Ester 1
1 Og det skete i Ahasverus's Dage (det er den Ahasverus, som regerede fra Indien og indtil Morland over hundrede og syv og tyve Landskaber),
Now it came about in the days of Ahasuerus, (that Ahasuerus who was ruler of a hundred and twenty-seven divisions of the kingdom, from India as far as Ethiopia: )
2 i de samme Dage, da Kong Ahasverus sad paa sit Riges Trone, som var i Borgen Susan,
That in those days, when King Ahasuerus was ruling in Shushan, his strong town,
3 i sin Regerings tredje Aar, gjorde han alle sine Fyrster og sine Tjenere et Gæstebud; Persiens og Mediens Hær, de fornemste og Fyrsterne i Landskaberne vare for hans Ansigt,
In the third year of his rule he gave a feast to all his captains and his servants; and the captains of the army of Persia and Media, the great men and the rulers of the divisions of his kingdom, were present before him;
4 der han lod se sit Kongedømmes herlige Rigdom og sin Majestæts prægtige Glans mange Dage, hundrede og firsindstyve Dage.
And for a long time, even a hundred and eighty days, he let them see all the wealth and the glory of his kingdom and the great power and honour which were his.
5 Og der disse Dage vare forløbne, gjorde Kongen alt Folket, som fandtes i Borgen Susan, baade store og smaa, et Gæstebud i syv Dage i Forgaarden til Haven ved Kongens Palads.
And at the end of that time, the king gave a feast for all the people who were present in Shushan, the king's town, small as well as great, for seven days, in the outer square of the garden of the king's house.
6 Der hang hvide, grønne og blaa Tæpper, hæftede ved Snorer af kosteligt Lin og Purpur til Sølvringe og til Marmorstøtter; der var Bænke af Guld og Sølv paa et Gulv, der var indlagt med Porfyr og hvidt Marmor og Perlemor og sort Marmor.
There were fair hangings of white and green and blue, fixed with cords of purple and the best linen to silver rings and pillars of polished stone: the seats were of gold and silver on a floor of red and white and yellow and black stone.
7 Og man gav dem at drikke i Guldkar, og Karrene vare af forskellig Slags; og der var megen kongelig Vin, saaledes som Kongen formaaede.
And they gave them drink in gold vessels, every vessel being different, and wine of the kingdom, freely given by the king.
8 Og man drak, som det var foreskrevet: Ingen nødte; thi saa havde Kongen befalet alle sine Hushovmestre, at enhver kunde gøre efter sin frie Villie.
And the drinking was in keeping with the law; no one was forced: for the king had given orders to all the chief servants of his house to do as was pleasing to every man.
9 Vasthi, Dronningen, gjorde og et Gæstebud for Kvinderne i Kong Ahasverus's kongelige Hus.
And Vashti the queen gave a feast for the women in the house of King Ahasuerus.
10 Paa den syvende Dag, der Kongens Hjerte var vel til Mode af Vinen, sagde han til Mehuman, Bistha, Harbona, Bigtha og Abagtha, Sethar og Karkas, de syv Kammertjenere, de som tjente for Kong Ahasverus's Ansigt,
On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was glad with wine, he gave orders to Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven unsexed servants who were waiting before Ahasuerus the king,
11 at de skulde føre Dronning Vasthi frem for Kongens Ansigt med kongelig Krone for at lade Folket og Fyrsterne se hendes Dejlighed; thi hun var dejlig af Anseelse.
That Vashti the queen was to come before him, crowned with her crown, and let the people and the captains see her: for she was very beautiful.
12 Men Dronning Vasthi vægrede sig ved at komme efter Kongens Ord ved Kammertjenerne; da blev Kongen saare vred, og hans Harme optændtes i ham.
But when the servants gave her the king's order, Vashti the queen said she would not come: then the king was very angry, and his heart was burning with wrath.
13 Og Kongen sagde til de vise, som forstode sig paa Tiderne — thi saaledes blev en Sag fra Kongen forhandlet for alle, som forstode sig paa Lov og Ret;
And the king said to the wise men, who had knowledge of the times, (for this was the king's way with all who were expert in law and in the giving of decisions:
14 og de næste hos ham vare: Karsena, Sethar, Admatha, Tarsis, Meres, Marsena, Memukan, de syv Fyrster af Persien og Medien, som saa Kongens Ansigt og som sade øverst i Riget —:
And second only to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven rulers of Persia and Media, who were friends of the king, and had the first places in the kingdom: )
15 Hvad skal man efter Loven gøre ved Dronning Vasthi, fordi hun ikke har gjort efter Kong Ahasverus's Ord ved Kammertjenerne?
What is to be done by law to Vashti the queen, because she has not done what King Ahasuerus, by his servants, gave her orders to do?
16 Og Memukan sagde for Kongens og Fyrsternes Ansigt: Dronning Vasthi har ikke alene forbrudt sig imod Kongen, men imod alle Fyrsterne og imod alle Folkene, som ere i alle Kong Ahasverus's Landskaber.
And before the king and the captains, Memucan gave his answer: Vashti the queen has done wrong, not only to the king, but to all the captains and to all the peoples in all the divisions of the kingdom of King Ahasuerus;
17 Thi Dronningens Ord vil komme ud til alle Kvinderne, saa at de foragte deres Mænd for deres Øjne, naar de sige: Kongen, Ahasverus, sagde, at man skulde føre Dronning Vasthi frem for hans Ansigt, og hun kom ikke.
For news of what the queen has done will come to the ears of all women, and they will no longer give respect to their husbands when it is said to them, King Ahasuerus gave orders for Vashti the queen to come before him and she came not.
18 Og paa denne Dag ville Fyrstinderne i Persien og Medien sige ligesaa til alle Kongens Fyrster, naar de have hørt Dronningens Ord; og saa vil der komme nok af Foragt og Vrede.
And the wives of the captains of Persia and Media, hearing what the queen has done, will say the same to all the king's captains. So there will be much shame and wrath.
19 Dersom det synes Kongen godt, saa udgaa et kongeligt Bud fra ham, og det vorde opskrevet iblandt Persers og Meders Love, saa at det ikke gaar tabt: At Vasthi ikke skal komme for Kong Ahasverus's Ansigt, og hendes kongelige Værdighed give Kongen til hendes Næste, som er bedre end hun.
If it is pleasing to the king, let an order go out from him, and let it be recorded among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it may never be changed, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her place to another who is better than she.
20 Naar Kongens Befaling høres, som han udsteder i sit ganske Rige — thi det er stort — da skulle alle Kvinderne holde deres Mænd i Ære, baade store og smaa.
And when this order, given by the king, is made public through all his kingdom (for it is great), all the wives will give honour to their husbands, great as well as small.
21 Og det Ord syntes godt for Kongens og Fyrsternes Øjne, og Kongen gjorde efter Memukans Ord.
And this suggestion seemed good to the king and the captains; and the king did as Memucan said;
22 Og han udsendte Breve til alle Kongens Landskaber, til hvert Landskab efter dets Skrift, og til hvert Folk efter dets Tungemaal; at hver Mand skal have Herredømmet i sit Hus og tale efter sit Folks Tungemaal.
And sent letters to all the divisions of the kingdom, to every division in the writing commonly used there, and to every people in the language which was theirs, saying that every man was to be the ruler in his house, and that this order was to be given out in the language of his people.
