< Ester 3 >

1 Le nu siawo megbe la, Fia Ahasuerus do Haman, ame si nye Hamedata, Agagitɔ ƒe vi la, ɖe ŋgɔ wòzu dukɔkplɔlawo dometɔ gãtɔ. Eyae nye ame si kplɔ fia la ɖo le ŋusẽkpɔkpɔ me le fiaɖuƒe blibo la me.
Some time after this, King Xerxes honored Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, giving him a position higher than all his fellow officials.
2 Azɔ la, ame sia ame si le fiasã la ƒe agbo nu la bɔbɔna, dea ta agu na Haman ne eva yina, le Fia Ahasuerus ƒe sedede nu. Mordekai ya gbe, mebɔbɔna dea ta agu na Haman o.
All the officials in royal employment bowed down and showed respect to Haman, for this is what the king had commanded. But Mordecai would not bow down and show respect to him.
3 Esia ta, dɔnunɔla siwo nɔ fia la ƒe agbo nu la bia Mordekai be, “Nu ka ta nèle fia la ƒe se dzi dam ɖo?”
The king's officials asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king's command?”
4 Azɔ gbe sia gbe woƒonɛ ɖe enu, gake egbe be yemawɔe o. Ale wogblɔ nya la na Haman ne woakpɔe ɖa be, Mordekai ƒe wɔnawo ado dzidzɔ nɛ hã, elabena Mordekai na wonya be Yudatɔe yenye.
They talked to him about it day after day, but he refused to listen. So they told Haman about it to see if he would put up with what Mordecai was doing, for Mordecai had told them he was a Jew.
5 Esi Haman kpɔ be Mordekai mele klalo be yeade ta agu na ye alo ade bubu ye ŋu o la, dzi kui vevie ŋutɔ.
Haman was furious when he saw that Mordecai did not bow down and show respect to him.
6 Ke esi wònya Mordekai kple eƒe amewo ta la, susu be woawu eya ɖeka la nye nu sue aɖe ko nɛ, eya ta Haman di mɔ nyuitɔ si dzi wòato atsrɔ̃ Yudatɔwo katã, ame siwo nye Mordekai ƒe amewo le Fia Ahasuerus ƒe fiaɖuƒe la katã me.
Having found out who Mordecai's people were, he dismissed the idea of just killing Mordecai. He decided to kill every Jew in the whole Persian Empire—all of Mordecai's people!
7 Le Fia Ahasuerus ƒe fiaɖuɖu ƒe ƒe wuievelia me le ɣleti gbãtɔ, Nisan me la, woda akɔ si woyɔna be, pur la le Haman ŋkume be woatia ɣleti aɖe kple eƒe ŋkeke aɖe. Wotia ɣleti wuievelia si nye Adar.
In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, “pur” (meaning a “lot”) was cast in Haman's presence to choose a day and month, taking each day and each month one at a time. The lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar.
8 Tete Haman te ɖe Fia Ahasuerus ŋu, eye wògblɔ nɛ be, “Dukɔ tɔxɛ aɖe me tɔwo kaka ɖe wò fiaɖuƒe la ƒe nutowo katã me. Woƒe sewo to vovo tso dukɔ ɖe sia ɖe tɔ gbɔ. Gawu la, womewɔa fia la ƒe sewo dzi o, eya ta mede fia la dzi ne wòaɖe asi le wo ŋu be woanɔ agbe o.
Haman went to King Xerxes and said, “There's a particular people living among others in many different places throughout the provinces of your empire who cut themselves off from everybody else. They have their own laws which are different to those of any other people, and what's more, they don't obey the king's laws. So it's not a good idea for Your Majesty to ignore them.
9 Ne edze fia ŋu la, ekema nàɖe gbe be woatsrɔ̃ wo katã. Mada klosalo tɔn alafa etɔ̃ kple blaene-vɔ-atɔ̃ atsɔ ade fia la ƒe gakotoku me ne woatsɔ axe fee na ŋutsu gadzraɖoƒe la dzikpɔla be woatsɔ axe fe na ame siwo awɔ dɔ sia.”
If it please Your Majesty, issue a decree to destroy them, and I will personally contribute 10,000 silver talents to those who carry out the king's business to be placed in the royal treasury.”
10 Fia la lɔ̃ ɖe susu sia dzi. Eɖe eƒe ŋkɔsigɛ le eƒe asibidɛ ŋu hetsɔ na Haman, Hamedata, Agagitɔ la ƒe vi, Yudatɔwo ƒe futɔ la, abe kpeɖoɖo nya sia dzi ƒe dzesi ene.
The king took off his signet ring and handed it to Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.
11 Fia la gblɔ na Haman be, “Wò ga la nenɔ anyi ko, gake wɔ nu si dze ŋuwò, eye wònyo na wò kple ame siawo la.”
The king told Haman, “You can have the money, and do to the people whatever you want.”
12 Le ɣleti gbãtɔ ƒe ŋkeke wuietɔ̃lia dzi la, woyɔ agbalẽŋlɔla siwo katã le fiasã me la ƒo ƒu, woŋlɔ agbalẽ ɖe nuto ɖe sia ɖe ƒe gbegbɔgblɔ me kple gbegbɔgblɔ ɖe sia ɖe si wogblɔna le fiaɖuƒe la me la me. Wowɔe ɖe Haman ƒe sedede nu na fia la ƒe dɔnunɔlawo, mɔmefia siwo le nutowo me dzi kpɔm kple gbegbɔgblɔ vovovowo ƒe ame ŋkutawo. Woŋlɔ lɛta la ɖe Fia Ahasuerus ƒe ŋkɔ me, eye wotsɔ eƒe ŋkɔsigɛ de ete.
On the thirteenth day of the first month the king's secretaries were summoned. A decree was issued in accordance with everything Haman demanded and sent to the king's chief officers, the governors of the different provinces and the nobles of the various peoples in the provinces. It was sent in the script of each province and in the language of every people, with the authorization of King Xerxes and sealed with his signet ring.
13 Wotsɔ agbalẽa na dɔtsɔlawo be woatsɔ ayi nuto ɖe sia ɖe me le fiaɖuƒe blibo la me, ale be woaɖe gbe be woawu Yudatɔwo katã, ɖeviwo kple ame tsitsiwo, nyɔnuwo kple vidzĩwo siaa le ɣleti wuievelia, Ada ƒe ŋkeke wuietɔ̃lia dzi, eye woaha woƒe nuwo abe afunyinuwo ene.
Letters were sent by messenger to all the provinces in the king's empire with orders to destroy, kill, and annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, and confiscate their possessions, all in one day—the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar.
14 Wogblɔ kpe ɖe ɖoɖo sia ŋu be, “Miɖe gbeƒã se sia le miaƒe nuto ɖe sia ɖe me, eye miana ame sia ame nanya nu tso eŋu, ale be wòawɔ eƒe dɔdeasi le ŋkeke ɖoɖo la dzi.”
A copy of the decree was to be issued as law in every province and publicized to the people so that they would be ready for the day.
15 Woɖo agbalẽwo ɖa to fia la ƒe dɔtsɔla zazɛ̃tɔwo dzi le gbeƒãɖeɖe le Susa du la me megbe. Fia Ahasuerus kple Haman wonɔ anyi nɔ aha nom esime vɔvɔ̃ lé amewo, eye ʋunyaʋunya dzɔ le du blibo la me.
By order of the king the messengers hurried on their way. The decree was also issued in the fortress of Susa. The king and Haman sat down for a drink while the people in city of Susa were very disturbed.

< Ester 3 >