Esther 3

1 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes who were with him.

١ وَبَعْدَ ذَلِكَ رَفَّعَ الْمَلِكُ أَحَشْوِيرُوشُ مِنْ مَقَامِ هَامَانَ بْنِ هَمَدَاثَا الأَجَاجِيِّ وَعَظَّمَهُ، وَجَعَلَ مَرْتَبَتَهُ فَوْقَ مَرَاتِبِ جَمِيعِ رُؤَسَائِهِ الآخَرِينَ،

2 All the king’s servants who were in the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay him homage.

٢ فَصَارَ جَمِيعُ رِجَالِ الْمَلِكِ الْوَاقِفِينَ عِنْدَ بَابِ الْمَلِكِ يَنْحَنُونَ وَيسْجُدُونَ لِهَامَانَ بِمُوْجِبِ أَمْرِ الْمَلِكِ. أَمَّا مُرْدَخَايُ فَأَبَى أَنْ يَنْحَنِيَ أَمَامَهُ وَيَسْجُدَ لَهُ.

3 Then the king’s servants who were in the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s commandment?”

٣ فَسَأَلَ رِجَالُ الْمَلِكِ الْوَاقِفُونَ بِبَابِ مُرْدَخَايَ: «لِمَاذَا تَتَمَرَّدُ عَلَى أَمْرِ الْمَلِكِ؟»

4 Now it came to pass, when they spoke daily to him, and he did not listen to them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai’s reason would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew.

٤ وَلَكِنَّهُ أَصَرَّ عَلَى رَفْضِهِ بِالرَّغْمِ مِنْ إِلْحَاحِهِمِ الْيَوْمِيِّ عَلَيْهِ، فَأَخْبَرُوا هَامَانَ بِأَمْرِهِ لِيَرَوْا إِنْ كَانَ تَصَرُّفُ مُرْدَخَايَ يُمْكِنُ تَبْرِيرُهُ، لأَنَّهُ قَالَ لَهُمْ إِنَّهُ يَهُودِيٌّ.

5 When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down nor pay him homage, Haman was full of wrath.

٥ وَعِنْدَمَا تَثَبَّتَ هَامَانُ مِنْ أَنَّ مُرْدَخَايَ لَا يَنْحَنِي وَلا يَسْجُدُ لَهُ اسْتَشَاطَ غَضَباً،

6 But he scorned the thought of laying hands on Mordecai alone, for they had made known to him Mordecai’s people. Therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even Mordecai’s people.

٦ وَاسْتَصْغَرَ أَنْ يُعَاقِبَ مُرْدَخَايَ وَحْدَهُ، بَعْدَ أَنْ أَخْبَرُوهُ عَنْ شَعْبِ مُرْدَخَايَ. فَعَزَمَ أَنْ يُفْنِيَ جَمِيعَ الْيَهُودِ، شَعْبِ مُرْدَخَايَ، الْمُقِيمِينَ فِي كُلِّ أَرْجَاءِ مَمْلَكَةِ أَحَشْوِيرُوشَ.

7 In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, and chose the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.

٧ وَفِي الشَّهْرِ الأَوَّلِ، أَيْ شَهْرِ نِيسَانَ، مِنَ السَّنَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ عَشْرَةَ لِحُكْمِ الْمَلِكِ أَحَشْوِيرُوشَ، أَخَذُوا فِي إِلْقَاءِ الْقُرْعَةِ أَمَامَ هَامَانَ، يَوْماً بَعْدَ يَوْمٍ، وَشَهْراً بَعْدَ شَهْرٍ حَتَّى الشَّهْرِ الثَّانِي عَشَرَ، أَيْ شَهْرِ آذَارَ، وَكَانُوا يَدْعُونَ الْقُرْعَةَ «فُوراً».

8 Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom, and their laws are different from other people’s. They do not keep the king’s laws. Therefore it is not for the king’s profit to allow them to remain.

٨ فَقَالَ هَامَانُ لِلْمَلِكِ أَحَشْوِيرُوشَ: «هُنَاكَ شَعْبٌ مَا مُتَشَتِّتٌ وَمُتَفَرِّقٌ بَيْنَ الشُّعُوبِ فِي كُلِّ أَرْجَاءِ مَمْلَكَتِكَ، تُغَايِرُ شَرَائِعُهُمْ شَرَائِعَ جَمِيعِ الأُمَمِ، وَهُمْ لَا يُنَفِّذُونَ سُنَنَ الْمَلِكِ. فَلا يَجْدُرُ بِالْمَلِكِ إِغْفَالُ أَمْرِهِمْ.

9 If it pleases the king, let it be written that they be destroyed; and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who are in charge of the king’s business, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.”

٩ فَإِنْ طَابَ لِلْمَلِكِ، فَلْيُصْدِرْ أَمْراً بِإِبَادَتِهِمْ، وَأَنَا أَدْفَعُ عَشَرَةَ آلافِ وَزْنَةٍ مِنَ الْفِضَّةِ (نَحْوَ ثَلاثِ مِئَةِ أَلْفِ كِيلُو جَرَامٍ) لِلْخَزِينَةِ الْمَلَكِيَّةِ لِتَغْطِيَةِ نَفَقَاتِ ذَلِكَ».

10 The king took his ring from his hand, and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews’ enemy.

١٠ فَنَزَعَ الْمَلِكُ خَاتَمَهُ مِنْ أُصْبُعِهِ، وَأَعْطَاهُ لِهَامَانَ بْنِ هَمَدَاثَا الأَجَاجِيِّ عَدُوِّ الْيَهُودِ، إِعْرَاباً عَنْ مُوَافَقَتِهِ،

11 The king said to Haman, “The silver is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.”

١١ وَقَالَ لَهُ: «لَقَدْ وَهَبْتُكَ الْفِضَّةَ وَالشَّعْبَ أَيْضاً، فَافْعَلْ بِهِمْ مَا يَحْلُو لَكَ».

12 Then the king’s scribes were called in on the first month, on the thirteenth day of the month; and all that Haman commanded was written to the king’s local governors, and to the governors who were over every province, and to the princes of every people, to every province according to its writing, and to every people in their language. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus, and it was sealed with the king’s ring.

١٢ وَفِي الْيَوْمِ الثَّالِثَ عَشَرَ مِنَ الشَّهْرِ الأَوَّلِ اسْتُدْعِيَ كُتَّابُ الْمَلِكِ وَأُمْلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ أَوَامِرُ هَامَانَ إِلَى وُلاةِ الْمَلِكِ وَإِلَى حُكَّامِ كُلِّ إِقْلِيمٍ بِإِقْلِيمِهِ، وَإِلَى رُؤَسَاءِ كُلِّ شَعْبٍ بِشَعْبِهِ، حَسَبَ لُغَةِ كُلِّ إِقْلِيمٍ وَلَهْجَةِ أَهْلِهَا، وَوَقَّعَ تِلْكَ الرَّسَائِلَ بِاسْمِ الْمَلِكِ أَحَشْوِيرُوشَ وَخَتَمَهَا بِخَاتَمِهِ.

13 Letters were sent by couriers into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to plunder their possessions.

١٣ وَحَمَلَ السُّعَاةُ الرَّسَائِلَ إِلَى جَمِيعِ أَقَالِيمِ الْمَمْلَكَةِ، وَفِيهَا أَمْرٌ بِإِبَادَةِ وَقَتْلِ وَإِهْلاكِ جَمِيعِ الْيَهُودِ، شُبَّاناً وَشُيُوخاً وَأَطْفَالاً وَنِسَاءً فِي يَوْمٍ وَاحِدٍ، هُوَ الثَّالِثَ عَشَرَ مِنَ الشَّهْرِ الثَّانِي عَشَرَ، أَيْ شَهْرِ آذَارَ، وَالاسْتِيلاءِ عَلَى غَنَائِمِهِمْ.

14 A copy of the letter, that the decree should be given out in every province, was published to all the peoples, that they should be ready against that day.

١٤ وَكَانَ لابُدَّ مِنْ إِذَاعَةِ نُسْخَةٍ مِنْ نَصِّ هَذَا الْمَرْسُومِ فِي كُلِّ إِقْلِيمٍ لِتُصْبِحَ قَانُوناً يُعْمَلُ بِهِ، كَيْ يَتَأَهَّبَ الشَّعْبُ اسْتِعْدَاداً لِذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ.

15 The couriers went out in haste by the king’s commandment, and the decree was given out in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city of Susa was perplexed.

١٥ وَهَكَذَا انْطَلَقَ السُّعَاةُ مُسْرِعِينَ تَلْبِيَةً لأَمْرِ الْمَلِكِ، بَعْدَ أَنْ صَدَرَ الأَمْرُ فِي شُوشَنَ الْعَاصِمَةِ. وَجَلَسَ الْمَلِكُ وَهَامَانُ يَتَنَادَمَانِ عَلَى الشَّرَابِ. أَمَّا أَهْلُ شُوشَنَ فَقَدِ اعْتَرَتْهُمُ الْحَيْرَةُ!