< Esther 1 >

1 And it cometh to pass, in the days of Ahasuerus — he [is] Ahasuerus who is reigning from Hodu even unto Cush, seven and twenty and a hundred provinces —
Hili ndilo lililotokea wakati wa utawala wa Mfalme Ahasuero, yule aliyetawala juu ya majimbo mia na ishirini na saba tangu Bara Hindi hadi Kushi.
2 in those days, at the sitting of the king Ahasuerus on the throne of his kingdom, that [is] in Shushan the palace,
Wakati huo Mfalme Ahasuero alitawala katika kiti chake cha enzi katika ngome ya mji wa Shushani.
3 in the third year of his reign, he hath made a banquet to all his heads and his servants; of the force of Persia and Media, the chiefs and heads of the provinces [are] before him,
Katika mwaka wa tatu wa utawala wake, alifanya karamu kwa ajili ya wakuu wake wote pamoja na maafisa. Akawaalika viongozi wa jeshi wa Uajemi na Umedi, wana wa wafalme na wakuu wa majimbo.
4 in his shewing the wealth of the honour of his kingdom, and the glory of the beauty of his greatness, many days — eighty and a hundred days.
Kwa siku zote 180 mfalme alionyesha utajiri mwingi wa ufalme wake, fahari na utukufu wa enzi yake.
5 And at the fulness of these days hath the king made to all the people who are found in Shushan the palace, from great even unto small, a banquet, seven days, in the court of the garden of the house of the king —
Siku hizo zilipopita, mfalme alifanya karamu kwa muda wa siku saba, katika bustani ya ndani katika jumba la kifalme, kwa ajili ya watu wote kuanzia mdogo hadi mkubwa, waliokuwa katika ngome ya mji wa Shushani.
6 white linen, white cotton, and blue, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on rings of silver, and pillars of marble, couches of gold, and of silver, on a pavement of smaragdus, and white marble, and mother-of-pearl, and black marble —
Bustani ilikuwa na mapazia ya kitani nyeupe na buluu, yaliyofungiwa kamba za kitani nyeupe na kitambaa cha zambarau, kwenye pete za fedha juu ya nguzo za marmar. Kulikuwepo viti vya dhahabu na vya fedha vilivyokuwa vimewekwa kwenye ile sakafu iliyotengenezwa kwa mawe ya rangi, marmar, lulumizi na mawe mengine ya thamani.
7 and the giving of drink in vessels of gold, and the vessels [are] divers vessels, and the royal wine [is] abundant, as a memorial of the king.
Vyombo vya dhahabu vilitumika kwa watu kunywea mvinyo, kila kimoja tofauti na kingine, naye mfalme akatoa mvinyo kwa wingi kwa kadiri ya ukarimu wake.
8 And the drinking [is] according to law, none is pressing, for so hath the king appointed for every chief one of his house, to do according to the pleasure of man and man.
Kwa amri ya mfalme kila mgeni aliruhusiwa kunywa alichotaka, kwa kuwa mfalme alitoa maagizo kwa watumishi wote wa kuhudumu mvinyo kumhudumia kila mtu kwa jinsi alivyotaka.
9 Also Vashti the queen hath made a banquet for women, in the royal house that the king Ahasuerus hath.
Malkia Vashti pia akawafanyia wanawake karamu katika jumba la kifalme la Mfalme Ahasuero.
10 On the seventh day, as the heart of the king is glad with wine, he hath said to Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who are ministering in the presence of the king Ahasuerus,
Siku ya saba, wakati Mfalme Ahasuero alikuwa amesisimka roho yake kwa mvinyo, aliamuru matowashi saba waliokuwa wakimhudumia, yaani, Mehumani, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethari na Karkasi,
11 to bring in Vashti the queen before the king, with a royal crown, to shew the peoples and the heads her beauty, for she [is] of good appearance,
kumleta Malkia Vashti mbele ya mfalme akiwa amevaa taji lake la kifalme, ili aonyeshe uzuri wake kwa watu na wakuu, kwa kuwa alikuwa ni mzuri wa kupendeza.
12 and the queen Vashti refuseth to come in at the word of the king that [is] by the hand of the eunuchs, and the king is very wroth, and his fury hath burned in him.
Lakini wakati watumishi walipotoa amri ya mfalme, Malkia Vashti alikataa kuja. Ndipo mfalme alighadhibika, na hasira yake ikawaka.
13 And the king saith to wise men, knowing the times — for so [is] the word of the king before all knowing law and judgment,
Kwa kuwa ilikuwa desturi ya mfalme kupata ushauri kwa wataalamu katika mambo ya sheria na haki, alizungumza na watu wenye busara, ambao walijua nyakati,
14 and he who is near unto him [is] Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, Memucan, seven heads of Persia and Media seeing the face of the king, who are sitting first in the kingdom —
nao waliokuwa karibu na mfalme ni Karshena, Shethari, Admatha, Tarshishi, Meresi, Marsena na Memukani, wakuu saba wa Uajemi na Umedi waliokuwa na nafasi ya pekee kwa mfalme nao walikuwa na vyeo vya juu kabisa katika utawala wake.
15 'According to law, what — to do with queen Vashti, because that she hath not done the saying of the king Ahasuerus by the hand of the eunuchs?'
Mfalme akauliza, “Kulingana na sheria, Malkia Vashti anapaswa kutendewa nini? Malkia hakutii amri ya Mfalme Ahasuero ambayo matowashi walimpelekea.”
16 And Memucan saith before the king and the heads, 'Not against the king by himself hath Vashti the queen done perversely, but against all the heads, and against all the peoples that [are] in all provinces of the king Ahasuerus;
Kisha Memukani akajibu mbele ya mfalme na wakuu, “Malkia Vashti si kwamba amemkosea mfalme tu bali pia amewakosea wakuu wote na watu wa himaya yote ya Mfalme Ahasuero.
17 for go forth doth the word of the queen unto all the women, to render their husbands contemptible in their eyes, in their saying, The king Ahasuerus said to bring in Vashti the queen before him, and she did not come;
Kwa maana tendo hili la malkia litajulikana kwa wanawake wote, kwa hiyo watawadharau waume zao na kusema, ‘Mfalme Ahasuero aliagiza Malkia Vashti aletwe mbele yake, lakini alikataa.’
18 yea, this day do princesses of Persia and Media, who have heard the word of the queen, say [so] to all heads of the king, even according to the sufficiency of contempt and wrath.
Leo hii wanawake wa wakuu wa Uajemi na Umedi ambao wamesikia juu ya tabia ya malkia watawatendea wakuu wote wa mfalme vivyo hivyo. Hapatakuwepo na mwisho wa dharau na magomvi.
19 'If to the king [it be] good, there goeth forth a royal word from before him, and it is written with the laws of Persia and Media, and doth not pass away, that Vashti doth not come in before the king Ahasuerus, and her royalty doth the king give to her companion who [is] better than she;
“Kwa hiyo, kama itampendeza mfalme, atoe amri ya kifalme na iandikwe katika sheria ya Uajemi na Umedi, ambayo haitabadilika, kwamba Vashti kamwe asije tena mbele ya Mfalme Ahasuero. Pia mfalme na atoe hiyo nafasi yake ya umalkia kwa mwanamke mwingine aliye bora kumliko yeye.
20 and the sentence of the king that he maketh hath been heard in all his kingdom — for it [is] great — and all the wives give honour to their husbands, from great even unto small.'
Kisha mbiu hii ya mfalme itakapotangazwa katika himaya yake iliyo kubwa sana, wanawake wote watawaheshimu waume zao, kuanzia mdogo hadi mkubwa.”
21 And the thing is good in the eyes of the king, and of the princes, and the king doth according to the word of Memucan,
Mfalme na wakuu wake walipendezwa na shauri hili, hivyo basi mfalme akafanya kama Memukani alivyopendekeza.
22 and sendeth letters unto all provinces of the king, unto province and province according to its writing, and unto people and people according to its tongue, for every man being head in his own house — and speaking according to the language of his people.
Alipeleka barua katika sehemu zote za ufalme wake, kwa kila jimbo kwa maandishi yake mwenyewe na kwa kila watu katika lugha yao wenyewe, akitangaza kwa msemo wa kila watu kwamba inampasa kila mwanaume kuwa mtawala wa nyumba yake mwenyewe.

< Esther 1 >