< エステル 記 9 >
1 十二月すなわちアダルの月の十三日、王の命令と詔の行われる時が近づいたとき、すなわちユダヤ人の敵が、ユダヤ人を打ち伏せようと望んでいたのに、かえってユダヤ人が自分たちを憎む者を打ち伏せることとなったその日に、
The first law that the king had commanded was to be made effective on March 7th. On that day the enemies of the Jews hoped to get rid of them. But instead, on that same day the Jews defeated their enemies.
2 ユダヤ人はアハシュエロス王の各州にある自分たちの町々に集まり、自分たちに害を加えようとする者を殺そうとしたが、だれもユダヤ人に逆らうことのできるものはなかった。すべての民がユダヤ人を恐れたからである。
Throughout the empire, the Jews gathered together in their cities to attack those who wanted to get rid of them. No one could fight against the Jews, because all the other people in the areas where the Jews lived were afraid of them, [so they did not want to help anyone who attacked the Jews].
3 諸州の大臣、総督、知事および王の事をつかさどる者は皆ユダヤ人を助けた。彼らはモルデカイを恐れたからである。
All the governors and [other] officials and important people in all the provinces helped the Jews, because they were afraid of Mordecai.
4 モルデカイは王の家で大いなる者となり、その名声は各州に聞えわたった。この人モルデカイがますます勢力ある者となったからである。
They were afraid of him because in all the provinces [they knew that] Mordecai was now the king’s most important official, [with the authority that Haman previously had]. Mordecai was becoming more famous because [the king was giving him] more and more power.
5 そこでユダヤ人はつるぎをもってすべての敵を撃って殺し、滅ぼし、自分たちを憎む者に対し心のままに行った。
[On March 7th, ] the Jews attacked and killed with their swords all of their enemies. They did whatever they wanted to do, to the people who hated them.
6 ユダヤ人はまた首都スサにおいても五百人を殺し、滅ぼした。
[Just] in Susa alone, the capital city, they killed 500 people.
Among those whom they killed were the ten sons of Haman. [Their names were] Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,
Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha.
10 すなわちハンメダタの子で、ユダヤ人の敵であるハマンの十人の子をも殺した。しかし、そのぶんどり物には手をかけなかった。
Those were grandsons of Hammedatha and sons of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. The Jews killed them, but they did not take the things that belonged to the people whom they killed.
11 その日、首都スサで殺された者の数が王に報告されると、
[At the end of] that day someone reported to the king the number of people whom the Jews killed in Susa.
12 王は王妃エステルに言った、「ユダヤ人は首都スサで五百人を殺し、またハマンの十人の子を殺した。王のその他の諸州ではどんなに彼らは殺したことであろう。さてあなたの求めることは何か。必ず聞かれる。更にあなたの願いは何か。必ず聞きとどけられる」。
Then the king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed 500 people here in Susa, including the ten sons of Haman! [So I think that] they must have killed many more people in the rest of my empire [RHQ]! [But okay], now what else do you want me to do for you. You tell me, and I will do it.”
13 エステルは言った、「もし王がよしとされるならば、どうぞスサにいるユダヤ人にあすも、きょうの詔のように行うことをゆるしてください。かつハマンの十人の子を木に掛けさせてください」。
Esther replied, “If it pleases you, allow the Jews here in Susa to do again tomorrow what [you] commanded [them] to do today. And command that the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows/poles.”
14 王はそうせよと命じたので、スサにおいて詔が出て、ハマンの十人の子は木に掛けられた。
So the king commanded that the Jews be permitted to kill more of their enemies the next day. After he issued [another] order in Susa, the bodies of Haman’s ten sons were hanged.
15 アダルの月の十四日にまたスサにいるユダヤ人が集まり、スサで三百人を殺した。しかし、そのぶんどり物には手をかけなかった。
On the next day, the Jews in Susa gathered together and killed 300 more people. But [again, ] they did not take the things that belonged to the people whom they killed.
16 王の諸州にいる他のユダヤ人もまた集まって、自分たちの生命を保護し、その敵に勝って平安を得、自分たちを憎む者七万五千人を殺した。しかし、そのぶんどり物には手をかけなかった。
That happened on March 8th. On the following day, the Jews [in Susa] rested and celebrated. In all the other provinces, the Jewish people gathered together to defend themselves, and they killed 75,000 people who hated them, but [again] they did not take the things that belonged to the people whom they killed.
17 これはアダルの月の十三日であって、その十四日に休んで、その日を酒宴と喜びの日とした。
That occurred on March 7th, and on the following day they rested and celebrated.
18 しかしスサにいるユダヤ人は十三日と十四日に集まり、十五日に休んで、その日を酒宴と喜びの日とした。
After the Jews in Susa gathered together [and killed their enemies] on March 7th and 8th, they rested and celebrated on March 9th.
19 それゆえ村々のユダヤ人すなわち城壁のない町々に住む者はアダルの月の十四日を喜びの日、酒宴の日、祝日とし、互に食べ物を贈る日とした。
That is why [every year], on March 8th, the Jews who live in villages now celebrate [defeating their enemies]. They have feasts and give gifts [of food] to each other.
20 モルデカイはこれらのことを書きしるしてアハシュエロス王の諸州にいるすべてのユダヤ人に、近い者にも遠い者にも書を送り、
Mordecai wrote down all the things that had happened. Then he sent letters to the Jews who lived throughout the empire of King Xerxes.
21 アダルの月の十四日と十五日とを年々祝うことを命じた。
He told them that every year they should celebrate on the 8th and 9th of March,
22 すなわちこの両日にユダヤ人がその敵に勝って平安を得、またこの月は彼らのために憂いから喜びに変り、悲しみから祝日に変ったので、これらを酒宴と喜びの日として、互に食べ物を贈り、貧しい者に施しをする日とせよとさとした。
because those were the days when the Jews got rid of their enemies. He also told them that they should celebrate on those days by feasting and giving gifts [of food] to each other and to poor people. They would remember it as the month in which they changed from being very sorrowful to being very joyful, from crying to celebrating.
23 そこでユダヤ人は彼らがすでに始めたように、またモルデカイが彼らに書き送ったように、行うことを約束した。
So the Jews agreed to do what Mordecai wrote. They agreed to celebrate on those days [every year].
24 これはアガグびとハンメダタの子ハマン、すなわちすべてのユダヤ人の敵がユダヤ人を滅ぼそうとはかり、プルすなわちくじを投げて彼らを絶やし、滅ぼそうとしたが、
They would remember how Haman, son of Hammedatha, a descendant of [King] Agag, became an enemy of all the Jews. [They would remember] how he had made an evil plan to kill the Jews, and that he had (cast lots/thrown small marked stones) to choose the day to kill [DOU] them.
25 エステルが王の前にきたとき、王は書を送って命じ、ハマンがユダヤ人に対して企てたその悪い計画をハマンの頭上に臨ませ、彼とその子らを木に掛けさせたからである。
[They would remember] that when Esther told the king about Haman’s plan, the king arranged that the evil plan that Haman had made to kill the Jews would fail, and that he [would be killed] instead of the Jews, and that Haman and that his sons were hanged.
26 このゆえに、この両日をプルの名にしたがってプリムと名づけた。そしてこの書のすべての言葉により、またこの事について見たところ、自分たちの会ったところによって、
[Because the (lot/small marked stone) that Haman threw was called] Pur, the Jews called these days Purim. And, because of everything that ([Mordecai] wrote/was written) in that letter, and because of all that happened to them,
27 ユダヤ人は相定め、年々その書かれているところにしたがい、その定められた時にしたがって、この両日を守り、自分たちと、その子孫およびすべて自分たちにつらなる者はこれを行い続けて廃することなく、
the Jews [throughout the empire] agreed to celebrate in that manner on those two days every year. They said that they would tell their descendants and those people who became Jews to be certain to celebrate this festival every year. They should celebrate just as [Mordecai] told them to do [in the letter] that he wrote.
28 この両日を、代々、家々、州々、町々において必ず覚えて守るべきものとし、これらのプリムの日がユダヤ人のうちに廃せられることのないようにし、またこの記念がその子孫の中に絶えることのないようにした。
They said that they would remember and celebrate on those two days every year, in each family, in every city, and in every province. They solemnly declared that they and their descendants would never stop remembering and celebrating those days called Purim.
29 さらにアビハイルの娘である王妃エステルとユダヤ人モルデカイは、権威をもってこのプリムの第二の書を書き、それを確かめた。
Then Mordecai and Queen Esther, who was the daughter of Abihail, wrote a second letter about the Purim feast. Esther used the authority that she had because of being the queen to confirm that what Mordecai had written in the first letter was true.
30 そしてアハシュエロスの国の百二十七州にいるすべてのユダヤ人に、平和と真実の言葉をもって書を送り、
What they wrote [in the second letter] was, “We wish that all of you will be living peacefully and safely/righteously. We want you and your descendants to celebrate Purim each year on the days that we two established, and to do the things that we two told you to do.” In that letter, Queen Esther and Mordecai also gave them instructions about (fasting/abstaining from eating food) and being sorrowful. Then copies of that letter were sent to all the Jews who were living in the 127 provinces of the empire.
31 断食と悲しみのことについて、ユダヤ人モルデカイと王妃エステルが、かつてユダヤ人に命じたように、またユダヤ人たちが、かつて自分たちとその子孫のために定めたように、プリムのこれらの日をその定めた時に守らせた。
32 エステルの命令はプリムに関するこれらの事を確定した。またこれは書にしるされた。
The letter that Esther wrote about the manner in which they should celebrate the Purim feast was also written in an official record.