Esther 3
1 To pacoengah Ahasuerus siangpahrang mah Agag acaeng, Hammedatha capa Haman to pathlaw moe, a taengah kaom kalah angraengnawk pongah araengh sang to paek.
Some time later, King Xerxes (promoted/gave his most important job/work to) Haman, the son of Hammedatha, who was a descendant of [King] Agag. Haman became more important than all his other officials. [Only the king was more important.]
2 Siangpahrang ih khongkha toep, a tamnanawk boih loe siangpahrang lokpaekhaih baktih toengah, Haman hmaa ah akuephaih hoiah azathaih to paek o. Toe Mordekai loe akuep ai, khingyahaih doeh paek ai.
Then the king commanded that all the other officials had to bow down in front of Haman to honor him [when he walked by]. But Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman.
3 To naah siangpahrang khongkha ah kaom siangpahrang ih tamnanawk mah Mordekai khaeah, Tipongah siangpahrang mah paek ih lok to na aek loe? tiah a naa o.
The [other] officials [saw that, and they] asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey what the king commanded?”
4 Nihcae mah ni thokkruek anih khaeah thuih pae o, toe Mordekai mah kai loe Judah kami ni, tiah a naa. Nihcae ih lok to tahngai pae ai; to pongah Mordekai mah thuih ih lok loe tangtang maw, tangtang ai, tiah panoek hanah, Haman khaeah thuih pae o.
Mordecai told them that he was a Jew, [and that Jews would bow down only to God]. Day after day the other officials spoke to Mordecai about that, but he still refused to obey. So they told Haman about it, to see if Haman would tolerate it.
5 Mordekai loe akuep ai moe, khingyahaih doeh paek ai, tiah Haman mah hnuk naah, paroeai palungphui.
When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down to him, he became extremely angry.
6 Nihcae mah Mordekai ih acaengnawk to panoek naah, Mordekai khue hum han koeh ai; Ahasuerus ukhaih prae thungah kaom Mordekai ih acaeng Judahnawk boih hum hanah loklam to pakrong.
[After he found out that Mordecai was a Jew, ] he decided that it would not be enough to get rid of only Mordecai. He decided to kill all the Jews in all the area that Xerxes ruled.
7 Ahasuerus siangpahrang ah ohhaih saning hatlai hnetto, khrah tangsuek, Nisan khrah naah, ani hoi akhrah to qoih hanah Haman hmaa ah Pur, tiah kawk ih taham khethaih phoisa to vah o; to naah taham khethaih phoisa loe khrah hatlai hnetto haih, Adar khrah ah amtimh.
So, during the twelfth year that Xerxes was ruling, during the month of April, [Haman told his advisors to] (cast lots/throw small marked stones) to determine the best month and the best day to kill the Jews. Haman’s advisors did that, and the day that was selected was March 7th [during the following/next year].
8 To naah Haman loe Ahasuerus siangpahrang khaeah caeh moe, Minawk kalah ih daan hoi anghmong ai, siangpahrang mah paek ih lok doeh tahngai ai, na prae thung boih ah amhet o moe, minawk salakah kaom acaeng maeto oh; to acaeng to na tahmen nahaeloe, siangpahrang hanah amekhaih om mak ai, tiah a naa.
Then Haman [went to] the king [and] said to [him], “[Your majesty, ] there is a certain group of people who live in many areas [of your empire] whose customs are different from ours. They even refuse to obey your laws. So it would be good for you to get rid of them.
9 Siangpahrang palung tongh nahaeloe, nihcae to tamit boih hanah lok takroek ah; to lok takroekhaih baktiah sah tangtang kami hanah sumkanglung talent sangto siangpahrang ih tangka patunghaih ahmuen ah ka suek han, tiah a naa.
If it pleases you, command that they should all be killed. [If you do that, ] I will give (375 tons/750,000 pounds) of silver to your administrators so that you can use it for your government.”
10 To pongah siangpahrang loe angmah ih bantuek to khringh moe, Agag acaeng, Hammedatha capa, Judahnawk ih misa, Haman khaeah paek.
The king liked [what Haman said, so, and to confirm what he decided], he gave the ring that had his official seal on it to Haman, who now hated the Jews.
11 Siangpahrang mah Haman khaeah, Tangka loe nangmah hanah kang paek, to kaminawk doeh na koeh baktiah sah ah, tiah a naa.
The king told Haman, “Keep your money, but do what you want to with those people [whom you talked about]!”
12 To pacoengah hmaloe koek ih khrah, ni hatlai thumto naah, siangpahrang ih ca tarik kami to a kawk; Haman mah siangpahrang bomkung khaeah thuih ih lok baktih toengah, prae maeto kruekah angmacae ih lok hoiah ca to tarik moe, prae ukkungnawk, prae thung ih angraengnawk khaeah a paek; ca loe siangpahrang Ahasuerus ih ahmin hoiah tarik moe, anih ih bantuek hoiah catui a daengh.
On April 17th Haman summoned the king’s secretaries, and he dictated a letter to them that they [translated and] wrote to all the governors and administrators and other officials in all the provinces. They wrote copies of the letter in every language and every kind of writing/alphabet that was used in the empire. They wrote that all the Jews, [including] young people and old people, women and children, had to be killed on one day. That day was March 7th of the following year. They also wrote that [those who killed the Jews] could take everything that belonged to the Jews. [They signed] the king’s name [at the end of] the letters. Then they sealed the letters [with wax, and stamped the wax by] using the king’s ring. Then they sent the letters swiftly to every province in the empire,
13 Adar khrah, khrah hatlai hnetto haih, ni hatlai thum, nito thungah Judahnawk boih, nawkta hoi mitong, nawktanawk hoi nongpatanawk to hum boih moe, tamit boih pacoengah, nihcae ih hmuennawk to lak boih hanah, ca to siangpahrang ukhaih prae thung boih ah ca phawkungnawk khaeah a pat.
14 To na niah kaminawk boih amsak o coek hanah, siangpahrang mah paek ih lok baktih toengah tarik ih ca to prae thung ih kaminawk boih hanah panoek o sak.
The king [also commanded that] copies of these letters should be [nailed up] where [all the people] could see them, in every province, so that the people would be ready to do on the day the king had set [what was written in the letter].
15 Siangpahrang mah paek ih lok to thuih hanah, capat phawkungnawk loe karangah caeh o moe, siangpahrang ohhaih ahmuen Susan vangpui ah taphong o. To naah siangpahrang hoi Haman loe caaknaek hanah anghnut hoi; toe Susan vangpui loe dawnraihaih hoiah koi.
Then, according to what the king commanded, men [riding horses] took those letters quickly to every province [in the empire]. And one of the letters was read [aloud to the people] in the capital city, Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down and drank [wine], but the people in Susa were very perplexed [about why this was going to happen].
