Ester 9

1 Og i den tolvte Maaned, det er Adar Maaned, paa den trettende Dag i den, der Kongens Ord og hans Lov skulde til at fuldbyrdes, paa den Dag som Jødernes Fjender havde ventet at skulle herske over dem, og det vendte sig om, saa at Jøderne selv herskede over deres Hadere,

Therefore, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which as we have said before is called Adar, when all the Jews were prepared to be executed and their enemies were greedy for their blood, the situation turned around, and the Jews began to have the upper hand and to vindicate themselves of their adversaries.

2 da samledes Jøderne i deres Stæder i alle Kong Ahasverus's Landskaber for at lægge Haand paa dem, som søgte deres Ulykke; og ingen kunde bestaa for deres Ansigt, thi Frygt for dem var falden paa alle Folkene.

And they gathered together throughout each city, and town, and place, so as to extend their hands against their enemies and their persecutors. And no one dared to resist them, because their great power had pierced all the peoples.

3 Og alle Øverster i Landskaberne og Statholdere og Fyrster og Kongens Embedsmænd holdt med Jøderne; thi Frygt for Mardokaj var falden paa dem,

For even the judges of the provinces, and the rulers, and the procurators, and everyone of dignity, who presided over every place and work, extolled the Jews for fear of Mordecai.

4 fordi Mardokaj var stor i Kongens Hus, og hans Ry gik igennem alle Landskaberne; thi Manden Mardokaj vedblev at gaa frem i Magt.

For they knew him to be the leader of the palace and to have much power. Likewise, the fame of his name increased daily and flew everywhere through word of mouth.

5 Saa sloge Jøderne alle deres Fjender med Sværdslag og Drab og Ødelæggelse, og de gjorde efter deres Tykke imod deres Hadere.

And so the Jews struck their enemies like a great plague and killed them, repaying according to what they had prepared to do to them,

6 Og i Borgen Susan ihjelsloge Jøderne og ødelagde fem Hundrede Mænd.

so much so that even in Susa they executed five hundred men, besides the ten sons of Haman the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews, and their names are these:

7 Og Parsandatha og Dalfon og Aspatha,

Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha

8 og Poratha og Adalja og Aridatha,

and Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,

9 og Parmastha og Arisaj og Aridaj og Vajesatha,

and Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vaizatha.

10 ti Sønner af Haman, Ham-Medathas Søn, Jødernes Fjende sloge de ihjel; men de lagde ikke deres Haand paa Byttet.

When they had slain them, they were unwilling to touch the spoils of their belongings.

11 Paa den samme Dag kom de ihjelslagnes Tal i Borgen Susan for Kongen.

And immediately the number of those who had been killed in Susa was reported to the king.

12 Og Kongen sagde til Dronning Esther: Jøderne have ihjelslaget og ødelagt fem Hundrede Mænd og Hamans ti Sønner i Borgen Susan; hvad have de gjort i Kongens øvrige Landskaber? men hvad er din Bøn? og det skal gives dig, og hvad er ydermere din Begæring? og det skal ske.

He said to the queen, “In the city of Susa, the Jews have executed five hundred men, and also the ten sons of Haman. How many executions do you think that they have carried out in all the provinces? What more do you ask, and what do you wish, so that I may order it to be done?”

13 Og Esther sagde: Dersom det synes Kongen godt, da lad der ogsaa i Morgen gives Jøderne, som ere i Susan, Tilladelse til at gøre efter denne Dags Lov og at hænge Hamans ti Sønner paa Træet.

And she answered, “If it pleases the king, may power be granted to the Jews, so as to do tomorrow in Susa just as they have done today, and that the ten sons of Haman may be hung up the gallows.”

14 Og Kongen befalede at gøre saa, og der blev givet en Lov i Susan, og de hængte Hamans ti Sønner.

And the king instructed that it should be so done. And immediately the edict was hung up in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hung up.

15 Og Jøderne, som vare i Susan, samledes ogsaa paa den fjortende Dag i Adar Maaned og ihjelsloge i Susan tre Hundrede Mænd; men de lagde ikke deres Haand paa Byttet.

On the fourteenth day of the month Adar, the Jews gathered themselves together, and they executed in Susa three hundred men, but they did not seize their belongings from them.

16 Men de øvrige Jøder, som vare i Kongens Landskaber, samledes og værgede for deres Liv og fik Ro for deres Fjender og ihjelsloge af deres Fjender fem og halvfjerdsindstyve Tusinde; men de lagde ikke deres Haand paa Byttet.

Moreover, throughout all the provinces which were subject to the king’s dominion, the Jews made a stand for their lives, and they executed their enemies and their persecutors, so much so that the number of those who were killed amounted to seventy-five thousand, and yet no one touched any of their belongings.

17 Dette skete paa den trettende Dag i Adar Maaned, og de hvilede paa den fjortende i den og gjorde den til Gæstebuds- og Glædesdag.

Now the thirteenth day of the month Adar was the first day with all of the executions, and on the fourteenth day they ceased the killing. This day they established to be sacred, so that in all times hereafter they would be free for feasting, joyfulness, and celebration.

18 Men Jøderne, som vare i Susan, samledes paa den trettende i den og paa den fjortende i den; og de hvilede paa den femtende i den, og den gjorde de til Gæstebuds- og til Glædesdag.

But, as for those who were carrying out the killings in the city of Susa, they turned to killing on the thirteenth and fourteenth day of the same month. But on the fifteenth day they ceased to attack. And for that reason they established that day as sacred, with feasting and with gladness.

19 Derfor gjorde Jøderne paa Landet, de, som boede i de ubefæstede Stæder, den fjortende Dag i Adar Maaned til Gæstebuds- og Glædes- og Lystighedsdag og til en, paa hvilken den ene sender den anden Gaver.

But in truth, those Jews who were staying in unwalled towns and villages, appointed the fourteenth day of the month Adar for celebration and gladness, so as to rejoice on that day and send one another portions of their feasts and their meals.

20 Og Mardokaj skrev disse Ting og sendte Breve til alle Jøderne, som vare i alle Kong Ahasverus's Landskaber, dem, som vare nær, og dem, som vare langt borte,

And so Mordecai wrote down all these things and sent them, composed in letters, to the Jews who were staying in all the king’s provinces, as much to those in nearby places as to those far away,

21 om at fastsætte for dem, at de skulde gøre den fjortende Dag i Adar Maaned og den femtende Dag i den, Aar for Aar,

so that they would accept the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the month Adar for holy days, and always, at the return of the year, would celebrate them with sacred esteem.

22 som de Dage, paa hvilke Jøderne havde faaet Ro for deres Fjender, og den Maaned, som var bleven vendt for dem fra Bedrøvelse til Glæde og fra Sorg til Lystighedsdag: — At de skulde gøre samme til Gæstebuds- og Glædesdage, og at den ene skulde sende den anden Foræringer og Gaver til de fattige.

For on those days, the Jews vindicated themselves of their enemies, and their mourning and sorrow were turned into mirth and joy, so that these would be days of feasting and gladness, in which they would send one another portions of their feasts, and would grant gifts to the poor.

23 Og Jøderne vedtoge at gøre det, som de havde begyndt, og som Mardokaj havde skrevet dem til.

And the Jews accepted as a solemn ritual all the things which they had begun to do at that time, which Mordecai had commanded with letters to be done.

24 Thi Haman, Ham-Medathas Søn, Agagiten, alle Jøders Fjende, havde optænkt et Anslag imod Jøderne om at udrydde dem og havde ladet kaste Pur, det er Lod, for at ødelægge og udrydde dem.

For Haman, the son of Hammedatha of Agag lineage, the enemy and adversary of the Jews, had devised evil against them, to kill them and to destroy them. And he had cast Pur, which in our language means the lot.

25 Og da det var kommet for Kongens Ansigt, havde han ladet sige ved Brevet, at hans onde Anslag, som han havde optænkt imod Jøderne, skulde komme tilbage paa hans Hoved; og de hængte ham og hans Sønner paa Træet.

And after this, Esther had entered before the king, begging him that his efforts might be made ineffective by the king’s letters, and that the evil he intended against the Jews might return upon his own head. Finally, both he and his sons were fastened to a cross.

26 Derfor kaldte man de samme Dage Purim, efter Ordet Pur, for den Sags Skyld, for alle dette Brevs Ord, og hvad de derhos havde set, og hvad der var kommet over dem.

And so, from that time, these days are called Purim, that is, of the lots, because Pur, that is, the lot, was cast into the urn. And all things that had been carried out are contained in the volume of this epistle, that is, of this book.

27 Jøderne stadfæstede og vedtoge det for sig og for deres Sæd og for alle dem, som sluttede sig til dem, som noget, ingen maatte overtræde, at de skulde holde disse to Dage efter deres Forskrift og deres bestemte Tid, Aar for Aar;

And whatever they suffered, and whatever was altered afterwards, the Jews received for themselves and their offspring and for all who were willing to be joined to their religion, so that none would be permitted to transgress the solemnity of these two days, to which the writing testifies, and which certain times require, as the years continually succeed one another.

28 og at de Dage skulde blive ihukommede og holdte af enhver Slægt, al enhver Familie, hvert Landskab og hver Stad; og at disse Purims Dage ikke skulde forsømmes iblandt Jøderne, og deres Ihukommelse ikke ophøre for deres Sæd.

These are the days which no one ever will erase into oblivion, and which every province in the whole world, throughout each generation, shall celebrate. Neither is there any city wherein the days of Purim, that is, of lots, may not be observed by the Jews, and by their posterity, which has been obligated to these ceremonies.

29 Og Dronning Esther, Abihajls Datter, og Jøden Mardokaj skreve eftertrykkeligt for at stadfæste dette andet Brev om Purim.

And Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, also wrote a second letter, so that with all zealousness this day would be confirmed as customary for future generations.

30 Og han sendte Breve til alle Jøderne, til hundrede og syv og tyve Landskaber i Ahasverus's Rige med Fred og Sandheds Ord

And they sent to all the Jews, who had been stirred up in the one hundred twenty-seven provinces of king Artaxerxes, that they should have peace and receive truth,

31 til at stadfæste disse Purims Dage paa deres bestemte Tider, ligesom Jøden Mardokaj og Dronning Esther havde stadfæstet for dem, og ligesom de havde stadfæstet for sig selv og for deres Sæd angaaende Fasten og Veklagen.

and observe the days of lots, and celebrate them with joy at their proper time, just as Mordecai and Esther had established. And they accepted these to be observed by themselves and by their offspring: fasting, and crying out, and the days of lots,

32 Og Esthers Ord stadfæstede disse Forskrifter om Purim; og det er skrevet i Bogen.

and all things which are contained in the history of this book, which is called Esther.