Esther 2
1 After this, when the wrath of king Assuerus was appeased, he remembered Vasthi, and what she had done and what she had suffered:
Da nogen tid var gått, og kongens vrede hadde lagt sig, kom han atter til å tenke på Vasti og det hun hadde gjort, og det som var besluttet om henne.
2 And the king’s servants and his officers said: Let young women be sought for the king, virgins and beautiful,
Da sa kongens menn som gjorde tjeneste hos ham: Der skulde letes efter unge og fagre jomfruer for kongen,
3 And let some persons be sent through all the provinces to look for beautiful maidens and virgins: and let them bring them to the city of Susan, and put them into the house of the women under the hand of Egeus the eunuch, who is the overseer and keeper of the king’s women: and let them receive women’s ornaments, and other things necessary for their use.
og kongen skulde sette menn i alle sitt rikes landskaper til å samle alle unge og fagre jomfruer til kvinnenes hus i borgen Susan under tilsyn av kongens hoffmann Hege, kvinnevokteren, og la dem få salver til å salve sig med,
4 And whosoever among them all shall please the king’s eyes, let her be queen instead of Vasthi. The word pleased the king: and he commanded it should be done as they had suggested.
og så skulde den unge pike som behager kongen, bli dronning i Vastis sted! Det råd syntes kongen godt om, og han gjorde så.
5 There was a man in the city of Susan, a Jew, named Mardochai, the son of Jair, the son of Semei, the son of Cis, of the race of Jemini,
I borgen Susan var det dengang en jødisk mann som hette Mordekai; han var sønn av Ja'ir, som var sønn av Sime'i og sønnesønn av Kis, av Benjamins ætt.
6 Who had been carried away from Jerusalem at the time that Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon carried away Jechonias king of Juda,
Han var blitt bortført fra Jerusalem med de fanger som blev bortført sammen med Judas konge Jekonja da han blev bortført av Babels konge Nebukadnesar.
7 And he had brought up his brother’s daughter Edissa, who by another name was called Esther: now she had lost both her parents: and was exceeding fair and beautiful. And her father and mother being dead, Mardochai adopted her for his daughter.
Han var fosterfar til Hadassa, det er Ester, en datter av hans farbror; for hun hadde hverken far eller mor. Den unge pike var velskapt og fager, og da hennes far og mor døde, hadde Mordekai tatt henne til sig som sin egen datter.
8 And when the king’s ordinance was noised abroad, and according to his commandment many beautiful virgins were brought to Susan, and were delivered to Egeus the eunuch: Esther also among the rest of the maidens was delivered to him to be kept in the number of the women.
Da nu kongens bud og befaling blev kjent, og mange unge piker samledes til borgen Susan under Hegais tilsyn, da blev også Ester hentet til kongens hus under tilsyn av Hegai, kvinnevokteren.
9 And she pleased him, and found favour in his sight. And he commanded the eunuch to hasten the women’s ornaments, and to deliver to her her part, and seven of the most beautiful maidens of the king’s house, and to adorn and deck out both her and her waiting maids.
Den unge pike behaget ham og vant hans yndest; derfor skyndte han sig med å gi henne salver til å salve sig med og den mat hun skulde ha, og de syv unge piker fra kongens hus som var utsett til å tjene henne; og han lot henne og hennes piker flytte inn i de beste rum i kvinnehuset.
10 And she would not tell him her people nor her country. For Mardochai had charged her to say nothing at all of that:
Ester hadde ikke sagt noget om sitt folk og sin ætt; for Mordekai hadde pålagt henne at hun ikke skulde si noget om det.
11 And he walked every day before the court of the house, in which the chosen virgins were kept, having a care for Esther’s welfare, and desiring to know what would befall her.
Hver eneste dag gikk Mordekai frem og tilbake utenfor forgården til kvinnehuset for å få vite hvorledes det stod til med Ester, og hvad de gjorde med henne.
12 Now when every virgin’s turn came to go in to the king, after all had been done for setting them off to advantage, it was the twelfth month: so that for six months they were anointed with oil of myrrh, and for other six months they used certain perfumes and sweet spices.
Nu var det så at når raden kom til en av de unge piker at hun skulde gå inn til kong Ahasverus, efterat der i tolv måneder var blitt gjort med henne således som det var foreskrevet om kvinnene - for så lang tid gikk det med til deres salving, seks måneder med myrraolje og seks måneder med velluktende saker og med andre salver for kvinner -
13 And when they were going in to the king, whatsoever they asked to adorn themselves they received: and being decked out, as it pleased them, they passed from the chamber of the women to the king’s chamber.
når da den unge pike gikk inn til kongen, fikk hun ta med sig fra kvinnenes hus til kongens hus alt det hun bad om.
14 And she that went in at evening, came out in the morning, and from thence she was conducted to the second house, that was under the hand of Susagaz the eunuch, who had the charge over the king’s concubines: neither could she return any more to the king, unless the king desired it, and had ordered her by name to come.
Om aftenen gikk hun inn, og om morgenen vendte hun tilbake til det andre kvinnehus og stod siden under tilsyn av kongens hoffmann Sa'asgas, medhustruenes vokter; hun kom ikke mere inn til kongen, medmindre kongen hadde slik hu til henne at hun blev kalt til ham med navns nevnelse.
15 And as the time came orderly about, the day was at hand, when Esther, the daughter of Abihail the brother of Mardochai, whom he had adopted for his daughter, was to go in to the king. But she sought not women’s ornaments, but whatsoever Egeus the eunuch the keeper of the virgins had a mind, he gave her to adorn her. For she was exceeding fair, and her incredible beauty made her appear agreeable and amiable in the eyes of all.
Da raden til å gå inn til kongen kom til Ester, datter av Abiha'il, som var farbror til hennes fosterfar Mordekai, krevde hun ikke annet enn det som kongens hoffmann Hegai, kvinnevokteren, rådet til. Og Ester vant yndest hos alle som så henne.
16 So she was brought to the chamber of king Assuerus the tenth month, which is called Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
Ester blev hentet til kong Ahasverus i hans kongelige hus i den tiende måned, det er måneden tebet, i hans regjerings syvende år.
17 And the king loved her more than all the women, and she had favour and kindness before him above all the women, and he set the royal crown on her head, and made her queen instead of Vasthi.
Kongen fikk Ester mere kjær enn alle de andre kvinner; hun vant nåde og yndest hos ham fremfor alle de andre jomfruer. Han satte en kongelig krone på hennes hode og gjorde henne til dronning i Vastis sted.
18 And he commanded a magnificent feast to be prepared for all the princes, and for his servants, for the marriage and wedding of Esther. And he gave rest to all the provinces, and bestowed gifts according to princely magnificence.
Og kongen gjorde et stort gjestebud for alle sine fyrster og tjenere til ære for Ester, og han tilstod landskapene eftergivelse av skatter og delte ut gaver, som det høvde for en konge.
19 And when the virgins were sought the second time, and gathered together, Mardochai stayed at the king’s gate,
Da det for annen gang blev samlet sammen jomfruer, satt Mordekai i kongens port.
20 Neither had Esther as yet declared her country and people, according to his commandment. For whatsoever he commanded, Esther observed: and she did all things in the same manner as she was wont at that time when he brought her up a little one.
Men Ester hadde ikke sagt noget om sin ætt og sitt folk; for det hadde Mordekai pålagt henne, og Ester gjorde i alle ting som Mordekai sa, således som hun hadde gjort da hun blev opfostret hos ham.
21 At that time, therefore, when Mardochai abode at the king’s gate, Bagathan and Thares, two of the king’s eunuchs, who were porters, and presided in the first entry of the palace, were angry: and they designed to rise up against the king, and to kill him.
På den tid da Mordekai satt i kongens port, blev Bigtan og Teres, to av de hoffmenn hos kongen som holdt vakt ved dørtreskelen, vrede på kong Ahasverus og søkte å legge hånd på ham.
22 And Mardochai had notice of it, and immediately he told it to queen Esther: and she to the king in Mardochai’s name, who had reported the thing unto her.
Dette fikk Mordekai kunnskap om, og han fortalte det til dronning Ester; og Ester sa det til kongen på Mordekais vegne.
23 It was inquired into, and found out: and they were both hanged on a gibbet. And it was put in the histories, and recorded in the chronicles before the king.
Saken blev gransket, og da det viste sig at det var så, blev de begge hengt i en galge. Dette blev opskrevet i krønikeboken for kongens øine.
