Esther 8

1 On that day king Assuerus gave the house of Aman, the Jews’ enemy, to queen Esther, and Mardochai came in before the king. For Esther had confessed to him that he was her uncle.

Naʻe foaki ʻe he tuʻi ko ʻAhasivelo ʻi he ʻaho ko ia ʻae fale ʻo Hamani ko e fili ʻoe kakai Siu, kia Eseta ko e tuʻi fefine. Pea naʻe haʻu ʻa Motekiai ki he ʻao ʻoe tuʻi; he naʻe fakahā ʻe Eseta ʻa ʻena kāinga mo ia.

2 And the king took the ring which he had commanded to be taken again from Aman, and gave it to Mardochai. And Esther set Mardochai over her house.

Pea naʻe toʻo ʻe he tuʻi hono mama, ʻaia naʻa ne maʻu meia Hamani, ʻo ne foaki ia kia Motekiai. Pea naʻe fakanofo ʻe Eseta ʻa Motekiai ke pule ki he fale ʻo Hamani.

3 And not content with these things, she fell down at the king’s feet and wept, and speaking to him besought him, that he would give orders that the malice of Aman the Agagite, and his most wicked devices which he had invented against the Jews, should be of no effect.

Pea naʻe toe lea ʻa Eseta ʻi he ʻao ʻoe tuʻi, pea fakatōmapeʻe ki hono vaʻe, ʻo ne kole tangi loʻimata ke ne taʻofi ʻae kovi naʻe langaʻi ʻe Hamani ko e tangata Ekaki, mo e tuʻutuʻuni ʻaia naʻa ne tuʻutuʻuni kovi ki he kakai Siu

4 But he, as the manner was, held out the golden sceptre with his hand, which was the sign of clemency: and she arose up and stood before him,

Pea naʻe mafao atu ʻe he tuʻi ʻae tokotoko koula kia Eseta. Ko ia naʻe tuʻu ai ʻa Eseta, pea tuʻu ʻi he ʻao ʻoe tuʻi,

5 And said: If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and my request be not disagreeable to him, I beseech thee, that the former letters of Aman the traitor and enemy of the Jews, by which he commanded that they should be destroyed in all the king’s provinces, may be reversed by new letters.

‌ʻO ne pehē, “Kapau ʻoku lelei ki he tuʻi, pea kapau kuo u maʻu ʻae ʻofa ʻi hono ʻao, pea kapau ʻoku matamata totonu ʻae meʻa ni ʻi he ʻao ʻoe tuʻi pea ʻoku ou leleiʻia au ʻi hono ʻao, tuku ke fai ʻae tohi ke fakakehe ʻae ngaahi tohi naʻe filioʻi ʻe Hamani ko e foha ʻo Hamitata ko e tangata Ekaki, ʻaia naʻa ne tohi ke fakaʻauha ʻae kakai Siu ʻoku ʻi he ngaahi puleʻanga kotoa pē ʻoe tuʻi:

6 For how call I endure the murdering and slaughter of my people?

He te u kātaki fēfeeʻi ke mamata ki he kovi ʻaia ʻe hoko ki hoku kakai? Pea ʻe fēfeeʻi ʻeku kātaki ʻae mamata ki he fakaʻauha ʻa hoku kāinga?”

7 And king Assuerus answered Esther the queen, and Mardochai the Jew: I have given Aman’s house to Esther, and I have commanded him to be hanged on a gibbet, because he durst lay hands on the Jews.

Pea naʻe pehē ʻe he tuʻi ko ʻAhasivelo kia Eseta ko e tuʻi fefine mo Motekiai ko e Siu, “Vakai, kuo u foaki kia Eseta ʻae fale ʻo Hamani, pea kuo nau tautau ia ki he tautauʻanga, ko e meʻa ʻi heʻene hilifaki hono nima ki he kakai Siu.

8 Write ye therefore to the Jews, as it pleaseth you, in the king’s name, and seal the letters with my ring. For this was the custom, that no man durst gainsay the letters which were sent in the king’s name, and were sealed with his ring.

Mou tohi foki maʻae ngaahi Siu, ʻae meʻa ʻoku lelei kia kimoua, ʻi he huafa ʻoe tuʻi, pea pulusi ia ʻaki ʻae mama ʻae tuʻi: he ko e tohi kuo tohi ʻi he huafa ʻoe tuʻi, pea fakamaʻu ʻaki ʻae mama ʻoe tuʻi, ʻoku ʻikai ngofua ke fakakehe ia ʻe ha tokotaha.”

9 Then the king’s scribes and secretaries were called for (now it was the time of the third month which is called Siban) the three and twentieth day of the month, and letters were written, as Mardochai had a mind, to the Jews, and to the governors, and to the deputies, and to the judges, who were rulers over the hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India even to Ethiopia: to province and province, to people and people, according to their languages and characters, and to the Jews, according as they could read and hear.

Pea naʻe fekau ke haʻu ʻae kau tangata tohi ʻae tuʻi ʻi he ʻaho ko ia ʻi hono tolu ʻoe māhina, ʻaia ko e māhina ko Sivani, ʻi hono ʻaho uofulu mā tolu; pea naʻe tohi ʻo fakatatau ki he meʻa kotoa pē naʻe fekau ʻe Motekiai ki he kakai Siu, pea ki he kau pule, mo e kau matāpule, mo e kau fetongi pule mo e kau pule ʻoe ngaahi puleʻanga ʻaia ʻoku tuʻu mei Initia ki ʻItiopea, ko e puleʻanga ʻe teau mo e uofulu ma fitu, ki he puleʻanga kotoa pē ʻo fakatatau ki he tohi ki ai, pea ki he kakai kotoa pē ʻi heʻenau lea, pea ki he ngaahi Siu ʻo fakatatau ki heʻenau tohi, pea fakatatau ki heʻenau lea.

10 And these letters which were sent in the king’s name, were sealed with his ring, and sent by posts: who were to run through all the provinces, to prevent the former letters with new messages.

Pea naʻe tohi ia ʻi he huafa ʻoe tuʻi ko ʻAhasivelo, pea fakamaʻu ʻaki ia ʻae mama ʻoe tuʻi, pea ne ʻave ʻae ngaahi tohi ʻe he kau ʻave tohi naʻe heka ʻi he fanga hoosi, mo e kau heka miuli, mo e fanga kāmeli, mo e fanga kāmeli mui.

11 And the king gave orders to them, to speak to the Jews in every city, and to command them to gather themselves together, and to stand for their lives, and to kill and destroy all their enemies with their wives and children and all their houses, and to take their spoil.

‌ʻAia naʻe fakangofua ai ʻe he tuʻi ki he kakai Siu ʻi he kolo kotoa pē kenau fakakātoa fakataha ʻakinautolu, pea tuʻu ʻo langomaki ʻenau moʻui pea ke maumau, mo tāmateʻi, mo fakaʻauha ʻakinautolu mo e mālohi kotoa pē ʻoe kakai, mo e puleʻanga ʻaia te nau tuʻu ke tauʻi ʻakinautolu, ʻae fānau siʻi mo e kau fefine, pea ke ʻave ʻae koloa vete ʻiate kinautolu moʻonautolu,

12 And one day of revenge was appointed through all the provinces, to wit, the thirteenth of the twelfth month Adar.

‌ʻI he ʻaho pē taha ʻi he puleʻanga kehekehe ʻoe tuʻi ko ʻAhasivelo, ʻi hono hongofulu mā tolu ʻoe ʻaho ʻi hono hongofulu mā ua ʻoe māhina, ʻaia ko e māhina ko ʻAtali.

13 And this was the content of the letter, that it should be notified in all lands and peoples that were subject to the empire of king Assuerus, that the Jews were ready to be revenged of their enemies.

Ko hono hiki ʻoe tohi ko e fekau ke ʻatu ki he ngaahi puleʻanga kotoa pē naʻe fakahā ki he kakai kotoa pē, pea ke teu pē ki he ʻaho ko ia ʻe he kakai Siu ke totongi ki honau ngaahi fili.

14 So the swift posts went out carrying the messages, and the king’s edict was hung up in Susan.

Ko ia naʻe heka ai ʻae kau ʻave tohi ʻi he ngaahi miuli mo e ngaahi kāmeli, naʻe fakavavevave, pea ueʻi ke ʻalu ʻe he fekau ʻae tuʻi. Pea naʻe fai ʻae fono ʻi Susani ko e kolo fakaʻeiki.

15 And Mardochai going forth out of the palace, and from the king’s presence, shone in royal apparel, to wit, of violet and sky colour, wearing a golden crown on his head, and clothed with a cloak of silk and purple. And all the city rejoiced and was glad.

Pea naʻe ʻalu kituʻa ʻa Motekiai mei he ʻao ʻoe tuʻi ʻi he ngaahi kofu ngalingali ʻeiki ko e lanu moana, mo e hinehina, mo e fuʻu tatā koula ʻi hono ʻulu, mo e kofu tupenu mo e paʻuhiʻuhi: pea naʻe fiefia ʻae kolo ko Susani, pea nekeneka.

16 But to the Jews a new light seemed to rise, joy, honour, and dancing.

Naʻe maʻu ʻe he kakai Siu ʻae maama mo e fiefia, mo e nekeneka, mo e fakahikihiki.

17 And in all peoples, cities, and provinces, whithersoever the king’s commandments came, there was wonderful rejoicing, feasts and banquets, and keeping holy day: insomuch that many of other nations and religion, joined themselves to their worship and ceremonies. For a great dread of the name of the Jews had fallen upon all.

Pea ko e puleʻanga kotoa pē, mo e kolo kotoa pē naʻe hoko ki ai ʻae fekau mo e tuʻutuʻuni ʻae tuʻi, naʻe maʻu ai ʻe he kakai Siu ʻae fiefia mo e fakafetaʻi, mo e kātoanga, mo e ʻaho lelei. Pea naʻe hoko ʻae kakai tokolahi ʻoe fonua, ko e Siu: he naʻe tō kiate kinautolu ʻae manavahē ki he kakai Siu.