately he had a meeting with the seven men who were the most important officials in Persia and Media. They were the men whom he often asked (for their advice/what he should do). And they were men who knew all the customs and laws [of Persia]. Their names were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan.
14 Karshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena hoi Memukan cae khaeah lokthuih; hae angraeng sarihtonawk loe Persia hoi Media prae kami ah oh o moe, siangpahrang hoi anghnai koek kami, siangpahrang mikhmai tong thaih kami, prae thungah areangh sang koek kaminawk ah oh o; )
15 siangpahrang toksah angraengnawk mah thuih pae o ih, siangpahrang Ahasuerus lokpaekhaih to Vashti mah aek pongah, daan baktiah kawbangmaw sak han? tiah angdueng o naah,
The king said to them, “Queen Vashti has refused to obey me when I sent my servants [to tell her to come here]. What do our laws say that we should do to someone who [acts/behaves like that]?”
16 Memukan mah siangpahrang hoi angraengnawk hmaa ah, siangpahrang zu Vashti loe, siangpahrang khae khue ai, angraegnawk, Ahasuerus siangpahrang prae thungah kaom kaminawk boih nuiah doeh zaehaih sak boeh.
While the other officials were present, Memucan told the king, [“Your majesty], Queen Vashti has (insulted/done wrong against) you, but she has also insulted all your officials and everyone else (in your empire/that you rule over).
17 Siangpahrang Ahasuerus mah a zu Vashti to a hmaa ah tacawt hanah kawk, toe caeh pae ai, tiah kami boih mah thuih o boeh; siangpahrang zu mah sak ih hmuen hae nongpatanawk boih mah thaih naah, angmacae ih sava to khingya o mak ai.
All the women [throughout the empire] will hear what she has done, and they will say, ‘The king commanded Queen Vashti to come to him, and she refused.’ [So they will not obey their husbands. Instead, ] they will begin to not respect their husbands.
18 Siangpahrang zu mah sak ih hmuen to vaihni roe ah Persia hoi Media prae ih angraeng zunawk mah, siangpahrang ih toksah angraengnawk khaeah, siangpahrang zu khosakhaih kawng to thui o tih boeh. To naah khingya ai ih palungthin hoi lokaekhaih to pung aep tih boeh.
Before this day ends, the wives of all us officials in Persia and Media will hear what the queen did, and they also will refuse to obey their husbands. They will not respect us, and they will cause us to become very angry.
19 To pongah siangpahrang naakrakhaih om nahaeloe, Vashti loe natuek naah doeh siangpahrang Ahasuerus hmaa ah amtueng hmah lai nasoe, tiah amkhrai thai ai, siangpahrang lokpaekhaih to Persia hoi Media prae ih daan ah tariksak ah; to pacoengah siangpahrang mah, Vashti pong kahoih kue kalah nongpata to, siangpahrang zu angdoethaih ahmuen ah suem nasoe.
So if it pleases you, O king, you should write a law. Like all the other laws of Persia and Media, it will be a law that (no one can change/cannot be changed.) Write a law that states that Queen Vashti will never be allowed to see you again [and will not continue to be the queen]. Then you can choose another woman to be queen, a woman who deserves to be queen more than Vashti does.
20 To baktih siangpahrang lokpaekhaih to a prae thung boih ah thuih naah ni, kathoeng kalen tih ai, nongpatanawk boih mah, angmacae ih sava nuiah khingyahaih tawn o tih, tiah a naa.
Then, when everyone in your empire hears what you have commanded, all the women, including those who are important and those who are not important, will respect and obey their husbands.”
21 Anih mah thuih ih lok mah siangpahrang hoi angraengnawk ih palungthin to daengh khuek pongah, Memukan ih lok baktih toengah siangpahrang mah sak;
The king and the other officials liked what Memucan suggested, so he [did that. He wrote a law] proclaiming that.
22 kami boih mah angmah ih imthung to uk moe, angmah ih lok to apaeh han oh, tiah siangpahrang mah paek ih lok to, prae kami boih ih lok hoiah leh moe, to ca to siangpahrang ukhaih prae thung boih ah a paek.
Then he sent letters to all the provinces, stating that all men should have complete authority over their wives and their children. He wrote the letters in every language and type of writing/alphabet that was used in each province.
