Esther 9
1 Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, when the king's law and decree were about to be carried out, on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain power over them, it was reversed. The Jews gained power over those who hated them.
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 The Jews assembled in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, to lay hands on those who tried to bring disaster on them. No one could stand against them, for the fear of them had fallen on all the peoples.
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 officials of the provinces, the provincial governors, the governors, and the king's administrators, helped the Jews because the fear of Mordecai had fallen on them.
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 For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces, for the man Mordecai was becoming great.
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 The Jews attacked their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those 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 In the fortress of Susa itself the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men.
只在穌撒禁城，猶太人就殺死了五百人，
7 They killed 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, Vaizatha,
帕瑪市達、阿黎賽、阿黎待與耶匝達，
10 and the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not take any plunder.
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 That day the number of those killed in the fortress of Susa, was reported to the king.
當天，君王就知道了在穌撒禁城內殺死的人數。
12 The king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed five hundred men in the fortress of Susa, including the ten sons of Haman. What then have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be granted you. What is your request? It will be granted to you.”
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 said, “If it pleases the king, let the Jews who are in Susa be permitted to carry out this day's decree tomorrow also, and let the bodies of Haman's ten sons be hanged on gallows.”
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 this be done. A decree was issued in Susa, and they hanged the ten sons of Haman.
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 The Jews who were in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and killed three hundred more men in Susa, but laid no hands on the plunder.
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 The rest of the Jews who were in the king's provinces came together to defend their lives, and they got relief from their enemies and killed seventy-five thousand of those who hated them, but they did not lay their hands on the valuables of those 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 This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. On the fourteenth day they rested and made that a day of feasting and gladness.
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 But the Jews who were in Susa assembled together on the thirteenth and the fourteenth days. On the fifteenth day they rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness.
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 the Jews of the villages, who make their homes in the rural towns, observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day of gladness and feasting, and as a day on which they send gifts of food to one another.
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 recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far,
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 obligating them to keep the fourteenth and the fifteenth day of Adar every year.
通告他們應每年慶祝「阿達爾」月十四十五兩天，
22 These were the days when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and the month when their sorrow turned to joy, and mourning into a day of celebration. They were to make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending gifts of food to one another, and gifts to the poor.
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 continued the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them.
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 At that time Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and he threw Pur (that is, he threw lots), to crush and destroy 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 But when the matter came before the king, he gave orders by letters that the wicked plan Haman developed against the Jews should come back on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
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 Therefore they called these days Purim, after the name of Pur. Because of everything that was written in this letter, and everything that they had seen and that had 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 accepted a new custom and duty. This custom would be for themselves, their descendants, and everyone who joined them. It would be that they would celebrate these two days every year. They would celebrate them in a certain way and at the same time each year.
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 These days were to be celebrated and observed in every generation, every family, every province, and every city. These Jews and their descendants would never cease to faithfully observe these days of Purim, so that they should never forget them.
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 Queen Esther daughter of Abihail and Mordecai the Jew wrote with full authority and confirmed this second letter about Purim.
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 Letters were sent to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, wishing the Jews safety and truth.
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，
31 These letters confirmed the days of Purim at their appointed times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther obligated the Jews. The Jews accepted this obligation for themselves and their descendants, just as also they accepted times of fasting and lamenting.
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 command of Esther confirmed these regulations regarding Purim, and it was written in the book.
從此，艾斯德爾的命令，便成了「普凌節」的規定，並記載於史冊。
