< 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 anger of King Ahasuerus subsided, he thought about Vashti and what she had done. He also thought about the decree that he had made 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 young men who served him said, “Let a search be made on the king's behalf for beautiful young virgins.
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, to gather together all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in the fortress in Susa. Let them be put under the care of Hegai, the king's official, who is in charge of the women, and let him give them their cosmetics.
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.
Let the young girl who pleases the king become queen in the place of Vashti.” This advice 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 fortress of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish, who was a Benjamite.
6 Wolée esime Nebukadnezar gbã Yerusalem, eye wòɖe aboyoe kpe ɖe Yuda fia Yehoyatsin kple ame bubu geɖewo ŋu va Babilonia.
He had been taken away from Jerusalem with the exiles along with those taken with Jehoiachin, king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylonia 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 was caring for Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter, because she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely in appearance. Mordecai took 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.
When the king's order and decree were proclaimed, many young women were brought to the fortress of Susa. They were put under Hegai's care. Esther also was taken into the king's palace and put under the care of Hegai, the overseer 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 young girl pleased him, and she found favor with him. Immediately he provided her with cosmetics and her portion of food. He assigned to her seven servant girls from the king's palace, and he moved her and the servant girls to the best place in the house of the women.
10 Ke Ester megblɔ na ame aɖeke kpɔ be Yudatɔ yenye o, elabena Mordekai de se nɛ.
Esther had not told anyone who her people or relatives were, for Mordecai had instructed her not to tell.
11 Hegai vaa nyɔnuwo ƒe nɔƒe la va biaa Ester ƒe agbe ta se.
Every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the courtyard outside the house of the women, to learn about Esther's welfare, and about what would be done with 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.
When the turn came for each girl to go to King Ahasuerus—complying with the regulations for the women, each girl had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments, six months with oil of myrrh, and six with perfumes and cosmetics—
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.
when a young woman went to the king, whatever she desired was given to her from the house of the women, for her to take to the palace.
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 would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second house of the women, and to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's official, who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king again unless he had taken great pleasure in her and called for her again.
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 time came for Esther (daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter) to go in to the king, she did not ask for anything but what Hegai the king's official, who was in charge of the women, suggested. Now Esther received the favor of all who saw 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.
Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus into the royal residence on the tenth month, which is the month of 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 other women and she received acceptance and favor before him, more than all the other virgins. So 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.
The king gave a great feast for all his officials and his servants, “Esther's feast,” and he granted relief from taxation to the provinces. He also gave gifts with royal 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.
Now when the virgins had been gathered together a second time, Mordecai was sitting 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 told anyone about her relatives or her people, as Mordecai had instructed her. She continued to follow Mordecai's advice, as she had done when she was raised 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 at the king's gate, two of the king's officials, Bigthana and Teresh, who guarded the doorway, became angry and sought to do harm to 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.
When the matter was revealed to Mordecai, he told Queen Esther, and Esther spoke to the king in the name of Mordecai.
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.
The report was investigated and confirmed, and both the men were hanged from a gallows. This account was written in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.

< Ester 2 >