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].
Pea hili ʻae ngaahi meʻa ni, pea kuo ʻosi ʻae houhau ʻae tuʻi ko ʻAhasivelo, naʻa ne manatuʻi ʻa Vasiti, mo ia naʻa ne fai, mo ia naʻe tuʻutuʻuni ke fai kiate ia.
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.
Pea pehē ai ʻe he kau tamaioʻeiki ʻae tuʻi ʻaia naʻe tauhi ia, “Tuku ke kumi he kau tāupoʻou hoihoifua maʻae tuʻi:
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.
Pea ke fakanofo ʻe he tuʻi ʻae kau matāpule ʻi he ngaahi potu kotoa pē ʻo hono puleʻanga, koeʻuhi ke nau tānaki ke fakataha kotoa pē ʻae kau tāupoʻou hoihoifua ki Susani ko e kolo fakaʻeiki, ki he fale ʻoe kau fefine, ki he tauhi ʻo Hekai, ko e tauhi fale ʻoe tuʻi, ʻaia ʻoku tauhi ʻae kau fefine: pea ke ʻatu kiate kinautolu ʻenau ngaahi meʻa fakamaʻa:
4 Then the woman who pleases you most can become queen instead of Vashti.” The king liked what they suggested, so he did it.
Pea ʻilonga ʻae tāupoʻou ʻaia ʻe fiemālie ki ai ʻae tuʻi, tuku ia ke tuʻi fefine ko e fetongi ʻo Vasiti.” Pea naʻe fiemālie ʻae tuʻi ʻi he meʻa ko ia; pea naʻa ne fai ia.
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.
Pea naʻe ʻi Susani ko e kolo fakaʻeiki, ʻae Siu ʻe taha, ko Motekiai hono hingoa, ko e foha ʻo Saili, ko e foha ʻo Simi, ko e foha ʻo Kisi, ko e tangata Penisimani:
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.
ʻAia naʻe fetuku mei Selūsalema, ʻi he fakapōpula ʻaia naʻe fetuku ki he mamaʻo mo Sekonia ko e tuʻi ʻo Siuta, ʻaia naʻe fetuku ʻe Nepukanesa ko e tuʻi ʻo Papilone ʻo ʻave ki he mamaʻo.
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.
Pea naʻa ne ohi ʻa Hatasa, ʻaia ko Eseta, ko e ʻofefine ʻo hono tuʻasina: he naʻe ʻikai haʻane tamai pe faʻē, pea naʻe matamatalelei mo hoihoifua ʻae tāupoʻou, ʻaia naʻe ohi ʻe Motekiai ʻi he pekia ʻene tamai mo ʻene faʻē, ʻo ne ʻofefine ʻaki ia.
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.
Pea naʻe hoko ʻo pehē, ʻi he ongoʻi ʻae fekau ʻae tuʻi mo ʻene tuʻutuʻuni, pea kuo fakakātoa ʻae kau taʻahine tokolahi ki Susani ko e kolo fakaʻeiki, ki he tauhi ʻo Hekai, naʻe ʻomi foki ʻa Eseta ki he fale ʻoe tuʻi, ki he tauhi ʻo Hekai, ko e tauhi ʻoe kau fefine.
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.
Pea naʻe fiemālie ia ki he taʻahine, pea naʻa ne ʻofeina ia: pea naʻa ne ʻatu leva kiate ia ʻae ngaahi meʻa maʻa ʻene fakamaʻa ia, fakataha mo e ngaahi meʻa naʻe kau tonu kiate ia, mo e kau taʻahine ʻe toko fitu, ʻaia naʻe taau ke foaki kiate ia, mei he fale ʻoe tuʻi: pea naʻa ne tomuʻa fili ia mo ʻene kau taʻahine ki he potu lelei lahi ʻoe fale ʻoe kau fefine.
10 Esther did not tell anyone that she was a Jew, because Mordecai had told her not to tell anyone.
Naʻe teʻeki ai fakahā ʻe Eseta hono kakai pe ko hono kāinga: he naʻe fekau ia ʻe Motekiai ke ʻoua naʻa fakahā ia.
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.
Pea naʻe ʻeveʻeva ʻa Motekiai ʻi he ʻaho kotoa pē ʻi he mata fale ʻoe lotoʻā ʻoe fale ʻoe kau fefine, ke ʻilo pe ʻoku fēfē ʻa Eseta, pea ko e hā ʻe fai kiate ia.
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.
Pea ʻi he hoko ʻae lakanga ʻoe taʻahine kotoa pē ke hū ki loto ki he tuʻi ko ʻAhasivelo, hili ʻene nofo ʻi he māhina ʻe hongofulu ma ua, ʻo fakatatau ki he anga ʻae kau fefine, (he naʻe pehē pe hono fakaʻosi ʻae ngaahi ʻaho ʻo honau fakamaʻa, ʻio, ʻae māhina ʻe ono mo e lolo ko e mula, mo e māhina ʻe ono mo e ngaahi meʻa namu kakala, pea mo e ngaahi meʻa kehe ko e meʻa fakamaʻa ʻae kau fefine.)
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.
Pea naʻe haʻu pehē pe ʻae taʻahine kotoa pē ki he tuʻi: ʻilonga ʻaia kotoa pē naʻa ne fili ke taungaʻaki mei he fale ʻoe kau fefine, ke ʻalu ki he fale ʻoe tuʻi, naʻe foaki ia kiate ia.
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.
Naʻe hū ki ai ia ʻi he efiafi, pea pongipongi ai naʻe liu mai ia ki hono ua ʻoe fale ʻoe kau fefine, ki he tauhi ʻa Seasikasi, ko e tauhi fale ʻae tuʻi, ʻaia naʻe tauhi ʻae kau sinifu: naʻe ʻikai te ne toe haʻu ki he tuʻi, ʻo kapau naʻe ʻikai fiemālie ʻae tuʻi ʻiate ia, pea ne ui ia ʻi hono hingoa.
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.
Pea ʻi he hoko ʻae lakanga ʻo Eseta, ko e ʻofefine ʻo ʻApieli ko e tuʻasina ʻo Motekiai, ʻaia naʻa ne ohi ko hono ʻofefine, ke hū ia ki loto ki he tuʻi, naʻe ʻikai te ne fili ha meʻa ʻe taha ka ko e meʻa pe naʻe ʻatu kiate ia ʻe Hekai, ko e tauhi fale ʻae tuʻi, mo e haʻa tukauʻi ʻoe kau fefine. Pea naʻe ʻofeina ʻa Eseta ʻe he kakai kotoa pē naʻe mamata kiate ia.
Ko ia, naʻe ʻave ʻa Eseta ki he tuʻi ko ʻAhasivelo ki hono fale fakatuʻi ʻi hono hongofulu ʻoe māhina, ʻaia ko e māhina ko Tipeti, ʻi hono fitu taʻu ʻo ʻene pule.
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.
Pea naʻe ʻofa lahi ʻae tuʻi kia Eseta ʻi he kau fefine kotoa pē, pea naʻe maʻu ʻe ia ʻae lelei mo e angaʻofa ʻi hono ʻao ʻo lahi hake ʻi he kau tāupoʻou kotoa pē; ko ia naʻa ne ʻai ai ʻae tatā fakatuʻi ki hono ʻulu, pea fakanofo ia ko e tuʻi fefine ko e fetongi ʻo Vasiti.
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].
Pea naʻe fai ai ʻe he tuʻi ʻae kātoanga lahi ki heʻene ngaahi houʻeiki kotoa pē mo ʻene kau tamaioʻeiki, ʻio, ko e kātoanga ʻo Eseta: pea naʻa ne fai ʻae vetepōpula ʻi hono ngaahi puleʻanga, ʻo ne fai ʻae ngaahi foaki, ʻo taau mo e monūʻia ʻoe tuʻi.
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.
Pea ʻi he fakakātoa ʻae kau taʻahine ko hono liunga ua, naʻe toki nofo ai ʻa Motekiai ʻi he matapā ʻoe tuʻi.
20 But Esther still did not tell anyone that she was a Jew. She continued to do what Mordecai had told her to do.
Pea naʻe teʻeki ai fakahā ʻe Eseta ʻa hono kāinga pe ko hono kakai: ʻo hangē ko e fekau pau ʻe Motekiai kiate ia: he naʻe fai ʻe Eseta ki he fekau ʻa Motekiai kiate ia, ʻo hangē ko ia naʻa ne fai ʻi heʻene kei tauhi ia.
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.
ʻI he ngaahi ʻaho ko ia, lolotonga ʻene nofo ʻa Motekiai ʻi he matapā ʻoe tuʻi, naʻe ʻita ʻae tauhi ʻe toko ua ʻae tuʻi, ko Pikitani mo Telesi, ʻiate kinautolu naʻe tauhi ʻae matapā, ʻo na kumi ke ala ki he tuʻi ko ʻAhasivelo.
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.
Pea naʻe ʻilo ʻae meʻa ni ʻe Motekiai, ʻaia naʻe tala ia kia Eseta ko e tuʻi fefine, pea fakahā ia ʻe Eseta ki he tuʻi ʻi he hingoa ʻo Motekiai.
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’.
Pea ʻi he fai ʻae ʻeke ki he meʻa ni, naʻe ʻilo hono moʻoni: ko ia naʻe tautau ai ʻakinaua fakatouʻosi ki ha ʻakau: pea naʻe tohi ia ʻi he tohi fakamatala meʻa ʻi he ʻao ʻoe tuʻi.
