Ester 8

1 Paa den samme Dag gav Kong Ahasverus Dronning Esther Hamans, Jødernes Fjendes, Hus; og Mardokaj kom for Kongens Ansigt, thi Esther havde givet til Kende, hvad han var for hende.

On that day king, Artaxerxes gave the house of Haman, the adversary of the Jews, to queen Esther, and Mordecai entered before the king. For Esther had confessed to him that he was her paternal uncle.

2 Og Kongen tog sin Ring af, som han havde taget fra Haman, og gav Mardokaj den; og Esther satte Mardokaj over Hamans Hus.

And the king took the ring, which he had ordered to be taken from Haman, and he handed it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai over her house.

3 Og Esther blev ved og talte for Kongens Ansigt og faldt ned for hans Fødder, og hun græd og bad ham om den Naade, at han vilde afværge Hamans, Agagitens, Ondskab og hans Anslag, som han havde optænkt imod Jøderne.

Not content with these things, she threw herself down at the king’s feet and wept, and, speaking to him, pleaded that he would give orders that the malice of Haman the Agagite, and his most wicked schemes, which he had contrived against the Jews, would be made ineffective.

4 Saa udrakte Kongen Guldspiret til Esther, og Esther rejste sig og stod for Kongens Ansigt.

But he, as was the custom, extended the golden scepter with his hand, which was the sign of clemency, and she rose up and stood before him.

5 Og hun sagde: Dersom det saa synes Kongen godt, og dersom jeg har fundet Naade for hans Ansigt, og den Sag er ret for Kongens Ansigt, og jeg er behagelig for hans Øjne: Saa lad der skrives, for at tilbagekalde Brevene, det Anslag af Agagiten Haman, Ham-Medathas Søn, hvilke han har skrevet om at udrydde Jøderne, som ere i alle Kongens Landskaber;

And she said, “If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his eyes, and my request is not seen to be disagreeable to him, I beg you that the former letters of Haman, the traitor and enemy of the Jews, by which he instructed them to be destroyed in all the king’s provinces, may be corrected by new letters.

6 thi hvorledes formaar jeg at se paa det onde, som vil ramme mit Folk? og hvorledes formaar jeg at se paa min Slægts Undergang?

For how will I be able to endure the murder and execution of my people?”

7 Da sagde Kong Ahasverus til Dronning Esther og til Jøden Mardokaj: Se, jeg har givet Esther Hamans Hus, og ham have de hængt paa Træet, fordi han udrakte sin Haand imod Jøderne.

And king Artaxerxes answered Esther the queen and Mordecai the Jew, “I have granted Haman’s house to Esther, and I have ordered him to be fastened to a cross, because he dared to lay hands on the Jews.

8 Saa skriver nu I om Jøderne, saasom eder godt synes, i Kongens Navn, og forsegler det med Kongens Ring; thi den Skrift, som er skreven i Kongens Navn og er bleven forseglet med Kongens Ring, er ikke til at tilbagekalde.

Therefore, write to the Jews, just as it pleases you, in the king’s name, sealing the letters with my ring.” For this was the custom, that letters which were sent in the king’s name and were sealed with his ring, no one would dare to contradict.

9 Saa bleve Kongens Skrivere kaldte paa den Tid, i den tredje Maaned, det er Sivan Maaned, paa den tre og tyvende Dag i samme, og der blev skrevet aldeles, som Mardokaj befalede, til Jøderne og til Statholderne og Fyrsterne og de Øverste i Landskaberne fra Indien og indtil Morland, hundrede og syv og tyve Landskaber, hvert Landskab efter dets Skrift og hvert Folk efter dets Tungemaal; og til Jøderne efter deres Skrift og efter deres Tungemaal.

Then the scribes and copyists were brought in, (now it was the time of the third month which is called Sivan, ) on the twenty-third day of the month, and letters were written, as Mordecai wanted, to the Jews, and to the governors, and procurators, and judges, who presided over the one hundred twenty-seven provinces, from India all the way to Ethiopia: to one province and another, to one people and another, in accordance with their languages and letters, and to the Jews, exactly as they were able to read and hear.

10 Og han skrev i Kong Ahasverus's Navn og forseglede det med Kongens Ring, og sendte Brevene ved Ilbud til Hest, som rede paa Travere, Muler, faldne efter Hingste:

And these letters, which were sent in the king’s name, had been signed with his ring, and were sent by swift couriers who were to rush in every direction, through all the provinces, so as to prevent the former letters with new messages.

11 At Kongen gav Jøderne, som vare i hver Stad, Lov til at samles og at værge for deres Liv, at ødelægge, at ihjelslaa og at udrydde alt Folkets og Landskabernes Magt, som trængte dem, smaa Børn og Kvinder, og at røve Bytte fra dem,

The king commanded them to bring together the Jews throughout each city, and to instruct them to join together, so as to make a stand for their lives, and to execute and destroy all their enemies, with their wives and children and their entire houses, and to plunder their spoil.

12 paa een Dag i alle Kong Ahasverus's Landskaber, paa den trettende Dag i den tolvte Maaned, det er Adar Maaned.

And one day of retribution was established throughout all the provinces, namely, the thirteenth of the twelfth month Adar.

13 En Genpart af Brevet var, at en Lov skulde gives i hvert Landskab, at det skal være vitterligt for alle Folk, at Jøderne skulde være rede paa denne Dag at hævne sig paa deres Fjender.

And such was the content of the letter, so that it would be made known in all lands and nations, which are subject to the authority of king Artaxerxes, that the Jews have been made ready to be vindicated of their enemies.

14 Ilbudene, som rede paa Travere, paa Muler, droge ud og hastede og skyndte sig efter Kongens Ord; og den Lov blev given i Borgen Susan.

And so the swift couriers departed in haste, carrying through the announcement, and the king’s edict was hung up in Susa.

15 Og Mardokaj gik ud fra Kongens Ansigt i et kongeligt Klædebon, blaat og hvidt, og med en stor Guldkrone og en kostelig Kappe af Linned og Purpur, og Staden Susan jublede og glædede sig.

But Mordecai, going forth from the palace and from the king’s presence, shone in royal apparel the color of hyacinth and of the sky, wearing a golden crown on his head, and clothed with a cloak of silk and purple. And all the city rejoiced and was joyful.

16 Der var kommet Lys og Glæde for Jøderne og Fryd og Ære.

But for the Jews, a new light seemed to rise; there was joy, honor, and dancing.

17 Og i ethvert Landskab og i enhver Stad, til hvilket Sted Kongens Ord og hans Lov ankom, var Glæde og Fryd iblandt Jøderne, Gæstebud og gode Dage; og mange af Folkene i Landet bleve Jøder, thi Frygt for Jøderne var falden paa dem.

With all the peoples, cities, and provinces, wherever the king’s orders arrived, there was wonderful rejoicing, banquets and feasts, and a solemn holy day, so much so that many of the other nations joined themselves to their religious practices and ceremonies. For a great fear of the name of the Jews had overcome them all.