Esther 3
1 Some time later, King Xerxes (promoted/gave his most important job/work to) Haman, the son of Hammedatha, who was a descendant of [King] Agag. Haman became more important than all his other officials. [Only the king was more important.]
Eyinom akyi no, ɔhene Ahasweros pagyaw Agagni Hamedata babarima Haman dibea, yɛɛ no ɔsoafo panyin wɔ ahemman no mu ma ɔbɛyɛɛ ɔhene abediakyiri.
2 Then the king commanded that all the other officials had to bow down in front of Haman to honor him [when he walked by]. But Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman.
Sɛ Haman reba a, ɔhene mpanyimfo no bɔ wɔn mu ase de kyerɛ obu ne nidi a wɔwɔ ma no, efisɛ saa na ɔhene ahyɛ. Nanso Mordekai ammɔ ne mu ase da, na wankyerɛ obu ne nidi nso da.
3 The [other] officials [saw that, and they] asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey what the king commanded?”
Ahemfi mpanyimfo a wɔwɔ ɔhene pon ano no bisaa Mordekai se, “Adɛn nti na worebu ɔhene mmara so?”
4 Mordecai told them that he was a Jew, [and that Jews would bow down only to God]. Day after day the other officials spoke to Mordecai about that, but he still refused to obey. So they told Haman about it, to see if Haman would tolerate it.
Wɔkasa kyerɛɛ no mpɛn pii nanso ɔkɔɔ so buu mmara no so. Enti wɔbɔɔ Haman amanneɛ hwɛɛ sɛ ɔbɛpene Mordekai suban no so ana, efisɛ na Mordekai aka akyerɛ wɔn sɛ ɔyɛ Yudani.
5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down to him, he became extremely angry.
Bere a Haman huu sɛ Mordekai nkotow no, anaa ɔnna obu ne nidi adi nkyerɛ no no, ne bo fuwii.
6 [After he found out that Mordecai was a Jew, ] he decided that it would not be enough to get rid of only Mordecai. He decided to kill all the Jews in all the area that Xerxes ruled.
Enti Haman yɛɛ nʼadwene sɛ, ɔrenhaw Mordekai nko ara. Esiane sɛ na wate sɛ Mordekai yɛ Yudani no nti, ɔyɛɛ nʼadwene sɛ ɔbɛhwehwɛ ɔkwan a ɔbɛfa so de atɔre Yudafo a wɔwɔ Ahasweros ahemman mu no nyinaa ase.
7 So, during the twelfth year that Xerxes was ruling, during the month of April, [Haman told his advisors to] (cast lots/throw small marked stones) to determine the best month and the best day to kill the Jews. Haman’s advisors did that, and the day that was selected was March 7th [during the following/next year].
Na ɔsram Abib (bɛyɛ Oforisuo) mu a ɛyɛ ɔhene Ahasweros adedi mfe dumien so no, wɔbɔɔ ntonto a wɔfrɛ no Pur de hwehwɛɛ da ne ɔsram a ɛfata sɛ wɔhyɛ fa no. Na da a woyii no yɛ Abib ɔsram (bɛyɛ Ɔbɛnem) da a ɛto so ason a na ɛreyɛ akɔ ntontobɔ no akyi afe mu.
8 Then Haman [went to] the king [and] said to [him], “[Your majesty, ] there is a certain group of people who live in many areas [of your empire] whose customs are different from ours. They even refuse to obey your laws. So it would be good for you to get rid of them.
Na Haman kɔɔ ɔhene Ahasweros nkyɛn kɔka kyerɛɛ no se, “Nnipa bi wɔ hɔ a wɔabɔ apete amantam a ɛwɔ wʼahenni yi nyinaa so. Wɔn mmara ne ɔman foforo biara de bɔ abira, na mpo, wobu ɔhene mmara so. Ɛno nti, enye mma ɔhene sɛ ɔbɛhwɛ ama wɔatena ase.
9 If it pleases you, command that they should all be killed. [If you do that, ] I will give (375 tons/750,000 pounds) of silver to your administrators so that you can use it for your government.”
Sɛ ebetumi a, Ɔhempɔn, hyɛ mmara na wɔntɔre wɔn ase, na mɛma aban amammuifo dwetɛ tɔn ahaasa aduɔson anum na wɔde agu adehye foto no mu.”
10 The king liked [what Haman said, so, and to confirm what he decided], he gave the ring that had his official seal on it to Haman, who now hated the Jews.
Ɔhene no penee so, worɔw ne pɛtea de maa Agagni Hamedata babarima Haman a ɔyɛ Yudafo tamfo no de sii asɛm no so dua.
11 The king told Haman, “Keep your money, but do what you want to with those people [whom you talked about]!”
Ɔhene no ka kyerɛɛ Haman se, “Ma sika no ntena hɔ, nanso wo ne nnipa no nni no sɛnea wopɛ no biara.”
12 On April 17th Haman summoned the king’s secretaries, and he dictated a letter to them that they [translated and] wrote to all the governors and administrators and other officials in all the provinces. They wrote copies of the letter in every language and every kind of writing/alphabet that was used in the empire. They wrote that all the Jews, [including] young people and old people, women and children, had to be killed on one day. That day was March 7th of the following year. They also wrote that [those who killed the Jews] could take everything that belonged to the Jews. [They signed] the king’s name [at the end of] the letters. Then they sealed the letters [with wax, and stamped the wax by] using the king’s ring. Then they sent the letters swiftly to every province in the empire,
Abib (bɛyɛ Oforisuo) da a ɛto so dunson no, Haman frɛɛ ɔhene akyerɛwfo ma ɔkaa nea ɔpɛ sɛ ɔkyerɛw de kɔma mmapɔmma, amantam amradofo a wɔwɔ mmeae nyinaa, adwumayɛfo a wɔwɔ amantam no mu ma wɔkyerɛw no wɔ wɔn ankasa kasa mu. Ɔhene Ahasweros na wɔde ne din hyɛɛ nkrataa no ase, na wɔde ne kaa no sɔw ano,
na wɔde somaa abɔfo ma wɔde kokɔɔ amantam a ɛwɔ ahemman no mu nyinaa. Nkrataa no hyɛɛ mmara sɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ wokunkum Yudafo nyinaa, mmofra ne mpanyin, mmea ne mmarima, tɔre wɔn ase da koro na wɔfa wɔn agyapade. Wɔhyɛɛ sɛ, saa asɛm yi nsi wɔ Adar ɔsram (bɛyɛ Ɔbɛnem) da a ɛto so ason, a ɛyɛ afe akyi a wɔhyɛɛ mmara no.
14 The king [also commanded that] copies of these letters should be [nailed up] where [all the people] could see them, in every province, so that the people would be ready to do on the day the king had set [what was written in the letter].
Wɔde mmara no sɛso bi bɛkɔ amantam no nyinaa so, na wɔbɛma ɔmanfo nyinaa nso ate mu nsɛm, sɛnea wobetumi adi dwuma no wɔ da a wɔahyɛ no.
15 Then, according to what the king commanded, men [riding horses] took those letters quickly to every province [in the empire]. And one of the letters was read [aloud to the people] in the capital city, Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down and drank [wine], but the people in Susa were very perplexed [about why this was going to happen].
Ɔhene no hyɛ ma wɔde mmara no somaa abɔfo a wɔn ho yɛ hare ma wɔbɔɔ no dawuru wɔ Susa aban no mu. Afei, ɔhene no ne Haman tenaa ase nom nsa; nanso Susa kuropɔn no mu yɛɛ basabasa.
