< ESTHER 2 >

1 He ol hnukah tah manghai Ahasuerus kah kosi tah daeh tih Vashti khaw, anih kah a saii te khaw, anih sokah a tuiphih te khaw, a poek.
After these things, when the fury of king Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her.
2 Te dongah amah aka bong manghai tueihyoeih loh, “Manghai ham hula, oila a mueimae aka then tlap pa sih.
Then said the king's servants that attended upon him, Let there be maidens, virgins of beautiful countenance, sought for the king;
3 Manghai loh a ram kah paeng tom ah hlangtawt khueh saeh lamtah a mueimae aka then hula, oila boeih te Shushan kah rhalmah im la coi saeh. Amih te huta aka ngaithuen manghai imkhoem Hegai kut hmui kah huta im ah thentui pae saeh.
and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the young virgins of beautiful countenance to Shushan the fortress, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hegai the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given.
4 Te vaengah manghai mik ah aka then hula te tah Vashti yueng la manghai saeh,” a ti nah. Te ol tah manghai mik ah khaw a cop dongah te tlam te a saii.
And let the maiden that pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.
5 Shushan rhalmah im ah Judah hlang om tih a ming te Benjamin hlang, Kish capa, Shimei koca, Jair capa Mordekai ni.
There was in Shushan the fortress a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite,
6 Anih te khaw Babylon manghai Nebukhanezar loh Judah manghai Jekoniah a poelyoe vaengah Jerusalem lamloh vangsawn la a poelyoe van.
who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.
7 Te vaengah Mordekai loh a panoe canu Esther Hadassah te a poeh. Esther te a manu a napa om voel pawh. Hula tah a sakthen suisak neh a mueimae khaw then. A manu a napa a duek vaengah ni anih te Mordekai loh amah taengah a canu la a loh.
And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter; for she had neither father nor mother — and the maiden was fair and beautiful — and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter.
8 Manghai ol neh a olkhan te a yaak sak vaengah tah hula rhoek te Shushan rhalmah im kah Hegai kut dongla muep a coi. Te dongah Esther khaw manghai im kah huta aka ngaithuen Hegai kut dongla a khuen.
And it came to pass when the king's commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the fortress, unto the custody of Hegai, that Esther also was brought into the king's house, unto the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.
9 Hula te a mik ah cop. Te dongah a mikhmuh ah sitlohnah a dang tih a thentui khaw a let sak. Anih ham a maehvae te khaw a paek. Anih te sawt hamla manghai im lamloh tanu parhih a paek. Te phoeiah Esther neh a tanu rhoek te huta im then la puen.
And the maiden pleased him, and obtained favour before him; and he speedily gave her her things for purification, and her portions, and the seven maidens selected to be given her, out of the king's house; and he removed her and her maids to the best [place] of the house of the women.
10 Mordekai loh thui pawt ham a taengah a uen dongah Esther loh a pilnam neh a pacaboeina kawng te thui pawh.
Esther had not made known her people nor her birth; for Mordecai had charged her that she should not make it known.
11 Te vaengah Mordekai tah Esther kah sadingnah neh anih te metla a saii ming hamla huta im kah vongtung hmai ah a hnin, hnin puet cet.
And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women's house, to know how Esther did, and what should become of her.
12 Hula, hula te manghai Ahasuerus taengla kun ham aitlaeng loh a pha hlan vaengah tah anih te huta kah a longim bangla hla hlai nit a thok hil om pueng. Te dongah khohnin a cum vaengah hla rhuk te murrah situi neh, hla rhuk tah huta kah thentui botui neh yuhnah a khueh.
And when every maiden's turn came to go in to king Ahasuerus after that she had been treated for twelve months, according to the manner of the women (for so were the days of their purification accomplished — six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with spices, and with things for the purifying of the women,
13 Te tlam te manghai taengla hula a caeh vaengah tah a thui boeih te a taengah a paek tih anih te huta im lamloh manghai im la a khuen.
and thus came the maiden in unto the king), whatever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women to the king's house.
14 Anih te hlaem vaengah kun tih mincang ah tah manghai yula aka ngaithuen imkhoem Shaashgaz kut dongkah huta im a pabae la mael. Anih te manghai loh a ngaih tih a ming neh a khue pawt atah manghai taengla koep kun voel pawh.
In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, unto the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's chamberlain, keeper of the concubines. She came in to the king no more, unless the king delighted in her, and she were called by name.
15 Te vaengah Mordekai loh amah canu la a loh a napanoe Abihail canu Esther khaw manghai taengla a caeh ham aitlaeng loh a pha. Tedae huta aka ngaithuen manghai imkhoem Hegai kah a uen voel ah hno a tloe a bih moenih. Te dongah Esther tah anih aka so boeih kah mikhmuh ah mikdaithen aka dang la om.
And when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, came to go in to the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained grace in the sight of all them that saw her.
16 Te dongah a manghai nah kum rhih, a hla rha dongkah Tebeth hla vaengah tah manghai Ahasuerus loh Esther te amah kah manghai im la a loh.
So Esther was taken to king Ahasuerus, into his royal house, in the tenth month, that is, the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 Manghai loh Esther te huta boeih lakah a lungnah dongah mikdaithen khaw a phueih. oila boeih lakah khaw a mikhmuh ah a sitlohnah a dang. Te dongah manghai rhuisam te a lu ah a khuem sak tih anih te Vashti yueng la a manghai sak.
And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins, and he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.
18 Te phoeiah manghai loh a mangpa rhoek neh a sal boeih ham buhkoknah muep a saii pah. Esther kah buhkoknah neh bihoepnah khaw paeng ah a saii tih manghai kut van la buham a tael.
And the king made a great feast to all his princes and his servants, Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave presents according to the king's bounty.
19 A pabae la oila rhoek a coi vaengah Mordekai te manghai vongka ah ngol.
And when the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai sat in the king's gate.
20 Mordekai loh a taengah a uen vanbangla Esther loh a pacaboeina kawng neh a pilnam kawng te thui pawh. Esther tah Mordekai kah olpaek aka ngai la om tih te te a rhoengnah.
(Esther, as Mordecai had charged her, had not yet made known her birth nor her people; for Esther did what Mordecai told her, like as when she was brought up with him.)
21 Te vaeng tue ah Mordekai te manghai vongka ah a ngol hatah cingkhaa aka ngaithuen manghai kah imkhoem rhoi Bigthan neh Teresh tah a thintoek tih manghai Ahasuerus te kut hlah thil ham a mae rhoi.
In those days, while Mordecai sat in the king's gate, two of the king's chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those which kept the threshold, were wroth, and sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.
22 Tedae ol te Mordekai loh a ming dongah manghainu Esther taengla puen. Esther loh manghai taengah Mordekai ming neh a thui pah.
And the thing became known to Mordecai, and he related it to Esther the queen, and Esther told it to the king in Mordecai's name.
23 Ol te a cae vaengah phoe tangloeng tih amih rhoi te thing dongah a kuiok sak. Te te manghai mikhmuh kah khokhuen olka cabu dongah a daek.
And the matter was investigated and found out; and they were both hanged on a tree. And it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king.

< ESTHER 2 >