Esther 9
1 The first law that the king had commanded was to be made effective on March 7th. On that day the enemies of the Jews hoped to get rid of them. But instead, on that same day the Jews defeated 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 Throughout the empire, the Jews gathered together in their cities to attack those who wanted to get rid of them. No one could fight against the Jews, because all the other people in the areas where the Jews lived were afraid of them, [so they did not want to help anyone who attacked the Jews].
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 governors and [other] officials and important people in all the provinces 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 They were afraid of him because in all the provinces [they knew that] Mordecai was now the king’s most important official, [with the authority that Haman previously had]. Mordecai was becoming more famous because [the king was giving him] more and more power.
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 [On March 7th, ] the Jews attacked and killed with their swords all of their enemies. They did whatever they wanted to do, to the people who hated them.
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 [Just] in Susa alone, the capital city, they killed 500 people.
只在穌撒禁城，猶太人就殺死了五百人，
7 Among those whom they killed were the ten sons of Haman. [Their names were] 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 Those were grandsons of Hammedatha and sons of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. The Jews killed them, but they did not take the things that belonged to the people whom they killed.
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 [At the end of] that day someone reported to the king the number of people whom the Jews killed in Susa.
當天，君王就知道了在穌撒禁城內殺死的人數。
12 Then the king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed 500 people here in Susa, including the ten sons of Haman! [So I think that] they must have killed many more people in the rest of my empire [RHQ]! [But okay], now what else do you want me to do for you. You tell me, and I will do it.”
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 Esther replied, “If it pleases you, allow the Jews here in Susa to do again tomorrow what [you] commanded [them] to do today. And command that the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows/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 So the king commanded that the Jews be permitted to kill more of their enemies the next day. After he issued [another] order in Susa, the bodies of Haman’s ten sons were hanged.
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 next day, the Jews in Susa gathered together and killed 300 more people. But [again, ] they did not take the things that belonged to the people whom they killed.
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 That happened on March 8th. On the following day, the Jews [in Susa] rested and celebrated. In all the other provinces, the Jewish people gathered together to defend themselves, and they killed 75,000 people who hated them, but [again] they did not take the things that belonged to the people whom they killed.
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 That occurred on March 7th, and on the following day they rested and celebrated.
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 After the Jews in Susa gathered together [and killed their enemies] on March 7th and 8th, they rested and celebrated on March 9th.
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 That is why [every year], on March 8th, the Jews who live in villages now celebrate [defeating their enemies]. They have feasts and give gifts [of food] to each other.
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 wrote down all the things that had happened. Then he sent letters to the Jews who lived throughout the empire of King Xerxes.
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 He told them that every year they should celebrate on the 8th and 9th of March,
通告他們應每年慶祝「阿達爾」月十四十五兩天，
22 because those were the days when the Jews got rid of their enemies. He also told them that they should celebrate on those days by feasting and giving gifts [of food] to each other and to poor people. They would remember it as the month in which they changed from being very sorrowful to being very joyful, from crying to celebrating.
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 So the Jews agreed to do what Mordecai wrote. They agreed to celebrate on those days [every year].
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 They would remember how Haman, son of Hammedatha, a descendant of [King] Agag, became an enemy of all the Jews. [They would remember] how he had made an evil plan to kill the Jews, and that he had (cast lots/thrown small marked stones) to choose the day to kill [DOU] 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 [They would remember] that when Esther told the king about Haman’s plan, the king arranged that the evil plan that Haman had made to kill the Jews would fail, and that he [would be killed] instead of the Jews, and that Haman and that his sons were hanged.
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 [Because the (lot/small marked stone) that Haman threw was called] Pur, the Jews called these days Purim. And, because of everything that ([Mordecai] wrote/was written) in that letter, and because of all that 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 [throughout the empire] agreed to celebrate in that manner on those two days every year. They said that they would tell their descendants and those people who became Jews to be certain to celebrate this festival every year. They should celebrate just as [Mordecai] told them to do [in the letter] that he wrote.
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 They said that they would remember and celebrate on those two days every year, in each family, in every city, and in every province. They solemnly declared that they and their descendants would never stop remembering and celebrating those days called Purim.
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 Mordecai and Queen Esther, who was the daughter of Abihail, wrote a second letter about the Purim feast. Esther used the authority that she had because of being the queen to confirm that what Mordecai had written in the first letter was true.
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 What they wrote [in the second letter] was, “We wish that all of you will be living peacefully and safely/righteously. We want you and your descendants to celebrate Purim each year on the days that we two established, and to do the things that we two told you to do.” In that letter, Queen Esther and Mordecai also gave them instructions about (fasting/abstaining from eating food) and being sorrowful. Then copies of that letter were sent to all the Jews who were living in the 127 provinces of the empire.
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，
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 The letter that Esther wrote about the manner in which they should celebrate the Purim feast was also written in an 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。
