< 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.
And so, after this had been carried out, and the indignation of king Artaxerxes had subsided, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what had happened to her.
2 Ale eŋumewo gblɔ nɛ be, “Na míayi aɖadi ɖetugbi dzetugbetɔwo le fiaɖuƒe blibo la me akplɔ vɛ na wò.
And the servants of the king, and his ministers, said, “Let young women be sought for the king, virgins and beautiful,
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,
and let investigators be sent throughout all the provinces for young women, beautiful and virgins. And let them bring them to the city of Susa, and deliver them to the house of the women under the hand of Hegai the eunuch, who is the overseer and keeper of the king’s women. And let them receive feminine ornaments, and other things necessary for their use.
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 whoever among them all will please the king’s eyes, let her reign instead of Vashti.” The idea pleased the king, and so he ordered it to be done as they had suggested.
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 Jewish man in the city of Susa, by the name of Mordecai, son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, of the house of Benjamin,
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 at the time that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon carried away Jeconiah king of Judah,
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.
who had raised his brother’s daughter Hadassah, who by another name was called Esther. And she had lost both her parents. She was very beautiful, with a graceful appearance. Since her father and mother had both died, Mordecai adopted her as 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.
And when the king’s command became very well-known, in accordance with his command, many beautiful virgins were brought to Susa, and were delivered to Hegai the eunuch. Likewise, Esther, along with the other young women, was delivered to him, to be protected with the assembled 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.
She was pleasing to him, and she found favor in his sight. And he commanded a eunuch to hasten the women’s ornaments, and to deliver her share to her, along with seven of the most beautiful young women of the king’s house, so as to both adorn and honor her and her handmaids.
10 Ke Ester megblɔ na ame aɖeke kpɔ be Yudatɔ yenye o, elabena Mordekai de se nɛ.
She was not willing to reveal to him her people or her native land. For Mordecai had instructed her that she should keep silent about all these things.
11 Hegai vaa nyɔnuwo ƒe nɔƒe la va biaa Ester ƒe agbe ta se.
He went for a walk every day, in the front courtyard of the house in which the chosen virgins were kept, having concern for Esther’s welfare and wanting to know what would happen to 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.
But, when the time came for each in the line of young women to go in to the king, after everything had been completed concerning feminine grooming, the twelfth month had been reached, to the extent that for six months they were anointed with oil of myrrh, and for another six months they used certain types of makeup and perfumes.
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.
And when they were going in to the king, whatever they requested to adorn themselves, they received, and when each was pleased with herself, having been prepared in the chamber of the women, she passed on to the king’s chamber.
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.
And whoever entered at evening, departed in the morning, and then from there she was led to the second house, which was under the hand of Shaashgaz the eunuch, who presided over the king’s concubines. Nor did she have the power to return again to the king, unless the king desired it and had summoned her 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.
But, as the order continued to progress, the day arrived when Esther, the daughter of Abihail the brother of Mordecai, whom he had adopted as his daughter, was required to go in to the king. She did not seek feminine ornaments, except that whatever Hegai the eunuch and keeper of the virgins chose, he gave her to adorn her. For she was very attractive, and her incredible beauty made her appear gracious and amiable in the eyes of all.
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.
And so she was led to the chamber of king Artaxerxes, in the tenth month, which is called 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.
And the king loved her more than all the women, and she had favor and mercy in his eyes above all the women, and he set the royal crown on her head, and he 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.
And he ordered a magnificent feast to be prepared for all the rulers, and for his servants, because of the union and wedding of Esther. And he gave a holiday to all the provinces, and he bestowed gifts befitting of princely generosity.
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.
And when the virgins were sought for the second time and gathered together, Mordecai remained at 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 declared her native land and her people, according to his command. For whatever he instructed, Esther observed. And so she did all things as she had become accustomed in the time when he raised her from early childhood.
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.
Therefore, at that time, when Mordecai was staying at the king’s gate, Bagatha and Thara, two of the king’s eunuchs, who were gatekeepers and who presided over the first entryway of the palace, were angry, and they decided to rise up against the king and kill him.
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.
But Mordecai did not keep this secret, and immediately he reported it to queen Esther, and she reported it to the king in Mordecai’s name, who had brought the matter to her.
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.
It was inquired into and discovered, and they were both hanged on a gallows. And it was committed to the histories and the chronicles which are delivered in the sight of the king.