Esta 2
1 Mgbe ihe ndị a gasịrị, ka iwe eze Ahasuerọs dajụrụ, ọ malitere iche echiche banyere Vashti. O chetara ihe Vashti mere, chetakwa ihe e kpebiri banyere ya.
After a while, King Xerxes quit being so angry. He thought about Vashti, and he thought about the law he had made because of what she [had done, and he wanted another wife].
2 Mgbe ahụ, ndị na-ejere eze ozi sịrị ya, “Ka anyị gaa chọtara eze ụmụ agbọghọ na-amaghị nwoke mara mma ile anya.
So his personal servants said to him, “[Your majesty, ] you should send some men to search throughout the empire for some beautiful young women/virgins for you.
3 Ka eze họpụta ndị nchịkọta nʼisi obodo niile, ndị ga na-ahọpụta, ma na-akpọbatakwa ụmụ agbọghọ ndị a niile mara mma, nʼụlọeze dị na Susa. Ka Hegai, onozi eze bụrụkwa onye ga-elekọta ndị inyom ndị a. Ka e jirikwa ihe ịchọ mma niile chọọ ha mma dịka o si kwesi.
[After they find some, ] you can appoint some officials in each province to bring them to the place where you keep (your wives/the women you sleep with) here in Susa. Then Hegai, the man who is in charge of these women, can arrange for ointments to be put [on their bodies] to make them [more] beautiful.
4 Emesịa, nwaagbọghọ ahụ ihe ya masịrị eze karịa ga-abụ nwunye eze nʼọnọdụ Vashti.” Ntụpụta a tọrọ eze ụtọ nke ukwuu. O nyere ha ike ka ha malite na-atụfughị mgbe.
Then the woman who pleases you most can become queen instead of Vashti.” The king liked what they suggested, so he did it.
5 Nʼoge a, enwere otu onye Juu nọ nʼobodo Susa nke ewusiri ike, a na-akpọ Mọdekai nwa Jaịa, nwa Shimei, nwa Kish, onye Benjamin.
At that time there was a Jew [living] in Susa, the capital, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair. Jair was a descendant of Shimei. Shimei was a descendant of [King Saul’s father] Kish. [They were all] from the tribe descended from Benjamin.
6 Ọ bụ onye a dọtara nʼagha mgbe Nebukadneza bibiri Jerusalem. Nʼoge ahụ, e mere ka ọ hapụ obodo ya gaa biri na Babilọn bụkwa oge a dọtakwara Jekonaya eze ndị Juda na ọtụtụ ndị ọzọ nʼagha.
[Many years before that, ] King Nebuchadnezzar had taken (Mordecai/Mordecai’s family) [and brought them from Jerusalem] to Babylon, at the same time he brought King Jehoiachin of Judah and many other people to Babylon.
7 Mọdekai nwere nwa nwanne nna ya, aha ya bụ Hadasa, ma a na-akpọkwa ya Esta, onye mara mma nʼahụ dịkwa mma ile anya. Nne ya na nna ya anwụọla, ma Mọdekai kpọbatara ya nʼụlọ ya zụọ ya dịka nwa ya nwanyị.
Mordecai had a cousin whose [Hebrew] name was Hadassah. She had a beautiful face and beautiful body/figure. Her [Persian] name was Esther. After her father and mother died, Mordecai took care of Esther as though she were his own daughter.
8 Ya mere, nʼihi iwu ahụ eze nyere, e mere ka ọtụtụ ụmụ agbọghọbịa bịa na Susa, nʼime ụlọ ukwu eze. Ọ bụkwa Hegai na-elekọta ha niile. A kpọbatakwara Esta nʼụlọeze nyefee ya Hegai nʼaka, onye na-elekọta ebe obibi ndị iko nwanyị eze.
After the king commanded [that they search for some beautiful women], they brought Esther and many other young women to the king’s palace [in Susa], and (the king put Hegai/Hegai was put) in charge of them.
9 Ọ masịrị ya, ọ natakwara ihuọma nʼebe ọ nọ. Ngwangwa ọ malitere inye ya nri pụrụ iche, na ihe ndị ahụ niile e ji edozi ahụ na ịchọ mma. O sitere nʼetiti ụmụ agbọghọ nọ nʼụlọeze họpụta ụmụ agbọghọ asaa ndị na-ejere Esta ozi. O duuru ya na ndị na-ejere ya ozi dubaa nʼebe kachasị mma nʼogige ebe ndị inyom eze bi.
Hegai was very pleased with Esther, and he treated her well. He immediately arranged for her to be given ointments to make her [even more] beautiful, and [he ordered that] special food [would be given to her]. [He arranged that] seven maids from the king’s palace [would take care of her], and arranged that she/they would stay in the best rooms.
10 Ma Esta agwabeghị onye ọbụla obodo ya maọbụ ihe banyere ezinaụlọ ya, nʼihi na Mọdekai nyere ya iwu ka ọ ghara ịgwa onye ọbụla.
Esther did not tell anyone that she was a Jew, because Mordecai had told her not to tell anyone.
11 Ụbọchị niile, Mọdekai na-abịa nʼogige ụlọ ndị inyom na-ajụ ase otu Esta mere, nʼịchọpụta otu ihe si agara ya.
Every day Mordecai walked near the courtyard of the place where those women stayed. He asked [people who entered the courtyard] to find out [and tell him] what was happening to Esther.
12 Tupu o ruoro nwaagbọghọ ọbụla ibakwuru eze Sekses, ọ ga-anọzu ọnwa iri na abụọ nʼebe a na-achọ ya mma dịka iwu e nyere banyere ịchọ mma ndị inyom si dị. A ga-eji mmanụ máá chọọ ya mma ọnwa isii, werekwa mmanụ isi ụtọ dị iche iche, na ihe ịchọ mma ndị ọzọ kwadoo ya nʼime ọnwa isii nke ọzọ.
Before these women were taken to the king, they put ointments on [the bodies of] these women for one year to make them more beautiful. For six months they [rubbed olive] oil mixed with myrrh [on their bodies each day]. For [the next] six months they rubbed ointments and perfumes on their bodies.
13 Nʼụzọ dị otu a, ka nwaagbọghọ ọbụla ga-adị gakwuru eze, bụ Sekses. A na-enye ya ihe ọbụla ọ chọrọ site nʼebe obibi ha nke o ji aba nʼụlọeze.
Then, when one of these women [was summoned to] go to the king, she was allowed to wear whatever clothes and jewelry she chose.
14 A na-eme ka ọ banye nʼụlọeze nʼanyasị, ma nʼụtụtụ, ọ na-alọghachi nʼụlọ ọzọ nke dị nʼebe ụmụ nwanyị eze bi. Nʼebe ahụ ka Shashgaz, onozi eze nọ na-elekọta ndị iko nwanyị eze. Ọ gakwaghị alọghachi nʼebe eze ọzọ karịakwa ma ihe ya ọ masịrị eze, eze akpọọ ya ka ọ bịaghachi ọzọ.
In the evening, they would take her [to the king’s own room]. The next morning, they would take her to another place where the women [who had slept with the king] stayed. There another official whose name was Shaashgaz was in charge [of those women]. [Those women would live there for the rest of their lives, and] one of those women would go back to the king again only if the king very much wanted her to come again, and only if he told Shaashgaz the name of the woman.
15 Mgbe oge Esta (ada Abihail, onye bụ nwanne nna Mọdekai, onye kpọọrọ nwantakịrị nwaagbọghọ a ka ọ bụrụ nwa nke ya) ga-eji gaa nʼihu eze ruru, ọ nabatara ndụmọdụ Hegai, onozi ahụ na-elekọta ndị inyom. Ọ hụtara amara nʼihu mmadụ niile ndị hụrụ ya.
Everyone who saw Esther liked her. After King Xerxes had been ruling for seven years, it was Esther’s turn to go to him. When they took her to the king, it was during the middle part of the winter. She wore only the things that Hegai suggested.
16 E mere ka Esta bakwuru eze nʼọnwa nke iri nʼafọ nke asaa nke ọchịchị eze Ahasuerọs.
17 Eze hụrụ Esta nʼanya karịa ụmụ agbọghọ ndị ọzọ niile. Ọ natara amara na mmasị eze karịa ụmụ agbọghọ na-amaghị nwoke ndị ọzọ. Ya mere, o weere okpueze kpukwasị ya nʼisi mee ya eze nwanyị nʼọnọdụ Vashti.
The king liked Esther more than he liked any of the other women [that they brought to him]. He liked her so much that he put on her head the queen’s crown, and he declared that Esther would be the queen instead of Vashti.
18 Eze kpọrọ oke oriri, nʼihi Esta, nye ndịisi ọchịchị ya niile na ndị ozi ya niile. Ọ kpọsara ezumike nye ndị ọrụ niile nʼalaeze ya, ma kesaakwa onyinye nye ọtụtụ ndị mmadụ dịka eze pụrụ ime.
To celebrate her [becoming the queen], he had a big banquet/feast prepared for all his administrators and [other] officials. He generously gave [expensive] gifts to everyone, and he declared that in all the provinces there would be a holiday, [a time when people did not have to pay taxes].
19 Mgbe a chịkọtara ụmụ agbọghọ ndị a na-amaghị nwoke nke ugboro abụọ, Mọdekai nọ ala nʼọnụ ụzọ ama eze.
Later all those women who had spent a night with the king were gathered together again. By that time Mordecai had become an official at the palace.
20 Ma Esta emebeghị ka onye ọbụla mara ihe banyere ezinaụlọ ya maọbụ obodo ya, dịka Mọdekai nyere ya nʼiwu, nke ọ na-emeri mgbe a na-azụlite ya.
But Esther still did not tell anyone that she was a Jew. She continued to do what Mordecai had told her to do.
21 Otu ụbọchị, mgbe Mọdekai nọ nʼọrụ nʼọnụ ụzọ ama ụlọ ukwu eze, ndị onozi abụọ eze nwere, aha ha bụ Bigtan na Teresh, ndị na-eche ọnụ ụzọ ụlọeze nche, were iwe megide eze. Ha gbara izu kpebie na ha ga-egbu eze Sekses.
One day when Mordecai was doing his work in the palace, two of the king’s officials were there. Their names were Bigthana and Teresh. They were the guards who stood outside the king’s own rooms. They became angry [with the king], and they were planning how they could assassinate/kill him.
22 Ma Mọdekai chọpụtara nzube ọjọọ a gwa ya Esta, nwunye eze, onye gwara eze, meekwa ka eze mata na ọ bụ Mọdekai gwara ya.
But Mordecai heard about what they were planning, and he told that to Queen Esther. Then she told the king what Mordecai had found out.
23 Mgbe e nyochara kwu a, chọpụta na ọ bụ eziokwu, e jidere mmadụ abụọ ahụ kwụgbuo ha nʼosisi. E dekwara ihe ndị a niile nʼihu eze nʼime akwụkwọ akụkọ ihe e mere.
The king investigated and found out that Mordecai’s report was true. So the king ordered that those two men be hanged. When that was done, (an official wrote a report/a report was written) about it in a book called ‘The book that records what happened while Xerxes was king’.
