Ester 9

1 Le ɣleti wuievelia alo Ada ƒe ŋkeke wuietɔ̃lia dzi la, wowɔ ɖe se si fia la de la dzi. Le ŋkeke sia dzi la, Yudatɔwo ƒe futɔwo kpɔ mɔ be yewoaɖu wo dzi, gake azɔ la, nuwo trɔ bubui, eye Yudatɔwo ƒe alɔ yi dzi ɖe ame siwo lé fu wo la ŋu.

Therefore, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which as we have said before is called Adar, when all the Jews were prepared to be executed and their enemies were greedy for their blood, the situation turned around, and the Jews began to have the upper hand and to vindicate themselves of their adversaries.

2 Yudatɔwo ƒo ƒu ɖe du vovovo siwo me wonɔ la me le nuto siwo katã nɔ Fia Ahasuerus ƒe dziɖuɖu te la me be woawɔ avu kple ame siwo katã nɔ woƒe gbegblẽ dim. Ame aɖeke mete ŋu nɔ te ɖe wo nu o, elabena ame siwo tso gbegbɔgblɔ bubuwo me la nɔ vɔvɔ̃m na wo.

And they gathered together throughout each city, and town, and place, so as to extend their hands against their enemies and their persecutors. And no one dared to resist them, because their great power had pierced all the peoples.

3 Bubume siwo katã nɔ nutoawo me, dumegãwo, mɔmefiawo kple fia la ƒe dɔnunɔlawo kpe ɖe Yudatɔwo ŋu, elabena Mordekai ƒe ŋɔdzi lé wo katã.

For even the judges of the provinces, and the rulers, and the procurators, and everyone of dignity, who presided over every place and work, extolled the Jews for fear of Mordecai.

4 Mordekai nye ame ŋkuta aɖe le fiasã la me, eƒe ŋkɔ ɖi de fiaɖuƒe la ƒe akpa sia akpa, eye eƒe ŋusẽ ganɔ dzi dem ɖe edzi ɣe sia ɣi.

For they knew him to be the leader of the palace and to have much power. Likewise, the fame of his name increased daily and flew everywhere through word of mouth.

5 Yudatɔwo ƒo woƒe futɔwo katã ƒu anyi, eye wowu wo kple yi hetsrɔ̃ wo. Ale wowɔ nu si dze wo ŋu la na woƒe futɔwo.

And so the Jews struck their enemies like a great plague and killed them, repaying according to what they had prepared to do to them,

6 Le Susa mɔ gã la me la, Yudatɔwo wu, eye wotsrɔ̃ ŋutsu alafa atɔ̃.

so much so that even in Susa they executed five hundred men, besides the ten sons of Haman the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews, and their names are these:

7 Wowu Parsandata, Dalfon, Aspata,

Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha

8 Porata, Adalia, Aridata,

and Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,

9 Parmasta, Arisai, Aridai kple Vaizata,

and Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vaizatha.

10 ame siwo nye Hamedata ƒe viwo, Haman, Yudatɔwo ƒe futɔ la ƒe viŋutsu ewoawo, gake womeha woƒe afunyinu aɖeke o.

When they had slain them, they were unwilling to touch the spoils of their belongings.

11 Gbe ma gbe fiẽ la, wogblɔ ame siwo wowu le Susa mɔ gã la me ƒe xexlẽme na Fia Ahasuerus.

And immediately the number of those who had been killed in Susa was reported to the king.

12 Fia la gblɔ na Fianyɔnu Ester be, “Yudatɔwo wu ame alafa atɔ̃ sɔŋ le Susa mɔ gã la me, ame siwo dome Haman ƒe viŋutsu ewoawo hã le. Ne miewɔ alea le afi sia la, mekpɔ nu si miewɔ le nye fiaɖuƒe la ƒe akpa bubuawo ɖa! Ke azɔ la, nu bubu ka dim nègale? Mawɔe na wò, gblɔe nam ko, ekema mawɔe.”

He said to the queen, “In the city of Susa, the Jews have executed five hundred men, and also the ten sons of Haman. How many executions do you think that they have carried out in all the provinces? What more do you ask, and what do you wish, so that I may order it to be done?”

13 Ale Ester gblɔ be, “Ne edze ŋuwò la, ekema nàɖe mɔ be Yudatɔ siwo le Susa le afii la, nagawɔ nu si wowɔ egbe la etsɔ hã, eye nàna woatsi Haman ƒe viŋutsuwo ƒe kukuawo ɖe kadeveti la ŋu.”

And she answered, “If it pleases the king, may power be granted to the Jews, so as to do tomorrow in Susa just as they have done today, and that the ten sons of Haman may be hung up the gallows.”

14 Fia la lɔ̃, woɖe gbeƒã se si ɖe mɔ le nu sia ŋu la le Susa. Ale wotsi Haman ƒe viŋutsu ewoawo ƒe kukuawo ɖe kadeveti la ŋu.

And the king instructed that it should be so done. And immediately the edict was hung up in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hung up.

15 Yudatɔ siwo nɔ Susa la ƒo ƒu le ɣleti wuievelia alo Ada ƒe ŋkeke wuienea gbe, eye wogawu ame alafa etɔ̃. Ke womeha ame kukuawo ƒe nuwo o.

On the fourteenth day of the month Adar, the Jews gathered themselves together, and they executed in Susa three hundred men, but they did not seize their belongings from them.

16 Le ɣeyiɣi sia me la, Yudatɔ siwo nɔ fiaɖuƒe la ƒe akpa bubuawo la ƒo ƒu, eye wotsrɔ̃ woƒe futɔwo katã. Wowu woƒe futɔ akpe blaadre-vɔ-atɔ̃, gake womeha woƒe nuwo o.

Moreover, throughout all the provinces which were subject to the king’s dominion, the Jews made a stand for their lives, and they executed their enemies and their persecutors, so much so that the number of those who were killed amounted to seventy-five thousand, and yet no one touched any of their belongings.

17 Wowɔ nu sia le nutoawo me le ɣleti wuievelia alo Ada ƒe ŋkeke wuietɔ̃lia dzi. Le ŋkeke wuienea gbe la, wodzudzɔ wo ɖokuiwo, eye wowɔe wònye nuɖuɖu kple nunono kpakple dzidzɔkpɔgbe.

Now the thirteenth day of the month Adar was the first day with all of the executions, and on the fourteenth day they ceased the killing. This day they established to be sacred, so that in all times hereafter they would be free for feasting, joyfulness, and celebration.

18 Ke Yudatɔ siwo nɔ Susa la ƒo ƒu le ɣleti la ƒe ŋkeke wuietɔ̃a kple wuienea gbe, eye wodzudzɔ wo ɖokuiwo le ŋkeke wuiatɔ̃a gbe hewɔe wònye nuɖuɖu kple nunono kpakple dzidzɔkpɔgbe.

But, as for those who were carrying out the killings in the city of Susa, they turned to killing on the thirteenth and fourteenth day of the same month. But on the fifteenth day they ceased to attack. And for that reason they established that day as sacred, with feasting and with gladness.

19 Esia tae Yudatɔ siwo le kɔƒewo me la, ɖoa ŋku Ada alo ɣleti wuievelia ƒe ŋkeke wuienelia dzi heɖunɛ le dzidzɔkpɔkpɔ kple nuɖuɖu kple nunono me. Wonaa nunana wo nɔewo hã le ŋkeke ma dzi.

But in truth, those Jews who were staying in unwalled towns and villages, appointed the fourteenth day of the month Adar for celebration and gladness, so as to rejoice on that day and send one another portions of their feasts and their meals.

20 Mordekai ŋlɔ nu tso nya siawo katã ŋuti, eye wòɖo agbalẽ la ɖe Yudatɔwo le kpuiƒe kple didiƒe siaa le Fia Ahasuerus ƒe fiaɖuƒe la me.

And so Mordecai wrote down all these things and sent them, composed in letters, to the Jews who were staying in all the king’s provinces, as much to those in nearby places as to those far away,

21 Edo ŋusẽ wo be woaɖu ŋkekenyui sia ƒe sia ƒe le ɣleti wuievelia, Ada ƒe ŋkeke wuienelia kple wuiatɔ̃lia dzi.

so that they would accept the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the month Adar for holy days, and always, at the return of the year, would celebrate them with sacred esteem.

22 Woaɖu ŋkeke la abe ŋkeke si dzi woɖe Yudatɔwo tso woƒe futɔwo ƒe asi me ene, woagaɖui abe ɣleti si me woƒe vevesese trɔ zu dzidzɔkpɔkpɔ, eye woƒe konyifagbe zu aseyetsogbe la ene. Eŋlɔ na wo be woaɖu ŋkekeawo abe nuɖugbe, nunogbe kple dzidzɔkpɔgbe ene, woana nuɖuɖu wo nɔewo, eye woana nu ame dahewo hã.

For on those days, the Jews vindicated themselves of their enemies, and their mourning and sorrow were turned into mirth and joy, so that these would be days of feasting and gladness, in which they would send one another portions of their feasts, and would grant gifts to the poor.

23 Ale Yudatɔwo lɔ̃ heɖua ŋkeke la abe ale si wodze egɔmee ene ɖe nu si Mordekai ŋlɔ na wo la nu.

And the Jews accepted as a solemn ritual all the things which they had begun to do at that time, which Mordecai had commanded with letters to be done.

24 Hamedata ƒe vi, Haman, Agagitɔ, Yudatɔwo ƒe futɔ, ɖo nugbe ɖe Yudatɔwo ŋu be yeatsrɔ̃ wo, eye woka nu kple pur be yeagblẽ wo dome, atsrɔ̃ wo,

For Haman, the son of Hammedatha of Agag lineage, the enemy and adversary of the Jews, had devised evil against them, to kill them and to destroy them. And he had cast Pur, which in our language means the lot.

25 gake esi nugbeɖoɖo la dze go to Ester dzi na fia la, ena woŋlɔ agbalẽ, ɖe gbe be nu vɔ̃ɖi si Haman ɖo ɖe Yudatɔwo ŋu la, neva eya ŋutɔ ƒe ta dzi, eye be eya kple viawo la, woade ka ve na wo,

And after this, Esther had entered before the king, begging him that his efforts might be made ineffective by the king’s letters, and that the evil he intended against the Jews might return upon his own head. Finally, both he and his sons were fastened to a cross.

26 eya ta wona ŋkɔ ŋkekenyui sia be Purim, elabena woyɔa nukaka le Persiagbe me be pur. Le nu sia nu si woŋlɔ ɖe agbalẽ sia me kple nu si wokpɔ kple nu si va dzɔ ɖe wo dzi ta la,

And so, from that time, these days are called Purim, that is, of the lots, because Pur, that is, the lot, was cast into the urn. And all things that had been carried out are contained in the volume of this epistle, that is, of this book.

27 Yudatɔ siwo katã nɔ fiaɖuƒe la me la lɔ̃ ɖe edzi be yewoadze kɔnu sia wɔwɔ gɔme, eye yewoatsɔe ade asi na yewoƒe dzidzimeviwo kple ame siwo katã azu Yudatɔwo. Woɖo be yewomagbe ŋkekenyui sia ɖuɖu le ŋkeke eve siawo dzi le ɣeyiɣi ɖoɖo la dzi ƒe sia ƒe o.

And whatever they suffered, and whatever was altered afterwards, the Jews received for themselves and their offspring and for all who were willing to be joined to their religion, so that none would be permitted to transgress the solemnity of these two days, to which the writing testifies, and which certain times require, as the years continually succeed one another.

28 Woɖo be wòanye nu si woawɔ ƒe sia ƒe, tso dzidzime yi dzidzime, woaɖui le ƒome ɖe sia ɖe me, le kɔƒewo kple du gãwo siaa me le fiaɖuƒe la me, ale be ŋkuɖoɖo nya si dzɔ dzi la mabu le Yudatɔwo dome alo le woƒe dzidzimeviwo dome o.

These are the days which no one ever will erase into oblivion, and which every province in the whole world, throughout each generation, shall celebrate. Neither is there any city wherein the days of Purim, that is, of lots, may not be observed by the Jews, and by their posterity, which has been obligated to these ceremonies.

29 Fianyɔnu Ester, Abihail ƒe vi hã ŋlɔ agbalẽ helɔ̃ ɖe agbalẽ si Mordekai ŋlɔ tso Purim ŋuti la dzi.

And Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, also wrote a second letter, so that with all zealousness this day would be confirmed as customary for future generations.

30 Kpe ɖe esia ŋu la, wogaŋlɔ agbalẽ na Yudatɔwo katã, eye woɖoe ɖe nuto alafa ɖeka kple blaeve-vɔ-adreawo katã me le Fia Ahasuerus ƒe fiaɖuƒe la me, hedi nyui kple ŋutifafa na ame sia ame.

And they sent to all the Jews, who had been stirred up in the one hundred twenty-seven provinces of king Artaxerxes, that they should have peace and receive truth,

31 Wodi tomefafa kple dedinɔnɔ na wo, eye woɖo na wo kple woƒe dzidzimeviwo be woaɖu Purim ŋkekenyui la le eɖuɣi tututu abe ale si wowɔa se siwo ku ɖe nutsitsidɔ kple konyifaɣiwo ŋu la dzi ene. Mordekai kple Fianyɔnu Ester siaae de se sia.

and observe the days of lots, and celebrate them with joy at their proper time, just as Mordecai and Esther had established. And they accepted these to be observed by themselves and by their offspring: fasting, and crying out, and the days of lots,

32 Ale Ester ƒe sedede ɖo kpe ŋkeke sia dzi, eye woŋlɔe ɖe nyadzɔdzɔgbalẽ la me.

and all things which are contained in the history of this book, which is called Esther.