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 Assuerus gave the house of Aman, the Jews’ enemy, to queen Esther, and Mardochai came in before the king. For Esther had confessed to him that he was her 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 commanded to be taken again from Aman, and gave it to Mardochai. And Esther set Mardochai 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.

And not content with these things, she fell down at the king’s feet and wept, and speaking to him besought him, that he would give orders that the malice of Aman the Agagite, and his most wicked devices which he had invented against the Jews, should be of no effect.

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

But he, as the manner was, held out the golden sceptre with his hand, which was the sign of clemency: and she arose 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 said: If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and my request be not disagreeable to him, I beseech thee, that the former letters of Aman the traitor and enemy of the Jews, by which he commanded that they should be destroyed in all the king’s provinces, may be reversed 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 call I endure the murdering and slaughter 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 Assuerus answered Esther the queen, and Mardochai the Jew: I have given Aman’s house to Esther, and I have commanded him to be hanged on a gibbet, because he durst 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.

Write ye therefore to the Jews, as it pleaseth you, in the king’s name, and seal the letters with my ring. For this was the custom, that no man durst gainsay the letters which were sent in the king’s name, and were sealed with his ring.

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 king’s scribes and secretaries were called for (now it was the time of the third month which is called Siban) the three and twentieth day of the month, and letters were written, as Mardochai had a mind, to the Jews, and to the governors, and to the deputies, and to the judges, who were rulers over the hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India even to Ethiopia: to province and province, to people and people, according to their languages and characters, and to the Jews, according as they could 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, were sealed with his ring, and sent by posts: who were to run through all the provinces, 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,

And the king gave orders to them, to speak to the Jews in every city, and to command them to gather themselves together, and to stand for their lives, and to kill and destroy all their enemies with their wives and children and all their houses, and to take 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 revenge was appointed through all the provinces, to wit, 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 this was the content of the letter, that it should be notified in all lands and peoples that were subject to the empire of king Assuerus, that the Jews were ready to be revenged 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.

So the swift posts went out carrying the messages, and the king’s edict was hung up in Susan.

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.

And Mardochai going forth out of the palace, and from the king’s presence, shone in royal apparel, to wit, of violet and sky colour, wearing a golden crown on his head, and clothed with a cloak of silk and purple. And all the city rejoiced and was glad.

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

But to the Jews a new light seemed to rise, joy, honour, 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.

And in all peoples, cities, and provinces, whithersoever the king’s commandments came, there was wonderful rejoicing, feasts and banquets, and keeping holy day: insomuch that many of other nations and religion, joined themselves to their worship and ceremonies. For a great dread of the name of the Jews had fallen upon all.