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:
| چندی بعد، وقتی خشم خشایارشا فرو نشست، یاد وشتی و کاری که او کرده بود و فرمانی که در مورد او صادر شده بود، او را در فکر فرو برد. |
2 And the king’s servants and his officers said: Let young women be sought for the king, virgins and beautiful,
| پس مشاوران نزدیک او گفتند: «اجازه بدهید برویم و زیباترین دختران را پیدا کنیم و آنها را به قصر پادشاه بیاوریم. |
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.
| برای انجام این کار، مأمورانی به تمام استانها می‌فرستیم تا دختران زیبا را به حرمسرای پادشاه بیاورند و”هیجای“خواجه، رئیس حرمسرا لوازم آرایش در اختیارشان بگذارد. |
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.
| آنگاه دختری که مورد پسند پادشاه واقع شود به جای وشتی به عنوان ملکه انتخاب گردد.» پادشاه این پیشنهاد را پسندید و مطابق آن عمل کرد. |
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,
| در شوش یک یهودی به نام مُردخای (پسر یائیر و نوه شمعی، از نوادگان قیس بنیامینی) زندگی می‌کرد. |
6 Who had been carried away from Jerusalem at the time that Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon carried away Jechonias king of Juda,
| وقتی نِبوکَدنِصَّر، پادشاه بابِل، عده‌ای از یهودیان را همراه یکنیا، پادشاه یهودا از اورشلیم به اسارت برد، مردخای نیز جزو اسرا بود. |
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.
| مردخای دختر عموی زیبایی داشت به نام هَدَسّه که به او استر هم می‌گفتند. پدر و مادر استر مرده بودند و مردخای او را به فرزندی پذیرفته و مثل دختر خود بزرگ کرده بود. |
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.
| وقتی فرمان خشایارشا صادر شد، استر نیز همراه دختران زیبای بی‌شمار دیگر به حرمسرای قصر شوش آورده شد. استر مورد لطف و توجه هیجای که مسئول حرمسرا بود قرار گرفت. او برای استر برنامهٔ مخصوص غذایی ترتیب داد و لوازم آرایش در اختیارش گذاشت، سپس هفت نفر از ندیمه‌های درباری را به خدمت او گماشت و بهترین مکان را به او اختصاص داد. |
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.
10 And she would not tell him her people nor her country. For Mardochai had charged her to say nothing at all of that:
| به توصیهٔ مردخای، استر به هیچ‌کس نگفته بود که یهودی است. |
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.
| مردخای هر روز در محوطهٔ حرمسرا رفت و آمد می‌کرد تا از احوال استر باخبر شود و بداند بر او چه می‌گذرد. |
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.
| در مورد دخترانی که به حرمسرا آورده می‌شدند، دستور این بود که پیش از رفتن به نزد پادشاه، به مدت شش ماه با روغن مُر و شش ماه با عطریات و لوازم آرایش به زیباسازی آنان بپردازند. سپس هر دختری که نوبتش می‌رسید تا از حرمسرا به نزد پادشاه برود، هر نوع لباس و جواهری که می‌خواست به او داده می‌شد. غروب، آن دختر به خوابگاه پادشاه می‌رفت و صبح روز بعد به قسمت دیگر حرمسرا نزد سایر زنان پادشاه بازمی‌گشت. در آنجا تحت مراقبت خواجه شعشغاز، رئیس حرمسرا، قرار می‌گرفت. او دیگر نمی‌توانست نزد پادشاه بازگردد، مگر اینکه پادشاه وی را می‌پسندید و به نام احضار می‌کرد. |
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.
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.
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.
| استر دختر ابیحایل و ابیحایل عموی مُردِخای بود. (مردخای استر را به فرزندی گرفته بود). وقتی نوبت استر رسید که نزد پادشاه برود، او مطابق توصیهٔ خواجه هیجای خود را آراست. هر که استر را می‌دید او را می‌ستود. |
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.
| به این ترتیب در ماه دهم که ماه «طبت» باشد در سال هفتم سلطنت خشایارشا استر را به کاخ سلطنتی بردند. |
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.
| پادشاه، استر را بیشتر از سایر زنان دوست داشت و استر بیش از دختران دیگر مورد توجه و علاقهٔ او قرار گرفت؛ به طوری که پادشاه تاج بر سر استر گذاشت و او را به جای وشتی ملکه ساخت. |
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.
| پادشاه به افتخار استر جشن بزرگی برای تمام بزرگان و مقامات مملکتی بر پا کرد و آن روز را در تمامی ولایتها تعطیل اعلام کرده، از سخاوت پادشاهانۀ خود به ایشان هدایا بخشید. |
19 And when the virgins were sought the second time, and gathered together, Mardochai stayed at the king’s gate,
| در این میان مردخای نیز از طرف پادشاه به مقام مهمی در دربار منصوب شد. |
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.
| اما استر هنوز به کسی نگفته بود که یهودی است، چون هنوز هم مثل زمان کودکی، دستورهای مردخای را اطاعت می‌کرد. |
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.
| یک روز در حالی که مردخای در دربار پادشاه مشغول خدمت بود، دو نفر از خواجه‌سرایان پادشاه به اسامی بغتان و تارش که از نگهبانان دربار بودند، از پادشاه کینه به دل گرفته، توطئه چیدند تا او را بکشند. |
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.
| مردخای از این سوء قصد باخبر شد و استر را در جریان گذاشت. استر نیز به پادشاه اطلاع داد که مردخای چه گفته است. |
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.
| به دستور پادشاه، این موضوع مورد بررسی قرار گرفت و پس از اینکه ثابت شد که حقیقت دارد، پادشاه آن دو را به دار آویخت. به دستور خشایارشا این واقعه در کتاب «تاریخ پادشاهان» ثبت گردید. |
