Esther 2
1 After these things, when the king's feelings were calmer, the thought of Vashti and what she had done and the order he had made against her, came back to his mind.
Poslije tih događaja, kako mu se utiša gnjev, kralj Ahasver sjeti se Vaštije, onoga što je ona učinila i što je bilo odlučeno protiv nje.
2 Then the servants who were waiting on the king said to him, Let search be made for some fair young virgins for the king:
Rekoše tada momci što služahu kralja: "Neka se potraže za kralja mlade djevojke, djevice lijepa izgleda.
3 Let the king give authority to certain men in all the divisions of his kingdom, to get together all the fair young virgins and send them to Shushan, the king's town, to the women's house, under the care of Hegai, the king's servant, the keeper of the women: and let the things needed for making them clean be given to them;
Kralj neka odredi u svim pokrajinama svojega kraljevstva povjerenike da mu sakupe sve djevice pristala izgleda u tvrđavi grada Suze, u haremu, pod upravom Hegeja, kraljeva eunuha, čuvara žena. On će se pobrinuti za njihovu njegu.
4 And let the girl who is pleasing to the king be queen in place of Vashti. And the king was pleased with this suggestion; and he did so.
Ona djevojka koja se najviše svidi očima kraljevim neka kraljuje umjesto Vaštije." Bijaše to po volji kralju, i on tako uradi.
5 Now there was a certain Jew in Shushan named Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;
U tvrđavi grada Suze bio je neki Židov koji se zvao Mordokaj, sin Jaira, sina Šimeja, sina Kišova, iz plemena Benjaminova.
6 Who had been taken away from Jerusalem among those who had been made prisoner with Jeconiah, king of Judah, when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had taken him away.
On je bio protjeran iz Jeruzalema među prognanicima koje je babilonski kralj Nabukodonozor odveo zajedno s judejskim kraljem Jekonijom.
7 And he had been a father to Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his father's brother: for she had no father or mother, and she was very beautiful; and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his daughter.
On je odgajao Hadasu, to jest Esteru, kćerku strica svoga, jer ona ne imađaše ni oca ni majke. Djevojka je bila pristala i lijepa izgleda. Poslije smrti njezina oca i njezine majke Mordokaj je uze k sebi kao kćerku.
8 So when the order made by the king was publicly given out, and a number of girls had been placed in the care of Hegai in the king's house in Shushan, Esther was taken into the king's house and put in the care of Hegai, the keeper of the women.
Kako se začu za kraljevu riječ i njegovu naredbu, mnogo se djevojaka sabra u tvrđavi grada Suze pod Hegejevim nadzorom. Tako dovedoše i Esteru u kraljevu palaču, pod nadzor Hegeja, čuvara žena.
9 And he was pleased with the girl and was kind to her; and he quickly gave her what was needed for making her clean, and the things which were hers by right, and seven servant-girls who were to be hers from the king's house: and he had her and her servant-girls moved to the best place in the women's part of the house.
Djevojka se svidje njegovim očima, steče ona njegovu naklonost i on se pobrinu za njezino uljepšavanje i uzdržavanje. Uz to joj dade sedam najvrednijih ropkinja kraljevskog dvora i premjesti je, skupa s djevojkama, u najudobnije prostorije harema.
10 Esther had not said what family or people she came from, for Mordecai had given her orders not to do so.
Estera ne spomenu ni naroda ni obitelji kojoj je pripadala, jer joj Mordokaj bijaše zabranio da to učini.
11 And every day Mordecai took his walk before the square of the women's house, to see how Esther was and what would be done to her.
Svakoga je dana Mordokaj šetao pred dvorištem harema da bi doznao kako se Estera osjeća i kako se prema njoj odnose.
12 Now every girl, when her turn came, had to go in to King Ahasuerus, after undergoing, for a space of twelve months, what was ordered by the law for the women (for this was the time necessary for making them clean, that is, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with sweet perfumes and such things as are needed for making women clean):
Svaka je djevojka morala ući kralju kad je na nju, prema uredbi za žene, došao red, to jest nakon dvanaest mjeseci. Jer tada se završavalo razdoblje njihova uljepšavanja: šest mjeseci uljem iz mirne, a šest mjeseci balzamom i ostalim pomastima za žensku njegu.
13 And in this way the girl went in to the king; whatever she had a desire for was given to her to take with her from the women's house into the house of the king.
Pa kad bi djevojka ulazila kralju, bilo joj je dopušteno da sa sobom iz harema u kraljevsku palaču ponese sve što bi zatražila.
14 In the evening she went, and on the day after she came back to the second house of the women, into the keeping of Shaashgaz, one of the king's unsexed servants who had the care of the king's wives: only if the king had delight in her and sent for her by name did she go in to him again.
Ona bi ulazila uvečer, a ujutro bi se vraćala u drugi harem, pod nadzorom Šaašgaza, kraljeva eunuha, čuvara priležnica. Više se ne bi vraćala kralju, osim ako bi je posebno zaželio i dozvao je k sebi poimence.
15 Now when the time came for Esther, the daughter of Abihail, his father's brother, whom Mordecai had taken as his daughter, to go in to the king, she made request for nothing but what Hegai, the king's servant and keeper of the women, had given her. And Esther was looked on kindly by all who saw her.
Kada dođe red na Esteru, kćerku Abihajla, koji je bio stric Mordokaja koji ju je bio pokćerio, da uđe kralju, ona ne zatraži ništa osim onoga što joj bijaše rekao Hegej, kraljev eunuh, čuvar žena. Ipak je pobuđivala udivljenje svih koji su je gledali.
16 So Esther was taken in to King Ahasuerus in his house in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his rule.
Esteru, dakle, uvedoše kralju Ahasveru, u njegovu kraljevsku palaču, u desetom mjesecu, mjesecu Tebetu, sedme godine njegova vladanja.
17 And Esther was more pleasing to the king than all the women, and to his eyes she was fairer and more full of grace than all the other virgins: so he put his crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.
Kralj zavolje Esteru više od svih drugih žena; više nego sve ostale djevice ona mu omilje i predobi ona njegovu naklonost. I položi on na njezinu glavu kraljevsku krunu, pa mjesto Vaštije ona posta kraljicom.
18 Then the king gave a great feast for all his captains and his servants, even Esther's feast; and he gave orders through all the divisions of his kingdom for a day of rest from work, and gave wealth from his store.
Nakon toga priredi kralj u čast Estere veliku gozbu za svoje knezove i službenike; svim pokrajinama odredi odmor i razda darove kraljevski darežljivo.
19 And when the virgins came together in the second house of the women, Mordecai took his seat in the doorway of the king's house.
Kad su drugi put djevojke bile sakupljene, Mordokaj sjeđaše na vratima kraljevim.
20 Esther had still said nothing of her family or her people, as Mordecai had given her orders; for Esther did what Mordecai said, as when she was living with him.
Estera ne oda ni naroda ni obitelji iz koje je potjecala, kao što joj Mordokaj bijaše naredio. Estera se i dalje držala svih Mordokajevih uputa kao kad se nalazila pod njegovim skrbništvom.
21 In those days, while Mordecai was seated at the king's doorway, two of the king's servants, Bigthan and Teresh, keepers of the door, being angry, were looking for a chance to make an attack on King Ahasuerus.
U ono vrijeme kad je Mordokaj sjedio na vratima kraljevim, Bigtan i Tereš, dva kraljeva dvoranina, čuvari praga, planuše gnjevom i počeše snovati da podignu ruku na kralja Ahasvera.
22 And Mordecai, having knowledge of their purpose, sent word of it to Esther the queen; and Esther gave the news to the king in Mordecai's name.
Za tu njihovu namjeru sazna Mordokaj. On je dojavi kraljici Esteri, a Estera je u Mordokajevo ime saopći kralju.
23 And when the thing had been looked into, it was seen to be true, and the two of them were put to death by hanging on a tree: and it was put down in the records before the king.
Sve se izvidje i otkri se zavjera, pa obojica budu obješena o stup. To se pred kraljem zapisa u knjizi Ljetopisa.
