以斯帖记 9
1 十二月，乃亚达月十三日，王的谕旨将要举行，就是犹大人的仇敌盼望辖制他们的日子，犹大人反倒辖制恨他们的人。
On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the king's order and decree were to be carried out. That day the enemies of the Jews had thought they would crush them, but the exact opposite happened—the Jews crushed their enemies.
2 犹大人在亚哈随鲁王各省的城里聚集，下手击杀那要害他们的人。无人能敌挡他们，因为各族都惧怕他们。
The Jews gathered in their cities throughout the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those who wanted to destroy them. Nobody could oppose them, because all the other people were afraid of them.
3 各省的首领、总督、省长，和办理王事的人，因惧怕末底改，就都帮助犹大人。
All the officials of the provinces, the chief officers, the governors, and the king's officials helped the Jews, because they were afraid of Mordecai.
4 末底改在朝中为大，名声传遍各省，日渐昌盛。
Mordecai had a great deal of power in the royal palace, and his reputation spread throughout the provinces as his power increased.
5 犹大人用刀击杀一切仇敌，任意杀灭恨他们的人。
The Jews attacked their enemies with swords, killing and destroying them, and they did whatever they wanted to their enemies.
6 在书珊城，犹大人杀灭了五百人；
In the fortress of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men.
7 又杀巴珊大他、达分、亚斯帕他、
This included Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,
8 破拉他、亚大利雅、亚利大他、
Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
9 帕玛斯他、亚利赛、亚利代、瓦耶撒他；
Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha,
10 这十人都是哈米大他的孙子、犹大人仇敌哈曼的儿子。犹大人却没有下手夺取财物。
the ten sons of Haman, son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, but they did not take their possessions.
11 当日，将书珊城被杀的人数呈在王前。
The same day, when the number of those killed in the fortress of Susa was reported to the king,
12 王对王后以斯帖说：“犹大人在书珊城杀灭了五百人，又杀了哈曼的十个儿子，在王的各省不知如何呢？现在你要什么，我必赐给你；你还求什么，也必为你成就。”
he said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men in the fortress of Susa, including Haman's ten sons. Imagine what they've done in the rest of the royal provinces! Now what is it you'd like to ask? It will be given to you. What more do you want? It will be granted.”
13 以斯帖说：“王若以为美，求你准书珊的犹大人，明日也照今日的旨意行，并将哈曼十个儿子的尸首挂在木架上。”
“If it please Your Majesty,” Esther replied, “allow the Jews in Susa be allowed to do the same tomorrow as they did today, following the decree. Also, let the ten sons of Haman be impaled on poles.”
14 王便允准如此行。旨意传在书珊，人就把哈曼十个儿子的尸首挂起来了。
The king ordered this to be done. A decree was issued in Susa, and they impaled the bodies of Haman's ten sons.
15 亚达月十四日，书珊的犹大人又聚集在书珊，杀了三百人，却没有下手夺取财物。
On the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, the Jews in Susa gathered together again and killed three hundred men there, but again they did not take their possessions.
16 在王各省其余的犹大人也都聚集保护性命，杀了恨他们的人七万五千，却没有下手夺取财物。这样，就脱离仇敌，得享平安。
The other Jews in the king's provinces also gathered to defend themselves and get rid of their enemies. They killed 75,000 who hated them, but did not touch their possessions.
17 亚达月十三日，行了这事；十四日安息，以这日为设筵欢乐的日子。
This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested and made it a day of feasting and celebration.
18 但书珊的犹大人，这十三日、十四日聚集杀戮仇敌；十五日安息，以这日为设筵欢乐的日子。
However, the Jews in Susa had gathered to fight on the thirteenth and the fourteenth days of the month. So they rested on the fifteenth day, and made that a day of feasting and celebration.
19 所以住无城墙乡村的犹大人，如今都以亚达月十四日为设筵欢乐的吉日，彼此馈送礼物。
To this day rural Jews, living in the villages, observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day of celebration and feasting, a holiday when they send gifts to one another.
20 末底改记录这事，写信与亚哈随鲁王各省远近所有的犹大人，
Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces ruled by King Xerxes, near and far,
21 嘱咐他们每年守亚达月十四、十五两日，
requiring them to celebrate every year the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar
22 以这月的两日为犹大人脱离仇敌得平安、转忧为喜、转悲为乐的吉日。在这两日设筵欢乐，彼此馈送礼物，周济穷人。
as the time when the Jews rested from their victory over their enemies, and as the month when their sadness was turned into joy and their mourning into a time of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving gifts of food to one another and presents to the poor.
23 于是，犹大人按着末底改所写与他们的信，应承照初次所守的守为永例；
The Jews agreed to continue what they had already started doing, following what Mordecai had written to them.
24 是因犹大人的仇敌亚甲族哈米大他的儿子哈曼设谋杀害犹大人，掣普珥，就是掣签，为要杀尽灭绝他们；
For Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted to destroy the Jews, and had cast “pur” (meaning a “lot”) to crush and destroy them.
25 这事报告于王，王便降旨使哈曼谋害犹大人的恶事归到他自己的头上，并吩咐把他和他的众子都挂在木架上。
But when it came to the king's attention, he sent out letters ordering that the evil scheme which Haman had planned against the Jews should rebound on him, and that he and his sons should be impaled on poles.
26 照着普珥的名字，犹大人就称这两日为“普珥日”。他们因这信上的话，又因所看见所遇见的事，
(That's why these days are called Purim, from the word Pur.) As a result of all the instructions in Mordecai's letter, and what they'd seen, and what had happened to them,
27 就应承自己与后裔，并归附他们的人，每年按时必守这两日，永远不废。
the Jews committed themselves to adopt the practice that they and their descendants and all who join them should not forget to celebrate these two days as set down, and at the right time every year.
28 各省各城、家家户户、世世代代纪念遵守这两日，使这“普珥日”在犹大人中不可废掉，在他们后裔中也不可忘记。
These days were to be remembered and celebrated by every generation, family, province, and city, so that these days of Purim would always be observed among the Jews, and they would not be forgotten by their descendants.
29 亚比孩的女儿—王后以斯帖和犹大人末底改以全权写第二封信，坚嘱犹大人守这“普珥日”，
Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, wrote a letter, along with Mordecai the Jew, giving in her letter full authority to Mordecai's letter about Purim.
30 用和平诚实话写信给亚哈随鲁王国中一百二十七省所有的犹大人，
Letters expressing peace and reassurance were also sent all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the empire of King Xerxes.
31 劝他们按时守这“普珥日”，禁食呼求，是照犹大人末底改和王后以斯帖所嘱咐的，也照犹大人为自己与后裔所应承的。
They established these days of Purim at their given time as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had ordered, committing themselves and their descendants to the times of fasting and mourning.
32 以斯帖命定守“普珥日”，这事也记录在书上。
In this way Esther's decree confirmed these practices regarding Purim, which were entered in the official record.
