Esther 2
1 After a while, King Xerxes quit being so angry. He thought about Vashti, and he thought about the law he had made because of what she [had done, and he wanted another wife].
Thuutha ũcio rĩrĩa marakara ma Mũthamaki Ahasuerusu maahoorerire, akĩririkana Vashiti na ũrĩa eekĩte, o na ũrĩa aamũtuĩrĩire eekwo.
2 So his personal servants said to him, “[Your majesty, ] you should send some men to search throughout the empire for some beautiful young women/virgins for you.
Hĩndĩ ĩyo ndungata iria ciatungatagĩra mũthamaki we mwene ikiuga atĩrĩ, “Mũthamaki nĩacarĩrio airĩtu gathirange ethĩ na ciĩrorerwa.
3 [After they find some, ] you can appoint some officials in each province to bring them to the place where you keep (your wives/the women you sleep with) here in Susa. Then Hegai, the man who is in charge of these women, can arrange for ointments to be put [on their bodies] to make them [more] beautiful.
Mũthamaki nĩathuure anene mabũrũri-inĩ mothe marĩa aathanaga marehe airĩtu acio othe ciĩrorerwa nyũmba-inĩ ĩrĩa ĩtũũragwo nĩ andũ-a-nja thĩinĩ wa nyũmba ya ũthamaki kũu gĩikaro kĩrĩa kĩirigĩre gĩa Shushani. Nao nĩmamenyagĩrĩrwo nĩ Hegai, ndungata ĩrĩa hakũre ya mũthamaki ĩrĩa yarũgamagĩrĩra andũ-a-nja acio; ningĩ maheo indo cia gwĩthakaria nacio.
4 Then the woman who pleases you most can become queen instead of Vashti.” The king liked what they suggested, so he did it.
Thuutha ũcio mũirĩtu ũrĩa ũgaakenia mũthamaki nĩagatuĩka mũtumia wa mũthamaki ithenya rĩa Vashiti.” Mataaro macio magĩkenia mũthamaki, nake akĩmarũmĩrĩra.
5 At that time there was a Jew [living] in Susa, the capital, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair. Jair was a descendant of Shimei. Shimei was a descendant of [King Saul’s father] Kish. [They were all] from the tribe descended from Benjamin.
Na rĩrĩ, thĩinĩ wa nyũmba ya ũthamaki kũu gĩikaro kĩrĩa kĩirigĩre gĩa Shushani, nĩ kwarĩ na Mũyahudi wa mũhĩrĩga wa Benjamini wetagwo Moridekai mũrũ wa Jairũ, mũrũ wa Shimei, mũrũ wa Kishu,
6 [Many years before that, ] King Nebuchadnezzar had taken (Mordecai/Mordecai’s family) [and brought them from Jerusalem] to Babylon, at the same time he brought King Jehoiachin of Judah and many other people to Babylon.
nake aatahĩtwo kuuma Jerusalemu nĩ Nebukadinezaru mũthamaki wa Babuloni, arĩ ũmwe wa andũ arĩa maatahanĩirio na Jekonia, mũthamaki wa Juda.
7 Mordecai had a cousin whose [Hebrew] name was Hadassah. She had a beautiful face and beautiful body/figure. Her [Persian] name was Esther. After her father and mother died, Mordecai took care of Esther as though she were his own daughter.
Moridekai aarĩ na mwarĩ wa ithe mũnini wetagwo Hadasa, ũrĩa aarerete tondũ ndaarĩ na ithe kana nyina. Mũirĩtu ũcio, ũrĩa ningĩ wetagwo Esiteri, aarĩ kĩĩrorerwa mwĩrĩ na ũthiũ akĩonwo, nake Moridekai akĩmuoya akĩmũrera o ta mwarĩ thuutha wa ithe na nyina gũkua.
8 After the king commanded [that they search for some beautiful women], they brought Esther and many other young women to the king’s palace [in Susa], and (the king put Hegai/Hegai was put) in charge of them.
Rĩrĩa watho ũcio wa mũthamaki wanĩrĩirwo-rĩ, airĩtu aingĩ nĩmarehirwo thĩinĩ wa nyũmba ya ũthamaki kũu gĩikaro kĩrĩa kĩirigĩre gĩa Shushani, na maamenyagĩrĩrwo nĩ Hegai. Esiteri o nake nĩatwarirwo kũu nyũmba ĩyo ya mũthamaki na akĩĩhokerwo Hegai, ũrĩa warũgamĩrĩire nyũmba ĩrĩa yatũũragwo nĩ andũ-a-nja.
9 Hegai was very pleased with Esther, and he treated her well. He immediately arranged for her to be given ointments to make her [even more] beautiful, and [he ordered that] special food [would be given to her]. [He arranged that] seven maids from the king’s palace [would take care of her], and arranged that she/they would stay in the best rooms.
Mũirĩtu ũcio nĩamũkenirie na akĩendeka nĩwe. O hĩndĩ ĩyo akĩmũhe indo cia gwĩthakaria nacio o na akĩmũhe irio cia mwanya. Ningĩ akĩmũhe ndungata mũgwanja cia airĩtu, arĩa maathuurĩtwo kuuma nyũmba-inĩ ya mũthamaki na akĩmũthaamia marĩ hamwe na ndungata icio ciake cia airĩtu akĩmũtwara handũ harĩa hega mũno kũu nyũmba-inĩ ĩyo yatũũragwo nĩ andũ-a-nja.
10 Esther did not tell anyone that she was a Jew, because Mordecai had told her not to tell anyone.
Esiteri ndoimbũrĩte rũrĩrĩ rwake kana kĩhumo kĩa nyũmba yao, tondũ Moridekai nĩamũtaarĩte akamwĩra ndageke ũguo.
11 Every day Mordecai walked near the courtyard of the place where those women stayed. He asked [people who entered the courtyard] to find out [and tell him] what was happening to Esther.
O mũthenya Moridekai nĩaceerangaga hau nja ya nyũmba ĩyo yatũũragwo nĩ andũ-a-nja, nĩguo amenye ũrĩa Esiteri aikaraga, na ũrĩa aathiiaga na mbere.
12 Before these women were taken to the king, they put ointments on [the bodies of] these women for one year to make them more beautiful. For six months they [rubbed olive] oil mixed with myrrh [on their bodies each day]. For [the next] six months they rubbed ointments and perfumes on their bodies.
Mbere ya o mũirĩtu kũgĩa na mweke wa gũthiĩ kũrĩ Mũthamaki Ahasuerusu, aaniinaga mĩeri ikũmi na ĩĩrĩ ya gwĩthakaria ĩrĩa yaathanĩtwo ĩikaragwo nĩ airĩtu acio, ĩtandatũ ya kwĩhaka maguta ma manemane, na ĩtandatũ ya kwĩhaka maguta manungi wega na indo ingĩ cia kwĩhaka.
13 Then, when one of these women [was summoned to] go to the king, she was allowed to wear whatever clothes and jewelry she chose.
O mũirĩtu aarĩ athiĩ harĩ mũthamaki ta ũũ: Nĩaheagwo kĩndũ kĩrĩa gĩothe angĩendire gwĩkuuĩra kuuma nyũmba ĩyo yatũũragwo nĩ andũ-a-nja gĩa gũthiĩ nakĩo nyũmba-inĩ ya mũthamaki.
14 In the evening, they would take her [to the king’s own room]. The next morning, they would take her to another place where the women [who had slept with the king] stayed. There another official whose name was Shaashgaz was in charge [of those women]. [Those women would live there for the rest of their lives, and] one of those women would go back to the king again only if the king very much wanted her to come again, and only if he told Shaashgaz the name of the woman.
Hwaĩ-inĩ aathiiaga agatoonya kuo, na rũciinĩ agacooka mwena ũngĩ wa nyũmba ĩyo yatũũragwo nĩ andũ-a-nja, nakuo kũu akamenyagĩrĩrwo nĩ Shaashagazu, ndungata ĩrĩa yarĩ hakũre ya mũthamaki, ĩrĩa yehokeirwo thuriya cia mũthamaki. Ndangĩacookire rĩngĩ kũrĩ mũthamaki tiga o mũthamaki akenirio nĩwe amũtũmanĩre na rĩĩtwa rĩake.
15 Everyone who saw Esther liked her. After King Xerxes had been ruling for seven years, it was Esther’s turn to go to him. When they took her to the king, it was during the middle part of the winter. She wore only the things that Hegai suggested.
Ihinda rĩa Esiteri rĩakinya (mũirĩtu ũrĩa Moridekai aarerete taarĩ mwarĩ, ũrĩa warĩ mwarĩ wa ithe mũkũrũ Abihaili) rĩa gũthiĩ kũrĩ mũthamaki, ndaigana gwĩtia kĩndũ o nakĩ, tiga o kĩrĩa Hegai ndungata ĩyo yarĩ hakũre ya mũthamaki, mũrori wa nyũmba ĩyo yatũũragwo nĩ andũ-a-nja, aamwĩrire akuue. Nake Esiteri nĩetĩkĩrĩkaga nĩ mũndũ o wothe wamuonaga.
Nake Esiteri agĩtwarwo kũrĩ Mũthamaki Ahasuerusu kũu nyũmba-inĩ ya ũthamaki mweri-inĩ wa ikũmi, mweri wa Tebethu, mwaka-inĩ wa mũgwanja wa wathani wake.
17 The king liked Esther more than he liked any of the other women [that they brought to him]. He liked her so much that he put on her head the queen’s crown, and he declared that Esther would be the queen instead of Vashti.
Na rĩrĩ, mũthamaki nĩaguucĩrĩirio nĩ Esiteri gũkĩra andũ-a-nja acio angĩ othe, nake agĩĩtĩkĩrĩka nĩwe gũkĩra airĩtu acio angĩ gathirange othe. Nĩ ũndũ ũcio akĩoya tanji ya ũnene, akĩmwĩkĩra mũtwe, akĩmũtua mũtumia wa mũthamaki ithenya rĩa Vashiti.
18 To celebrate her [becoming the queen], he had a big banquet/feast prepared for all his administrators and [other] officials. He generously gave [expensive] gifts to everyone, and he declared that in all the provinces there would be a holiday, [a time when people did not have to pay taxes].
Nake mũthamaki akĩrugithia iruga inene mũno, iruga rĩa Esiteri, agĩĩta andũ ake othe arĩa maarĩ igweta na anene. Mabũrũri-inĩ mothe mũthamaki akĩanĩrĩra thigũkũ na akĩheana iheo kũringana na ũtaana wa ũthamaki.
19 Later all those women who had spent a night with the king were gathered together again. By that time Mordecai had become an official at the palace.
Rĩrĩa airĩtu acio gathirange moonganirio ihinda rĩa keerĩ, Moridekai aikarĩte hau kĩhingo-inĩ kĩa mũciĩ wa mũthamaki.
20 But Esther still did not tell anyone that she was a Jew. She continued to do what Mordecai had told her to do.
No Esiteri ndoimbũrĩte kĩhumo kĩa nyũmba yao kana kĩa rũrĩrĩ rwake, o ta ũrĩa Moridekai aamũtaarĩte, nĩgũkorwo aathiire na mbere kũrũmĩrĩra mataaro ma Moridekai o ta ũrĩa ekaga rĩrĩa aareragwo nĩwe.
21 One day when Mordecai was doing his work in the palace, two of the king’s officials were there. Their names were Bigthana and Teresh. They were the guards who stood outside the king’s own rooms. They became angry [with the king], and they were planning how they could assassinate/kill him.
Ihinda rĩu Moridekai aikaraga kĩhingo-inĩ kĩa mũciĩ wa mũthamaki, Bigithana na Tereshu, anene eerĩ arĩa meehokeirwo kũrũgamĩrĩra kĩhingo kĩa nyũmba ya mũthamaki, nĩmarakarire, na makĩgĩa na ndundu ya kũũraga Mũthamaki Ahasuerusu.
22 But Mordecai heard about what they were planning, and he told that to Queen Esther. Then she told the king what Mordecai had found out.
Nowe Moridekai akĩmenya ũhoro wa ndundu ĩyo na akĩĩra Esiteri, mũtumia ũcio wa mũthamaki, nake Esiteri akĩĩra mũthamaki ũhoro ũcio, na akiuga nĩ Moridekai ũmwĩrĩte.
23 The king investigated and found out that Mordecai’s report was true. So the king ordered that those two men be hanged. When that was done, (an official wrote a report/a report was written) about it in a book called ‘The book that records what happened while Xerxes was king’.
Na rĩrĩa ũhoro ũcio watuĩririo na ũkĩoneka atĩ warĩ wa ma, anene acio eerĩ magĩcuurio mũtĩ igũrũ. Ũhoro ũcio wothe nĩwandĩkĩirwo hau mbere ya mũthamaki ibuku-inĩ rĩa maũndũ marĩa meekĩkĩte ihinda rĩu.
