以斯帖記 9
1 十二月，乃亞達月十三日，王的諭旨將要舉行，就是猶大人的仇敵盼望轄制他們的日子，猶大人反倒轄制恨他們的人。
For in the twelfth month, on the thirteenth day of the month which is Adar, the letters written by the king arrived.
2 猶大人在亞哈隨魯王各省的城裏聚集，下手擊殺那要害他們的人。無人能敵擋他們，因為各族都懼怕他們。
In that day the adversaries of the Jews perished: for no one resisted, through fear of them.
3 各省的首領、總督、省長，和辦理王事的人，因懼怕末底改，就都幫助猶大人。
For the chiefs of the satraps, and the princes and the royal scribes, honoured the Jews; for the fear of Mardochaeus lay upon them.
4 末底改在朝中為大，名聲傳遍各省，日漸昌盛。
For the order of the king was in force, that he should be celebrated in all the kingdom.
5 猶大人用刀擊殺一切仇敵，任意殺滅恨他們的人。
6 在書珊城，猶大人殺滅了五百人；
And in the city Susa the Jews killed five hundred men:
7 又殺巴珊大他、達分、亞斯帕他、
both Pharsannes, and Delphon and Phasga,
8 破拉他、亞大利雅、亞利大他、
and Pharadatha, and Barea, and Sarbaca,
9 帕瑪斯他、亞利賽、亞利代、瓦耶撒他；
and Marmasima, and Ruphaeus, and Arsaeus, and Zabuthaeus,
10 這十人都是哈米大他的孫子、猶大人仇敵哈曼的兒子。猶大人卻沒有下手奪取財物。
the ten sons of Aman the son of Amadathes the Bugaean, the enemy of the Jews, and they plundered [their property] on the same day:
11 當日，將書珊城被殺的人數呈在王前。
and the number of them that perished in Susa was rendered to the king.
12 王對王后以斯帖說：「猶大人在書珊城殺滅了五百人，又殺了哈曼的十個兒子，在王的各省不知如何呢？現在你要甚麼，我必賜給你；你還求甚麼，也必為你成就。」
And the king said to Esther, The Jews have slain five hundred men in the city Susa; and how, think you, have they used them in the rest of the country? What then do you yet ask, that it may be [done] for you?
13 以斯帖說：「王若以為美，求你准書珊的猶大人，明日也照今日的旨意行，並將哈曼十個兒子的屍首掛在木架上。」
And Esther said to the king, let it be granted to the Jews so to treat them tomorrow as to hand the ten sons of Aman.
14 王便允准如此行。旨意傳在書珊，人就把哈曼十個兒子的屍首掛起來了。
And he permitted it to be so done; and he gave up to the Jews of the city the bodies of the sons of Aman to hang.
15 亞達月十四日，書珊的猶大人又聚集在書珊，殺了三百人，卻沒有下手奪取財物。
And the Jews assembled in Susa on the fourteenth [day] of Adar, and killed three hundred men, but plundered no property.
16 在王各省其餘的猶大人也都聚集保護性命，殺了恨他們的人七萬五千，卻沒有下手奪取財物。這樣，就脫離仇敵，得享平安。
And the rest of the Jews who were in the kingdom assembled, and helped one another, and obtained rest from their enemies: for they destroyed fifteen thousand of them on the thirteenth [day] of Adar, but took no spoil.
17 亞達月十三日，行了這事；十四日安息，以這日為設筵歡樂的日子。
And they rested on the fourteenth of the same month, and kept it as a day of rest with joy and gladness.
18 但書珊的猶大人，這十三日、十四日聚集殺戮仇敵；十五日安息，以這日為設筵歡樂的日子。
And the Jews in the city Susa assembled also on the fourteenth [day] and rested; and they kept also the fifteenth with joy and gladness.
19 所以住無城牆鄉村的猶大人，如今都以亞達月十四日為設筵歡樂的吉日，彼此餽送禮物。
On this account then [it is that] the Jews dispersed in every foreign land keep the fourteenth of Adar [as] a holy day with joy, sending portions each to his neighbour.
20 末底改記錄這事，寫信與亞哈隨魯王各省遠近所有的猶大人，
And Mardochaeus wrote these things in a book, and sent them to the Jews, as many as were in the kingdom of Artaxerxes, both them that were near and them that were afar off,
21 囑咐他們每年守亞達月十四、十五兩日，
to establish these [as] joyful days, and to keep the fourteenth and fifteenth of Adar;
22 以這月的兩日為猶大人脫離仇敵得平安、轉憂為喜、轉悲為樂的吉日。在這兩日設筵歡樂，彼此餽送禮物，賙濟窮人。
for on these days the Jews obtained rest from their enemies; and [as to] the month, which was Adar, in which a change was made for them, from mourning to joy, and from sorrow to a good day, to spend the whole of it [in] good days of feasting and gladness, sending portions to their friends, and to the poor.
23 於是，猶大人按着末底改所寫與他們的信，應承照初次所守的守為永例；
And the Jews consented [to this] accordingly as Mardochaeus wrote to them,
24 是因猶大人的仇敵亞甲族哈米大他的兒子哈曼設謀殺害猶大人，掣普珥，就是掣籤，為要殺盡滅絕他們；
[showing] how Aman the son of Amadathes the Macedonian fought against them, how he made a decree and cast lots to destroy them utterly;
25 這事報告於王，王便降旨使哈曼謀害猶大人的惡事歸到他自己的頭上，並吩咐把他和他的眾子都掛在木架上。
also how he went in to the king, telling [him] to hang Mardochaeus: but all the calamities he tried to bring upon the Jews came upon himself, and he was hanged, and his children.
26 照着普珥的名字，猶大人就稱這兩日為「普珥日」。他們因這信上的話，又因所看見所遇見的事，
Therefore these days were called Phrurae, because of the lots; (for in their language they are called Phrurae; ) because of the words of this letter, and [because of] all they suffered on this account, and all that happened to them.
27 就應承自己與後裔，並歸附他們的人，每年按時必守這兩日，永遠不廢。
And [Mardochaeus] established it, and the Jews took upon themselves, and upon their seed, and upon those that were joined to them [to observe it], neither would they on any account behave differently: but these days [were to be] a memorial kept in every generation, and city, and family, and province.
28 各省各城、家家戶戶、世世代代紀念遵守這兩日，使這「普珥日」在猶大人中不可廢掉，在他們後裔中也不可忘記。
And these days of the Phrurae, [said they, ]shall be kept for ever, and their memorial shall not fail in any generation.
29 亞比孩的女兒－王后以斯帖和猶大人末底改以全權寫第二封信，堅囑猶大人守這「普珥日」，
And queen Esther, the daughter of Aminadab, and Mardochaeus the Jew, wrote all that they had done, and the confirmation of the letter of Phrurae.
30 用和平誠實話寫信給亞哈隨魯王國中一百二十七省所有的猶大人，
31 勸他們按時守這「普珥日」，禁食呼求，是照猶大人末底改和王后以斯帖所囑咐的，也照猶大人為自己與後裔所應承的。
And Mardochaeus and Esther the queen appointed [a fast] for themselves privately, even at that time also having formed their plan against their own health.
32 以斯帖命定守「普珥日」，這事也記錄在書上。
And Esther established it by a command for ever, and it was written for a memorial.
