Ester 5

1 Den tredje Dag iførte Ester sig det kongelige Skrud og traadte ind i den indre Gaard til Kongens Palads, foran Kongens Palads, medens Kongen sad paa sin Kongetrone i det kongelige Palads ud imod Indgangen.

And it came to pass, on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the house of the king, over against the house of the king, —and, the king, was sitting upon his royal seat, in the royal house, over against the opening of the house.

2 Da Kongen saa Dronning Ester staa i Gaarden, fandt hun Naade for hans Øjne, og Kongen rakte det gyldne Scepter, som han havde i Haanden, ud imod Ester. Da traadte Ester hen og rørte ved Spidsen af Scepteret;

And it came to pass, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his eyes, —and the king held out to Esther, the golden sceptre which was in his hand, so Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.

3 og Kongen sagde til hende: »Hvad fattes dig, Dronning Ester, og hvad er dit Ønske? Om det saa er Halvdelen af Riget, skal du faa det!«

Then said the king unto her, What aileth thee, Queen Esther? and what is thy request? Unto the half of the kingdom, shall it be given thee.

4 Ester svarede: »Hvis Kongen synes, vil jeg bede Kongen og Haman om i Dag at komme til et Gæstebud, jeg har gjort rede for ham.«

Then said Esther, If, unto the king, it seem good, let the king with Haman come in this day, unto the banquet which I have prepared for him.

5 Da sagde Kongen: »Send hurtigt Bud efter Haman, for at Esters Ønske kan blive opfyldt!« Saa kom Haman og Kongen til det Gæstebud, Ester havde gjort rede,

And the king said, Hasten ye Haman, to perform the word of Esther. So the king with Haman came in, unto the banquet which Esther had prepared,

6 og da de sad ved Vinen, sagde Kongen til Ester: »Hvad er din Bøn? Du skal faa den opfyldt. Og hvad er dit Ønske? Om det saa er Halvdelen af Riget, skal det tilstaas dig!«

Then said the king unto Esther, during the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, that it may be granted thee?—and what is thy request—unto the half of the kingdom—that it may be performed?

7 Ester svarede: »Min Bøn og mit Ønske er —

Then answered Esther, and said, —As touching my petition and my request,

8 hvis jeg har fundet Naade for Kongens Øjne, og hvis det synes Kongen ret at opfylde min Bøn og tilstaa mig mit Ønske, saa komme Kongen og Haman til et Gæstebud, jeg vil gøre rede for dem. I Morgen vil jeg da gøre, som Kongen siger!«

If I have found favour in the eyes of the king, and if, unto the king, it seem good, to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king with Haman come in unto the banquet which I will prepare for them, and, to-morrow, I will do according to the word of the king.

9 Haman gik glad og vel til Mode derfra den Dag. Men da Haman saa Mordokaj i Kongens Port, og han hverken rejste sig op eller rørte sig af Pletten for ham, opfyldtes han af Vrede mod Mordokaj.

Then went Haman forth on that day, joyful and of a merry heart, —but, when Haman saw Mordecai in the gate of the king, that he rose not up nor moved because of him, then was Haman filled with wrath against Mordecai.

10 Dog tvang han sig; men da han var kommet hjem, sendte han Bud efter sine Venner og sin Hustru Zeresj;

Nevertheless Haman restrained himself, and came into his own house, —and sent and brought in his friends, and Zeresh his wife;

11 og Haman talte til dem om sin overvættes Rigdom og sine mange Sønner og om al den Ære, Kongen havde vist ham, og hvorledes han havde udmærket ham frem for Fyrsterne og Kongens Folk.

and Haman recounted unto them the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, —and all the things wherein the king had promoted him to power, and how he had advanced him, above the rulers and the servants of the king.

12 Og Haman sagde: »Dronning Ester lod heller ikke andre end mig komme med Kongen til det Gæstebud, hun havde gjort rede; og jeg er ogsaa indbudt af hende til i Morgen sammen med Kongen.

And Haman said, Moreover Esther the queen did bring in no one with the king into the banquet which she had prepared, saving myself, —yea moreover, even for to-morrow, I, am invited unto her, with the king.

13 Men alt det er mig ikke nok, saa længe jeg ser denne Jøde Mordokaj sidde i Kongens Port.«

Yet, all this, sufficeth me not, —so long as, I, see Mordecai the Jew, sitting in the gate of the king.

14 Da sagde hans Hustru Zeresj og alle hans Venner til ham: »Lad en Galge rejse, halvtredsindstyve Alen høj, og bed i Morgen tidlig Kongen om, at Mordokaj maa blive hængt i den; saa kan du gaa glad til Gæstebudet med Kongen.« Det vandt Hamans Bifald, og han lod Galgen rejse.

Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let them make ready a gallows, of the height of fifty cubits, and, in the morning, speak thou unto the king, that they hang Mordecai thereon, then go with the king into the banquet joyfully. And the thing seemed good before Haman, and he made ready the gallows.