< Ester 2 >

1 Esi Fia Ahasuerus ƒe dziku nu fa la, ede asi tamebubu me le ale si Vasti bu ɖee la ŋu. Enya be yemagakpɔe akpɔ o ɖe se si wòde ɖe eŋuti la ta.
After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus was pacified, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her.
2 Ale eŋumewo gblɔ nɛ be, “Na míayi aɖadi ɖetugbi dzetugbetɔwo le fiaɖuƒe blibo la me akplɔ vɛ na wò.
Then the king’s servants who served him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king.
3 Fia la netɔ asi ame siwo anɔ dɔ sia nu le nuto ɖe sia ɖe me la dzi be woakplɔ ɖetugbi dzetugbe siawo ava nyɔnuwo ƒe nɔƒe le Susa fiasã la me. Na woanɔ Hegai, ame si nye fia la ƒe ŋutsu tata la ƒe dzikpɔkpɔ te, elabena eyae kpɔa nyɔnuwo dzi, eye wòanɔ atike ʋeʋĩ siwo nana nyɔnu dzea tugbe la sim na wo,
Let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the beautiful young virgins to the citadel of Susa, to the women’s house, to the custody of Hegai the king’s eunuch, keeper of the women. Let cosmetics be given them;
4 eye le esia megbe la, ɖetugbi si adze ŋuwò wu la, azu fianyɔnu ɖe Vasti teƒe.” Aɖaŋuɖoɖo la dze fia la ŋu, eya ta wòwɔ ɖe edzi.
and let the maiden who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” The thing pleased the king, and he did so.
5 Yudatɔ aɖe nɔ Susa fiasã la me, eŋkɔe nye Mordekai. Fofoae nye Yair, ame si fofoe nye Simei, ame si nye Kis, Benyamintɔ la ƒe vi.
There was a certain Jew in the citadel of Susa whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite,
6 Wolée esime Nebukadnezar gbã Yerusalem, eye wòɖe aboyoe kpe ɖe Yuda fia Yehoyatsin kple ame bubu geɖewo ŋu va Babilonia.
who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.
7 Vinyɔnu dzetugbe aɖe nɔ Mordekai tɔɖia si. Eŋkɔe nye Hadasa, gake wogayɔnɛ be Ester. Fofoa kple dadaa ku, eya ta Mordekai xɔe, eye wònyii abe eya ŋutɔ ƒe vinyɔnu ene.
He brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter; for she had neither father nor mother. The maiden was fair and beautiful; and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter.
8 Ale le fia la ƒe sedede nu la, wokplɔ ɖetugbi geɖewo yi nyɔnuwo ƒe nɔƒe la le Susa fiasã la me, eye wotsɔ wo de Hegai ƒe dzikpɔkpɔ te. Wokplɔ Ester hã va fiasã la me, eye wotsɔ eya hã de nyɔnuwo dzi kpɔla, Hegai ƒe dzikpɔkpɔ te.
So, when the king’s commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together to the citadel of Susa, to the custody of Hegai, Esther was taken into the king’s house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.
9 Hegai, fiasrɔ̃wo dzikpɔla la kpɔ ŋudzedze blibo le Ester ŋu, eye wòwɔ nu sia nu si ana wòakpɔ dzidzɔ la nɛ. Ena woɖaa nu tɔxɛwo nɛ, eye wosiaa tugbedzetikewo nɛ. Etsɔ nyɔnuvi adre nɛ tso fiasã la me be woanye eƒe subɔlawo. Hegai tsɔ teƒe nyuitɔ wu le nyɔnuwo ƒe nɔƒe la nɛ.
The maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness from him. He quickly gave her cosmetics and her portions of food, and the seven choice maidens who were to be given her out of the king’s house. He moved her and her maidens to the best place in the women’s house.
10 Ke Ester megblɔ na ame aɖeke kpɔ be Yudatɔ yenye o, elabena Mordekai de se nɛ.
Esther had not made known her people nor her relatives, because Mordecai had instructed her that she should not make it known.
11 Hegai vaa nyɔnuwo ƒe nɔƒe la va biaa Ester ƒe agbe ta se.
Mordecai walked every day in front of the court of the women’s house, to find out how Esther was doing, and what would become of her.
12 Hafi wòaɖo ɖetugbi aɖe dzi woakplɔe ayi ɖe Fia Ahasuerus ŋkumee la, ele be wòato tugbedzetike ʋeʋĩwo sisi me ɣleti wuieve abe ale si woɖoe na nyɔnuwoe ene. Woasi mir nyui nɛ ɣleti ade, eye woasi ami ʋeʋĩ kple atike bubuwo hã nɛ ɣleti ade.
Each young woman’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after her purification for twelve months (for so were the days of their purification accomplished, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet fragrances and with preparations for beautifying women).
13 Ale si wòawɔ hafi ayi ɖe fia la gbɔe nye esi: Nu sia nu si ɖetugbi la bia la, woatsɔe nɛ le nyɔnuwo ƒe nɔƒe la be wòatsɔ ayi ɖe fiasã la mee.
The young woman then came to the king like this: whatever she desired was given her to go with her out of the women’s house to the king’s house.
14 Le fiẽ me la, ayi ɖe fia la gbɔ, atrɔ gbɔ le ŋdi, ayi nyɔnuwo ƒe nɔƒe la ƒe akpa bubu si le ŋutsu tata Saasgaz ƒe dzikpɔkpɔ te, ame si kpɔa fia la ƒe ahiãviwo dzi. Ɖetugbi la magatrɔ ayi ɖe fia la gbɔ o, negbe eƒe nu nyo fia la ŋu, eye wòna woyɔe nɛ hafi.
In the evening she went, and on the next day she returned into the second women’s house, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch, who kept the concubines. She came in to the king no more, unless the king delighted in her, and she was called by name.
15 Esi wòɖo Ester, Mordekai tɔɖia Abihail ƒe vi, ame si Mordekai xɔ abe eya ŋutɔ ƒe vi ene dzi be wòadɔ fia la gbɔ la, mebia naneke o; ewɔ ɖe Hegai, ame si nye nyɔnuwo dzi kpɔla la ƒe aɖaŋuɖoɖo dzi, eye wòdo awu abe ale si Hegai ɖo nɛ ene. Ɖetugbi bubuawo do dzidzɔɣli esi wokpɔe.
Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, came to go in to the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the keeper of the women, advised. Esther obtained favor in the sight of all those who looked at her.
16 Ale wokplɔ Ester yi na Fia Ahasuerus le ɣleti ewolia si woyɔna be Tebet la me le fia la ƒe fiaɖuɖu ƒe ƒe adrelia me.
So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus into his royal house in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 Fia la lɔ̃ Ester wu ɖetugbiawo dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe. Ekpɔ dzidzɔ le eŋu ale gbegbe be wòɖɔ fiakuku la nɛ, eye wòna wòzu fianyɔnu ɖe Vasti teƒe.
The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she obtained favor and kindness in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown on her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.
18 Fia la gaɖo kplɔ̃ gã aɖe na Ester kple eƒe bubumewo kple dɔnunɔlawo. Etsɔ nunana na ame sia ame, eye wòna ga eƒe nutowo tso adzɔ siwo wodzɔna nɛ la me.
Then the king made a great feast for all his princes and his servants, even Esther’s feast; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces, and gave gifts according to the king’s bounty.
19 Le esia megbe la, hafi woakplɔ Ester kple ɖetugbi bubuawo ayi fiasrɔ̃wo ƒe nɔƒe zi evelia la, Mordekai zu fiaŋumewo dometɔ ɖeka, eye wònɔ fia la ƒe agbo nu.
When the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting in the king’s gate.
20 Va se ɖe ɣe ma ɣi hã la, Ester megblɔ na ame aɖeke kpɔ be Yudatɔe yenye o, elabena egalé Mordekai ƒe sewo me ɖe asi abe ale si wòwɔ le Mordekai ƒe aƒe me ene.
Esther had not yet made known her relatives nor her people, as Mordecai had commanded her; for Esther obeyed Mordecai, like she did when she was brought up by him.
21 Gbe ɖeka la, esime Mordekai nɔ dɔ wɔm le fiasã la me la, ŋutsu eve siwo nye fia la ƒe nyɔnuwo dzi kpɔlawo, Bigtan kple Teres, ame siwo nɔ fiasã la ƒe agboa nu dzɔm la do dɔmedzoe ɖe fia la ŋu, eye woɖo be yewoawu Fia Ahasuerus.
In those days, while Mordecai was sitting in the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, who were doorkeepers, were angry, and sought to lay hands on the King Ahasuerus.
22 Mordekai se woƒe ɖoɖo la, eye wòfi tofi na Fianyɔnu Ester tso eŋu. Ester hã ka nya la ta na fia la, eye wòna fia la nya be Mordekai ye fi tofi la na ye.
This thing became known to Mordecai, who informed Esther the queen; and Esther informed the king in Mordecai’s name.
23 Woto nya la me, tso kufia na ame eveawo, eye wode ka ve na wo. Woŋlɔ nyadzɔdzɔ sia ɖe Fia Ahasuerus ƒe fiaɖuɖu ƒe ŋutinya me.
When this matter was investigated, and it was found to be so, they were both hanged on a gallows; and it was written in the book of the chronicles in the king’s presence.

< Ester 2 >