Esta 8
1 Nʼotu ụbọchị ahụ, Ahasuerọs bụ eze, nyefere Esta nwunye eze akụnụba niile Heman onye iro ndị Juu nwere. E mekwara ka Mọdekai bịa nʼihu eze, nʼihi na Esta agwala eze na ọ bụ nwanne nna ya.
[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 Mgbe ahụ, eze wepụtara ọlaaka ikike ya, nke a gbapụtara site nʼaka Heman nye ya Mọdekai. Esta mekwara Mọdekai onye nlekọta akụnụba Heman.
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 Ọzọkwa, Esta bịara nʼihu eze daa nʼala nʼụkwụ eze rịọ ya arịrịọ nʼanya mmiri ka ọ kwụsị echiche ọjọọ ahụ Heman onye Agag, chere megide ndị Juu.
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 Eze setịpụrụ mkpara ọlaedo ya nye Esta. Esta biliri, guzo nʼihu eze,
The king held out his gold scepter/staff toward Esther, so Esther arose and stood in front of him.
5 ọ sịrị, “Ọ bụrụ na ọ dị eze mma, ọ bụrụkwa na m hụtara amara nʼihu ya, bụrụkwa ihe ziri ezi nʼanya eze, ọ bụrụkwa na ihe m masịrị ya, ka ede iwu nʼakwụkwọ ịkagbu ozi Heman nwa Hamedata, onye Agag, nke o chepụtara dee ime ka a laa ndị Juu nʼiyi nʼala niile eze na-achị.
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 Nʼihi na m ga-esi aṅaa nagide ya, ịhụ ka a na-egbu ndị m, na-alakwa ụmụnna m nʼiyi?”
I cannot bear seeing all my family and [all the rest of] my people killed.”
7 Mgbe ahụ, eze bụ Ahasuerọs gwara Esta nwunye eze na Mọdekai onye Juu okwu sị ha, “Enyela m Esta akụnụba Heman, ha akwụgbukwaala Heman nʼosisi, nʼihi na ọ chọrọ ịla ndị Juu nʼiyi.
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 Ugbu a, deenụ akwụkwọ ozi banyere ndị Juu niile, dee ihe ọbụla dị mma nʼanya unu nʼaha eze. Werekwa ọlaaka ikike eze kaa ya akara, nʼihi na ọ dịghị akwụkwọ ọbụla e dere nʼaha eze, kaakwa ya akara mgbaaka eze nke a pụrụ imegharị.”
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 Otu mgbe ahụ, akpọrọ ndị ode akwụkwọ eze. Ọ bụ nʼiri abalị na atọ nke ọnwa atọ nʼafọ nke bụ ọnwa Sivan ka ihe ndị a mere. Ha dere iwu niile Mọdekai nyere banyere ndị Juu, ndịisi ọchịchị niile na ndị ọchịchị niile na-elekọta mpaghara alaeze niile site nʼIndia ruo Kush. Ọnụọgụgụ ha niile dị otu narị na iri abụọ na asaa. E depụtasịrị iwu ahụ nʼodide akwụkwọ nke ala ọbụla a na-achị achị si dị, na dịka asụsụ ndị ọbụla si dị, ma nyekwa ndị Juu dịka odide akwụkwọ na asụsụ ha si dị.
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 Mọdekai dere akwụkwọ ahụ nʼaha eze, bụ Ahasuerọs, werekwa ọlaaka ikike eze kaa ya akara, zipụ akwụkwọ ndị a site nʼaka ndị ọgba ọsọ ndị ịnyịnya na-ebu, bụ ndị na-agba ịnyịnya ụkwụ ọsọ nke e leziri anya nke ọma zụọ maka ije ozi dịrị eze.
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 Akwụkwọ nke iwu eze a, nyere ndị Juu niile nọ nʼobodo ọbụla ike izukọta nʼotu maka ịzọ ndụ ha, nyekwa ha ikike ibibi, gbuo ma laa nʼiyi ndị agha nke mba ọbụla, maọbụ ala ndị ahụ a na-achị achị bụ ndị nwere ike ịla ha, ndị inyom ha na ụmụntakịrị ha nʼiyi, na ịpụnara ha akụnụba ha.
12 Ụbọchị a akara aka maka ndị Juu ime ihe ndị a nʼobodo niile nʼalaeze eze Ahasuerọs bụ nʼabalị iri na atọ nke ọnwa Ada.
[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 E kwukwara nʼakwụkwọ iwu ahụ na a ghaghị ịnabata iwu eze ahụ nʼobodo ọbụla dị nʼalaeze ya. E kwukwara na a ga-agụpụtara ya mmadụ niile, kọwazie ya ime ka ndị Juu niile nọdụ na njikere imeri ndị iro ha.
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 Ndị ahụ na-agba ọsọ, bụ ndị na-ebu akwụkwọ ozi, nọkwasịrị nʼelu ịnyịnya eze mee ngwangwa pụọ, ebe iwu eze kwaliri ha. E nyekwara iwu a na Susa.
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 Mgbe Mọdekai si nʼihu eze pụọ, o yi uwe ndị eze nke na-acha ọcha, na nke na-achakwa anụnụ anụnụ, kpurukwa okpueze ọlaedo dị ukwuu, na uwe mwụda e ji ezi akwa nke na-acha odo odo dụọ nʼahụ ya. Obodo Susa tiri mkpu ṅụrịakwa ọṅụ.
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 Nye ndị Juu nʼonwe ha, ọ bụ oge ịṅụrị ọnụ, obi ụtọ na nsọpụrụ.
The Jews in Susa were very happy, and [other people] honored [them].
17 Na mpaghara alaeze ahụ niile, na nʼobodo ọbụla nke iwu eze ahụ bịaruru, e nwere ọṅụ na obi ụtọ nʼetiti ndị Juu niile, nweekwa oke oriri na ọṅụṅụ. Ọtụtụ mmadụ nʼime ndị si mba dị iche iche ghọrọ ndị Juu, nʼihi egwu ndị Juu dakwasịrị ha.
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].
