Ester 8
1 Gbe ma gbe ke la, Fia Ahasuerus tsɔ Haman, Yudatɔwo ƒe futɔ la ƒe nunɔamesiwo katã na Fianyɔnu Ester. Woyɔ Mordekai va fia la ŋkume, elabena Ester gblɔ ale si eya kple Mordekai wodo ƒomee la nɛ.
[Later] on that same day, King Xerxes declared that everything that Haman, the enemy of the Jews, owned, would now belong to Queen Esther. Esther told the king that Mordecai was her cousin. [When] the king [heard that, he sent a message to tell] Mordecai to come in.
2 Fia la ɖe eƒe ŋkɔsigɛ si wògbugbɔ xɔ le Haman si la, eye wòtsɔe na Mordekai. Fianyɔnu Ester tsɔe ɖo Haman ƒe kesinɔnuwo katã nu.
When Mordecai came in, the king took off the ring that had his official seal on it, the ring that he had [previously] given to Haman, and gave it to Mordecai, [to indicate that Mordecai was now his most important official]. And Esther appointed Mordecai to be in charge of everything that had belonged to Haman.
3 Ester gava fia la ŋkume, dze klo ɖe eƒe afɔ nu, eye wòɖe kuku nɛ kple avi be wòatsi nugbe si Haman, Agagitɔ la ɖo ɖe Yudatɔwo ŋu la nu.
Esther again [came to] talk to the king. She prostrated herself at his feet, crying. She [wanted to] plead for him to stop what Haman had planned, to kill all the Jews.
4 Fia la galé sikafiatikplɔ la do ɖe Ester gbɔ, ale Ester tsi tsitre ɖe fia la ŋkume.
The king held out his gold scepter/staff toward Esther, so Esther arose and stood in front of him.
5 Egblɔ be, “Ne edze fia la ŋu, eye wòve nunye hebui be enye nu nyui yeawɔ, eye ne nye nu nyo fia la ŋu la, na be woaŋlɔ agbalẽ bubu atsɔ ate fli ɖe ɖoɖo si Hamedata ƒe vi, Haman, Agagitɔ la wɔ heŋlɔ agbalẽ ɖo ɖe amewo le fiaɖuƒe la katã me be woatsrɔ̃ Yudatɔwo la me,
She said, “Your majesty, if you are pleased with me, and if you think that it is the right thing to do, make a new law to cancel what Haman decreed, that all the Jews in all the provinces in your empire should be killed.
6 elabena nyemate ŋu atsɔ gbegblẽ si ava nye amewo dzi alo atsɔ nye ƒometɔwo ƒe tsɔtsrɔ̃ o.”
I cannot bear seeing all my family and [all the rest of] my people killed.”
7 Fia Ahasuerus ɖo eŋu na Fiasrɔ̃ Ester kple Mordekai, Yudatɔ la be, “Esi Haman tso ɖe Yudatɔwo ŋuti ta la, mexɔ eƒe nunɔamesiwo katã tsɔ na Ester, eye mena wode ka ve na eya ŋutɔ.
King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and Mordecai, “Because Haman tried to get rid of all the Jews, I have given to Esther everything that belonged to Haman, and I have ordered [my soldiers] to hang Haman.
8 Azɔ la, ŋlɔ agbalẽ ɖe fia la ƒe ŋkɔ me ɖe Yudatɔwo katã nu; ŋlɔ nya sia nya si nàdi be yeagblɔ la le fia la ƒe ŋkɔ me, eye nàtre agbalẽ la nu kple nye ŋkɔsigɛ ale be womagate ŋu atrɔe o, elabena nu sia nu si woŋlɔ ɖe fia la ƒe ŋkɔ me, eye wotre enu kple eƒe ŋkɔsigɛ la, womate ŋu atrɔe gbeɖe o.”
So now I am also permitting you to write other letters, to [save] your people. You may put my name [on the letters], and use my ring to seal them because no letter that has my name on it and which is sealed with my ring can ever be changed.”
9 Enumake woyɔ agbalẽŋlɔla siwo le fia la ƒe dɔ me la vɛ le ɣleti etɔ̃lia si woyɔna be, Sivan la ƒe ŋkeke blaeve-vɔ-etɔ̃a gbe. Azɔ woŋlɔ Mordekai ƒe gbedeasi siwo ɖom wòle ɖe Yudatɔwo, dumegãwo, mɔmefiawo kple bubume siwo le nuto alafa ɖeka kple blaeve-vɔ-adre si keke tso India yi ɖase ɖe Kus ƒe liƒowo dzi ke la me. Woŋlɔ gbedeasi siawo ɖe nuto ɖe sia ɖe ƒe gbegbɔgblɔ me, eye woŋlɔe na Yudatɔwo hã ɖe woƒe degbe me.
Then the king summoned his secretaries, on June 25th, and [Mordecai told them to] write letters to the Jews and to all the governors and other officials in all of the 127 provinces, which extended from India [in the east] to Ethiopia [in the west]. They wrote these letters in all the languages that the people in each area spoke. They also wrote letters to the Jewish people, in their language.
10 Mordekai ŋlɔ agbalẽ la ɖe Fia Ahasuerus ƒe ŋkɔ me, eye wòtsɔ eƒe ŋkɔsigɛ ɖo ete hetsɔe de asi na fia la ƒe dɔla siwo doa sɔ siwo ɖea abla, vevietɔ sɔ siwo womla koŋ hena fia la ƒe ŋu dɔ wɔwɔ.
They wrote in those letters that the Jews in every city were permitted by the king to gather together to protect themselves. They also were permitted to kill any group of soldiers who attacked them. They were also permitted to kill the women and children of those who attacked them, and to take the possessions of the people whom they killed.
11 Fia la ƒe sedede ɖe mɔ na Yudatɔwo le du ɖe sia ɖe me be wokpɔ mɔ aƒo ƒu, eye woaʋli wo ɖokuiwo ta. Wokpɔ mɔ hã be woagblẽ nu, awu alo atsrɔ̃ asrafoha ɖe sia ɖe tso dukɔ alo to ɖe sia ɖe me, esiwo ke aho aʋa ɖe woawo ŋutɔ kple wo srɔ̃wo kple wo viwo ŋu, eye woaha woƒe futɔwo ƒe nunɔamesiwo.
12 Ŋkeke si woɖo hena Yudatɔwo ƒe nu sia wɔwɔ le Fia Ahasuerus ƒe fiaɖuƒe blibo la mee nye ɣleti wuievelia, Ada, ƒe ŋkeke wuietɔ̃a gbe.
[All this was to be done] on March 7th of the following year. Mordecai signed the king’s name on the letters, and sealed them with the seal that was on the king’s ring. Then he gave them to messengers, who rode on fast horses that had been raised especially for the king.
13 Wona be woawɔ fia la ƒe gbedeasi wòazu se le nuto ɖe sia ɖe me, eye woakakae na gbegbɔgblɔ ɖe sia ɖe ale be Yudatɔwo anɔ klalo le ŋkeke ma dzi ne woabia hlɔ̃ woƒe futɔwo.
Copies of this law were to be nailed to posts in every province and read to all the people, in order that the Jews would be ready to (get revenge on/fight against) their enemies on March 7th.
14 Ale fia la ƒe dɔtsɔlawo do fia la ƒe sɔ ɖeablawo kple du le fia la ƒe gbeɖeɖe nu. Woɖe gbeƒã sea le Susa mɔ gã la hã me.
The king commanded the men who took these letters [to all the provinces] to ride quickly on the king’s horses. And copies of the letter were also posted and read to the people in [the capital city, ] Susa.
15 Mordekai do fiawu ɣitɔ kple blɔtɔ kple awu ʋlaya si wowɔ kple aklala kple aɖabɛ dzĩtɔ, eye wòɖɔ sikafiakuku gã la. Edzo le fia la gbɔ, eye wòyi ablɔwo dzi. Amewo nɔ ablɔawo dzi fũu, eye wonɔ dzidzɔɣli dom.
Before Mordecai left the palace, he put on the blue and white robe and a large gold crown that the king had given him. He also put on a coat made of fine purple cloth. When the people in Susa heard the new law, they all shouted and cheered.
16 Le Yudatɔwo gome ya la, enye dzidzɔ, aseyetsotso, aglotutu kple bubu ƒe ɣeyiɣi na wo.
The Jews in Susa were very happy, and [other people] honored [them].
17 Esi fia la ƒe sedede la va ɖo du sia du kple nuto ɖe sia ɖe me la, Yudatɔwo katã kpɔ dzidzɔ, woɖu ŋkekenyui, eye womewɔ dɔ aɖeke gbe ma gbe o. Ame geɖewo wɔ wo ɖokuiwo Yudatɔwoe, elabena Yudatɔwo ƒe ŋɔdzi lé wo.
And when the new law arrived in every city and province, the Jews there celebrated and prepared feasts and were very joyful. And many men throughout the empire [were circumcised and] became Jews, because they were now afraid of [what] the Jews [would do to them if they were not Jews].
