Ester 2
1 Sima na mikolo, kanda ya mokonzi Kizerisesi ekitaki; akomaki kokanisa Vasti, makambo oyo asalaki mpe mobeko oyo azwaki na tina na ye.
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 Bato oyo basalaka epai ya mokonzi balobaki na ye: — Tika ete balukela mokonzi bilenge basi ya kitoko oyo bayebi nanu nzoto ya mibali te.
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 Tika ete mokonzi atia bato kati na etuka moko na moko ya bokonzi na ye, mpo ete bamema na ndako ya basi oyo ezalaka na Size, engumba mokonzi, bilenge basi nyonso ya kitoko oyo bayebi nanu nzoto ya mibali te. Tika ete bapesa bango na maboko ya Ege, kalaka ya lokumu mpo na mokonzi, oyo baboma ye mokongo mpe abatelaka basi; mpe tika ete bapesa bango mafuta mpe malasi oyo ekomisaka bato kitoko.
[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 Tika ete elenge mwasi oyo akosepelisa mokonzi akoma mwasi ya mokonzi na esika ya Vasti. Likanisi oyo esepelisaki mokonzi mpe asalelaki yango.
Then the woman who pleases you most can become queen instead of Vashti.” The king liked what they suggested, so he did it.
5 Kati na Size, engumba mokonzi batonga makasi, ezalaki na Moyuda moko ya libota ya Benjame; kombo na ye ezalaki « Maridoshe. » Maridoshe azalaki mwana mobali ya Yairi, mwana mobali ya Shimei, mwana mobali ya Kishi.
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 Maridoshe azalaki kati na bato oyo Nabukodonozori, mokonzi ya Babiloni, amemaki na bowumbu, longwa na Yelusalemi, elongo na Yekonia, mokonzi ya Yuda.
[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 Maridoshe azalaki kobokola Adasa, mwana mwasi ya noko na ye mpo ete azalaki lisusu na tata mpe na mama te. Nzokande, elenge mwasi oyo kombo na ye mosusu ezalaki « Ester » azalaki na ezaleli malamu mpe elongi kitoko. Tango tata mpe mama na ye bakufaki, Maridoshe azwaki ye mpe akomaki kobokola ye lokola mwana na ye penza ya mwasi.
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 Tango bapanzaki sango ya mitindo mpe ya mobeko ya mokonzi, basangisaki bilenge basi ebele na engumba Size, mpe Ege azalaki kobatela bango. Boye bamemaki mpe Ester kati na ndako ya mokonzi mpe bapesaki ye na maboko ya Ege, mosali oyo azalaki kobatela ndako ya basi ya mokonzi.
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 Ester asepelisaki Ege mpe azwaki ngolu na miso na ye. Mbala moko, apesaki ye biloko ya monzele mpe bilei oyo asengeli kolia; apesaki ye mpe basali sambo ya basi oyo aponaki kati na ndako ya mokonzi. Bongo atiaki ye elongo na basali na ye ya basi kati na shambre oyo elekaki kitoko kati na ndako ya basi ya mokonzi.
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 Ester atikalaki te koyebisa ekolo mpe libota na ye, pamba te Maridoshe apekisaki ye koloba yango.
Esther did not tell anyone that she was a Jew, because Mordecai had told her not to tell anyone.
11 Mikolo nyonso, Maridoshe azalaki koleka liboso ya lopango ya ndako ya basi ya mokonzi mpo na kozwa basango ya Ester mpe koyeba ndenge nini bazalaki kobatela ye.
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 Kolanda ndenge ekatamaki, liboso ete elenge mwasi nyonso akende kokutana na mokonzi Kizerisesi, basengelaki kosala sanza zomi na mibale mpo na kobongisa ye mpo ete akoma kitoko: sanza motoba na mafuta ya mire, mpe sanza motoba mosusu na biloko ya monzele.
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 Tala ndenge elenge mwasi nyonso oyo azalaki kokende epai ya mokonzi azalaki: Wuta na ndako ya basi ya mokonzi kino na ndako ya mokonzi, bazalaki kopesa ye eloko nyonso oyo azalaki na yango na bosenga.
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 Boye elenge mwasi azalaki kokende epai ya mokonzi na pokwa; mpe na tongo ya mokolo oyo ezalaki kolanda, azalaki kokende na ndako mosusu ya basi ya mokonzi, oyo Shashigazi azalaki kokamba. Shashigazi azalaki kalaka ya lokumu mpo na mokonzi, baboma ye mokongo mpe azalaki na mokumba ya kobatela bamakangu ya mokonzi. Elenge mwasi azalaki lisusu te kozonga liboso ya mokonzi, longola kaka soki mokonzi ayoki posa na ye mpe abengisi ye na kombo.
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 Tango ekomaki ngala ya Ester ya kokende epai ya mokonzi; Ester, mwana mwasi ya Abiyaili, noko ya Maridoshe oyo abokolaki Ester, amemaki eloko mosusu te, bobele oyo Ege, kalaka ya lokumu, oyo baboma ye mokongo mpe azalaki na kobatela ndako ya basi ya mokonzi, ayebisaki ye. Mpe Ester azwaki ngolu na miso ya moto nyonso oyo azalaki komona ye.
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 Ezalaki na sanza ya zomi, sanza ya Tebeti, na mobu ya sambo ya bokonzi ya Kizerisesi nde bamemaki Ester liboso ya mokonzi kati na ndako ya mokonzi.
17 Mokonzi alingaki Ester makasi koleka basi nyonso. Ester azwaki ngolu mpe andimamaki na miso ya mokonzi koleka bilenge basi mosusu. Bongo mokonzi atiaki motole ya bokonzi na moto ya Ester mpe akomisaki ye mwasi ya mokonzi na esika ya Vasti.
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 Mokonzi alambisaki biloko ebele mpo na lokumu ya Ester mpe mpo na kosepela elongo na basali na ye nyonso mpe bakalaka na ye. Akataki lisusu ete, na mokolo wana, bituka nyonso efuta mpako te mpe akabolaki bakado na motema ya esengo.
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 Tango basangisaki bilenge basi na mbala ya mibale, Maridoshe avandaki na ekuke ya mokonzi.
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 Kasi Ester atikalaki te koloba libota na ye to mpe ekolo na ye, ndenge kaka Maridoshe ayebisaki ye ete aloba yango te. Ester azalaki kokoba kobatela toli ya Maridoshe, ndenge kaka azalaki kosala na tango Maridoshe azalaki kobokola ye.
But Esther still did not tell anyone that she was a Jew. She continued to do what Mordecai had told her to do.
21 Tango Maridoshe avandaki na ekuke ya mokonzi, Bigitani mpe Tereshi, basoda mibale oyo baboma bango mokongo mpe bazalaki kobatela ekuke ya mokonzi, batombokaki mpe balukaki koboma mokonzi Kizerisesi.
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 Kasi Maridoshe asosolaki makanisi na bango mpe ayebisaki yango epai ya Ester, mwasi ya mokonzi, oyo mpe ayebisaki yango epai ya mokonzi na kombo ya Maridoshe.
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 Bongo sima na bango koluka koyeba bosolo ya likambo yango, emonanaki ete ezali likambo ya solo. Boye badiembikaki basoda nyonso mibale na nzete mpe bakomaki makambo nyonso wana kati na buku ya masolo, na miso ya mokonzi.
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’.
