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].
Ɔhene Ahasweros bo tɔɔ ne yam akyire no, ɔhyɛɛ aseɛ dwenee deɛ Wasti ayɛ ne mmara a wɔahyɛ no ho.
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.
Na nʼasomfoɔ susuu ho kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Ma yɛnwurawura ahemman yi mu, na yɛmpɛ mmaabunu ahoɔfɛfoɔ mfa wɔn mmrɛ ɔhene.
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.
Ɔhene nyi ananmusifoɔ bi wɔ ɔmantam biara mu, na wɔmfa mmaa ahoɔfɛfoɔ yi mmra ɔhene yerenom atenaeɛ wɔ Susa. Hegai a ɔyɛ opiani no na ɔbɛhwɛ wɔn so, ama wɔn ahosiesie nnuro.
4 Then the woman who pleases you most can become queen instead of Vashti.” The king liked what they suggested, so he did it.
Ɛno akyi no, ababaawa a ɔsɔ wʼani yie no na wɔbɛsi no ɔhemmaa, asi Wasti ananmu.” Saa afotuo yi sɔɔ ɔhene no ani yie, enti ɔyɛɛ saa ntɛm so.
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 Yudani bi a ɔyɛ Yair babarima a ne din de Mordekai te Susa aban no mu. Na ɔfiri Benyamin abusuakuo mu. Na ɔyɛ Kis ne Simei aseni.
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.
Ɔhene Nebukadnessar na ɔtwaa nʼabusuafoɔ ne Yudahene Yekonia ne afoforɔ bi asuo firii Yerusalem kɔɔ Babilonia.
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.
Na saa ɔbarima yi wɔ onua hoɔfɛfoɔ bi a ne din de Hadasa a na wɔsane frɛ no Ɛster. Ɛberɛ a nʼagya ne ne maame wuwuiɛ no, Mordekai faa no kaa nʼabusua ho, tetee no sɛ nʼankasa babaa.
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.
Ɔhene no mmara a ɔhyɛeɛ no enti, wɔde Ɛster ne mmabaawa bebree baa ɔhene yerenom atenaeɛ wɔ Susa aban no mu, de wɔn hyɛɛ Hegai nsa.
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.
Hegai ani gyee Ɛster ho yie, ma ɔhwɛɛ no yie. Ntɛm ara, ɔma wɔmaa no aduane sononko, na ɔmaa no ahosiesie nnuro kaa ho. Ɔsane de mfenaa baason a ɔyii wɔn firii ahemfie hɔ maa no, na ɔde ɔno ne mfenaa no kɔtenaa deɛ ɛhɔ yɛ pa ara wɔ mmaa atenaeɛ hɔ.
10 Esther did not tell anyone that she was a Jew, because Mordecai had told her not to tell anyone.
Ɛster anka ne ɔman a ɔfiri mu ne nʼabusua a ɔbɔ ankyerɛ obiara, ɛfiri sɛ na Mordekai abɔ nʼano sɛ ɔnnkyerɛ.
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.
Ɛda biara Mordekai kɔnante fa ahemfie no adihɔ hɔ, bisa Ɛster ase sɛ ne ho te sɛn.
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.
Ansa na wɔde ababaawa biara bɛkɔ ɔhene nkyɛn no, wɔma ɔde ahoɔfɛ nnuro yɛ ne ho afe. Wɔde kurobo ngo yɛ ne ho abosome nsia na ɛno akyi, wɔde aduhwam ne nku sononko bi ayɛ ne ho abosome nsia.
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.
Na sɛ ɛduru ɛberɛ a ɛsɛ sɛ ɔkɔ ɔhene nkyɛn a wɔma no kwan ma ɔfa atadeɛ anaa agudeɛ a ɔpɛ sɛ ɔde siesie ne ho, na ama nʼahoɔfɛ no adi mu.
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.
Anwummerɛ no, wɔde no kɔ ɔhene dabekyire, na adeɛ kye a, wɔde no akɔ baabi a ɔhene yerenom teɛ no. Ɛhɔ no, ɔhene piani foforɔ bi a wɔfrɛ no Saasgas na ɔbɛhwɛ no so. Na ɛhɔ na ɔbɛtena ne nkwa nna nyinaa a ɔrenkɔ ɔhene no nkyɛn bio, gye sɛ ɔhene no ani gyee ne ho yie ansa na wabɔ ne din afrɛ no.
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.
Na ɛduruu Ɛster a ɔyɛ Abihail ba no so no, wammisa hwee gye sɛ deɛ Hegai a ɔyɛ ɔhene piani a ɔhwɛ mmaa no so no tuu no fo wɔ ho no (Mordekai nua ne Abihail, na Mordekai nso ha ɔhwɛɛ Ɛster).
Ɛberɛ a wɔde Ɛster kɔmaa ɔhene Ahasweros wɔ ahemfie hɔ Tebet bosome (bɛyɛ Ɔpɛpɔn) mu a na ɛyɛ nʼadedie mfeɛ nson so no,
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.
ɔhene no dɔɔ no senee mmaabunu a wɔaka no nyinaa. Nʼani gyee ne ho ara kɔsii sɛ, ɔhyɛɛ no ahenkyɛ, pagyaa no sɛ ɔhemmaa, sii Wasti ananmu.
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].
Ahemmaasie no mu, ɔtoo ɛpono maa ne mmapɔmma ne asomfoɔ nyinaa de hyɛɛ Ɛster animuonyam. Ɔmaa obiara akyɛdeɛ bebree, na ɔyɛɛ no afahyɛ wɔ amantam no nyinaa so.
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.
Mpo, ɛberɛ a wɔde mmabaawa no nyinaa kɔɔ mmaa atenaeɛ a ɛtɔ so mmienu no mu no, na Mordekai nso abɛyɛ panin wɔ ahemfie hɔ no,
20 But Esther still did not tell anyone that she was a Jew. She continued to do what Mordecai had told her to do.
Ɛster ankyerɛ baabi a ɔfiri ne abusua a ɔbɔ da. Ɔkɔɔ so dii Mordekai afotuo no so sɛdeɛ ɔyɛeɛ wɔ ɛberɛ a na ɔne no teɛ no.
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.
Ɛda koro bi a Mordekai wɔ adwuma mu wɔ ahemfie no, ɔhene no apiafoɔ baanu a wɔn din de Bigtan ne Teres a na wɔyɛ ɔhene no kɔkoamfie no ɛpono ano awɛmfoɔ no bo fuu ɔhene Ahasweros, na wɔpamm ne tiri so sɛ wɔbɛkum no.
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.
Mordekai tee atirisopam no, ɔbɔɔ ɔhemmaa Ɛster amaneɛ. Ɔno nso ka kyerɛɛ ɔhene no, na ɔmaa Mordekai amo sɛ ɔbɛkaa asɛm no.
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’.
Wɔkɔɔ asɛm no mu, hunuu sɛ asɛm a Mordekai bɛkaeɛ no yɛ nokorɛ no, wɔsɛnee mmarima baanu no wɔ dua so. Wɔtwerɛɛ yei nyinaa hyɛɛ ɔhene Ahasweros adedie abakɔsɛm nwoma mu.
