Esther 9
1 On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the king's order and decree were to be carried out. That day the enemies of the Jews had thought they would crush them, but the exact opposite happened—the Jews crushed their enemies.
十二月，「阿達爾」月十三日，是該執行君令和上諭的那一天，也是猶太人的敵人原想殲滅猶太人的日期，卻變成了猶太人制服敵人的日子。
2 The Jews gathered in their cities throughout the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those who wanted to destroy them. Nobody could oppose them, because all the other people were afraid of them.
住在薛西斯王各省各城的猶太人，都聚集起來，動手攻打那些想謀害他們的人，但沒有一個人能敵擋他們，因為所有人民都害怕他們。
3 All the officials of the provinces, the chief officers, the governors, and the king's officials helped the Jews, because they were afraid of Mordecai.
各省的首長，御史大臣和省長，以及為君王服務的人，都擁護猶太人，因為害怕摩爾德開。
4 Mordecai had a great deal of power in the royal palace, and his reputation spread throughout the provinces as his power increased.
的確，摩爾德開在王宮裏已掌大權，聲譽傳遍各省，而摩爾德開的權力越來越大。
5 The Jews attacked their enemies with swords, killing and destroying them, and they did whatever they wanted to their enemies.
這樣猶太人就用刀屠殺，消滅了一切敵人，任意對待了仇恨他們的人；
6 In the fortress of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men.
只在穌撒禁城，猶太人就殺死了五百人，
7 This included Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,
也殺了帕商大達、達耳豐、阿斯帕達、
8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
頗辣達、阿黎大達、
9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha,
帕瑪市達、阿黎賽、阿黎待與耶匝達，
10 the ten sons of Haman, son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, but they did not take their possessions.
即哈曼大達的兒子，猶太人的仇人哈曼的十個兒子，但沒有下手搶奪財物。
11 The same day, when the number of those killed in the fortress of Susa was reported to the king,
當天，君王就知道了在穌撒禁城內殺死的人數。
12 he said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men in the fortress of Susa, including Haman's ten sons. Imagine what they've done in the rest of the royal provinces! Now what is it you'd like to ask? It will be given to you. What more do you want? It will be granted.”
對艾斯德爾后說：「在穌撒禁城內，猶太人已殺死了五百人和哈曼的十個兒子，在帝國其他各省內，他們更將做出何事﹖如今你還請求什麼，我必賜給你；你還要求什麼，我都必履行。」
13 “If it please Your Majesty,” Esther replied, “allow the Jews in Susa be allowed to do the same tomorrow as they did today, following the decree. Also, let the ten sons of Haman be impaled on poles.”
艾斯德爾答說：「如蒙大王賜恩，請恩准住在穌撒的猶太人，明天也照今天的法律行事，把哈曼的十個兒子懸在刑架上。」
14 The king ordered this to be done. A decree was issued in Susa, and they impaled the bodies of Haman's ten sons.
王就下令照辦。於是在穌撒發出了一道諭旨，要把哈曼的十個兒子懸在刑架上。
15 On the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, the Jews in Susa gathered together again and killed three hundred men there, but again they did not take their possessions.
在「阿達爾」月十四日那一天，住在穌撒的猶太人又集合起來，在那裏擊殺了三百人，但沒有下手搶奪財物。
16 The other Jews in the king's provinces also gathered to defend themselves and get rid of their enemies. They killed 75,000 who hated them, but did not touch their possessions.
住在君王各省的他猶太人，也聚集起來保衛自己，擺脫敵人的侵害，把他們的七萬五千仇人殺死，但沒有下手搶奪財物。
17 This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested and made it a day of feasting and celebration.
這是「阿達爾」月十三日的事；十四日那天，他們安息，舉行慶功的歡宴。
18 However, the Jews in Susa had gathered to fight on the thirteenth and the fourteenth days of the month. So they rested on the fifteenth day, and made that a day of feasting and celebration.
住在穌撒的猶太人，因為在十三十四日聚集復仇，便於十五日安息，舉行慶功的歡宴。
19 To this day rural Jews, living in the villages, observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day of celebration and feasting, a holiday when they send gifts to one another.
從此以後，那些住在村莊的猶太鄉民，奉「阿達爾」月十四日為慶日，歡宴慶祝，互送禮物；但居住在城市的猶太人卻以「阿達爾」月十五日為慶日，互送禮物。
20 Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces ruled by King Xerxes, near and far,
摩爾德開於是將這些事記錄下來，並向薛西斯王各省遠近的猶太人頒發文書，
21 requiring them to celebrate every year the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar
通告他們應每年慶祝「阿達爾」月十四十五兩天，
22 as the time when the Jews rested from their victory over their enemies, and as the month when their sadness was turned into joy and their mourning into a time of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving gifts of food to one another and presents to the poor.
因為這兩是猶太人徹底擺脫仇敵的日子，而這一月為他們是化憂為喜，化凶為吉的一月，因此該以歡宴慶祝這兩天，互贈禮物，救濟窮困。
23 The Jews agreed to continue what they had already started doing, following what Mordecai had written to them.
猶太人便把已開始舉行的和摩爾德開給他們規定的事，奉為永遠當守的盛典。
24 For Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted to destroy the Jews, and had cast “pur” (meaning a “lot”) to crush and destroy them.
原來阿加格人哈默大達的兒子哈曼，那全猶太人的仇人曾蓄意加害猶太人，要將他們滅絕，就抽出「普爾」即籤，來擇定剷除殲滅他們的日子。
25 But when it came to the king's attention, he sent out letters ordering that the evil scheme which Haman had planned against the Jews should rebound on him, and that he and his sons should be impaled on poles.
但是君王一洞悉此事，便下諭令說：「哈曼加害猶太人想出來的陰謀，應加在他自己頭上! 」就判處他和他的兒子們懸在刑架上。
26 (That's why these days are called Purim, from the word Pur.) As a result of all the instructions in Mordecai's letter, and what they'd seen, and what had happened to them,
從此，人就援用「普爾」一名，稱這兩天為「普凌節。」依照這文書記載的，和他們有關此事親身看見及經歷的一切，
27 the Jews committed themselves to adopt the practice that they and their descendants and all who join them should not forget to celebrate these two days as set down, and at the right time every year.
猶太人便給自己，給自己的子孫，給一切加入他們集會的人，規定了「每年該照規定依時慶祝這兩天」為不可更改的法律；
28 These days were to be remembered and celebrated by every generation, family, province, and city, so that these days of Purim would always be observed among the Jews, and they would not be forgotten by their descendants.
世世代代，家家戶戶，各省各城，應紀念和慶祝這兩天；猶太人決不可廢除這兩天的「普凌節，」他們的子孫也決不可忘掉這慶節。
29 Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, wrote a letter, along with Mordecai the Jew, giving in her letter full authority to Mordecai's letter about Purim.
阿彼海耳的女兒艾斯德爾后與猶太人摩爾德開，又以全權再度寫了一道核准「普凌節」的文書。
30 Letters expressing peace and reassurance were also sent all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the empire of King Xerxes.
然後把此文書分發給所有住在薛西斯帝國一百二十七省內的猶太人，以平如誠懇的言詞，
31 They established these days of Purim at their given time as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had ordered, committing themselves and their descendants to the times of fasting and mourning.
勸他們遵照猶太人摩爾德開對這「普凌節」所規定的，依時舉行。至於禁食和哀歌的吟詠等禮，則可依照他們自己及自己的後代所規定的去行。
32 In this way Esther's decree confirmed these practices regarding Purim, which were entered in the official record.
從此，艾斯德爾的命令，便成了「普凌節」的規定，並記載於史冊。
