Esta 3
1 Mgbe ihe ndị a gasịrị, eze bụ Ahasuerọs mere Heman nwa Hamedata onye Agag ka ọ bụrụ onye ukwu, o nyere ya ugwu site nʼinye ya oche dị elu karịa nke ndị ọzọ niile a na-asọpụrụ.
Some time later, King Xerxes (promoted/gave his most important job/work to) Haman, the son of Hammedatha, who was a descendant of [King] Agag. Haman became more important than all his other officials. [Only the king was more important.]
2 Ndịisi ọchịchị eze niile na-egbu ikpere nʼala nye Heman nsọpụrụ mgbe ọbụla o si nʼọnụ ụzọ ama ụlọeze na-agafe, nʼihi na ọ bụ otu a ka eze nyere nʼiwu. Ma Mọdekai ekweghị egbu ikpere nye ya, ọ kwekwaghị enye ya nsọpụrụ.
Then the king commanded that all the other officials had to bow down in front of Haman to honor him [when he walked by]. But Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman.
3 Mgbe ahụ, ndị ozi eze ndị nọ nʼọnụ ụzọ ama eze jụrụ Mọdekai ajụjụ si ya, “Gịnị mere i ji na-enupu isi nʼiwu eze nyere?”
The [other] officials [saw that, and they] asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey what the king commanded?”
4 Ha na-agwa ya okwu kwa ụbọchị kwa ụbọchị, ma o geghị ha ntị. Nʼihi nke a, ha gwara Heman ihe banyere ya, ịhụ ma ọ ga-anabata omume Mọdekai, ebe ọ gwara ha na ya bụ onye Juu.
Mordecai told them that he was a Jew, [and that Jews would bow down only to God]. Day after day the other officials spoke to Mordecai about that, but he still refused to obey. So they told Haman about it, to see if Haman would tolerate it.
5 Ihe a were Heman iwe nke ukwuu mgbe ọ chọpụtara na Mọdekai jụrụ igbu ikpere nʼihu ya, maọbụ ịsọpụrụ ya.
When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down to him, he became extremely angry.
6 Mgbe ọ matara ndị Mọdekai ha bụ, ọ dị ya ka ihe ileda anya ma o gbuo naanị Mọdekai. Kama Heman chọrọ ụzọ ọ ga-esi laa ndị Mọdekai niile, bụ ndị Juu nọ nʼalaeze niile nke Sekses nʼiyi.
[After he found out that Mordecai was a Jew, ] he decided that it would not be enough to get rid of only Mordecai. He decided to kill all the Jews in all the area that Xerxes ruled.
7 Nʼọnwa mbụ, nke bụ ọnwa Nisan, nʼafọ nke iri na abụọ nke ọchịchị eze Ahasuerọs. Ha fere nza (nke bụ Pua) nʼihu Heman iji họpụta ụbọchị na ọnwa. Ma nza ahụ danyere nʼụbọchị nke iri na atọ nʼọnwa nke iri na abụọ, nke bụ ọnwa Aada.
So, during the twelfth year that Xerxes was ruling, during the month of April, [Haman told his advisors to] (cast lots/throw small marked stones) to determine the best month and the best day to kill the Jews. Haman’s advisors did that, and the day that was selected was March 7th [during the following/next year].
8 Mgbe ahụ Heman sịrị eze Sekses, “O nwere otu ndị gbasara ebe niile, nʼetiti ndị bi nʼobodo dị iche iche niile nke alaeze gị, ha kepụrụ onwe ha iche. Iwu ha dị iche site nʼiwu nke ndị mba ọzọ. Ha adịghị edebekwa iwu eze, ọ gaghị abara eze uru i hapụ ha ka ha nọdụrụ onwe ha.
Then Haman [went to] the king [and] said to [him], “[Your majesty, ] there is a certain group of people who live in many areas [of your empire] whose customs are different from ours. They even refuse to obey your laws. So it would be good for you to get rid of them.
9 Ọ bụrụ na ọ masịrị eze, ya nye iwu ka a laa ha nʼiyi, aga m akwụnye puku talenti ọlaọcha iri nʼaka ndị nlekọta nʼihi ụlọakụ eze.”
If it pleases you, command that they should all be killed. [If you do that, ] I will give (375 tons/750,000 pounds) of silver to your administrators so that you can use it for your government.”
10 Ya mere, eze gbapụtara ọlaaka ikike ya nye ya Heman nwa Hamedata onye Agag, onye iro ndị Juu
The king liked [what Haman said, so, and to confirm what he decided], he gave the ring that had his official seal on it to Haman, who now hated the Jews.
11 Eze gwara Heman, “Enyela m gị ọlaọcha ahụ, ya na ndị a. Mee ha dịka o si dị gị mma.”
The king told Haman, “Keep your money, but do what you want to with those people [whom you talked about]!”
12 Nʼabalị iri na atọ nke ọnwa mbụ, a kpọkọrọ ndị ode akwụkwọ eze niile. Ha depụtara nʼakwụkwọ isi obodo dị iche iche, nakwa nʼasụsụ ndị ọbụla, ihe niile Heman nyere nʼiwu nye ndị nnọchị anya eze niile, ndị ọchịchị nke ala niile ha na-achị, na ndịisi nke ndị ọbụla nọ nʼime alaeze a. E ji aha Ahasuerọs dee akwụkwọ ndị ahụ, werekwa mgbaaka eze nʼonwe ya kaa ya akara.
On April 17th Haman summoned the king’s secretaries, and he dictated a letter to them that they [translated and] wrote to all the governors and administrators and other officials in all the provinces. They wrote copies of the letter in every language and every kind of writing/alphabet that was used in the empire. They wrote that all the Jews, [including] young people and old people, women and children, had to be killed on one day. That day was March 7th of the following year. They also wrote that [those who killed the Jews] could take everything that belonged to the Jews. [They signed] the king’s name [at the end of] the letters. Then they sealed the letters [with wax, and stamped the wax by] using the king’s ring. Then they sent the letters swiftly to every province in the empire,
13 E zipụrụ ndị ọgba ọsọ ozi eze ka ha gaa nʼisi obodo ọbụla nʼalaeze ahụ, na-enye iwu a edere nʼakwụkwọ ka a laa nʼiyi, gbuo, ma kpochapụkwa ndị Juu niile, ma nwantakịrị ma okenye, ma nwanyị, ma ụmụntakịrị, nʼotu ụbọchị, nʼabalị iri na atọ nke ọnwa iri na abụọ, nke bụ ọnwa Aada, nakwa ịpụnara ha akụnụba ha nʼike.
14 Ihe ndepụta nke otu akwụkwọ ahụ bụ nke a ga-enye dịka iwu nʼobodo niile ọbụla site na nkwupụta, mee ka ndị mba niile mara maka ya, nọọkwa na njikere nʼihi ụbọchị ahụ.
The king [also commanded that] copies of these letters should be [nailed up] where [all the people] could see them, in every province, so that the people would be ready to do on the day the king had set [what was written in the letter].
15 Ọ bụ ndị ozi eze na-agba ọsọ nke ọma ka e nyere ozi ahụ, ka ha jiri ya jee nʼobodo niile. E mekwara ka iwu ahụ baa mmadụ niile bi na Susa ntị. Emesịa, eze na Heman nọdụrụ ala ịṅụ ihe ọṅụṅụ nʼoge ndị niile bi na Susa nọ nʼegwu nʼihi okwu ibibi ndị Juu ahụ.
Then, according to what the king commanded, men [riding horses] took those letters quickly to every province [in the empire]. And one of the letters was read [aloud to the people] in the capital city, Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down and drank [wine], but the people in Susa were very perplexed [about why this was going to happen].
