Eseza 8
1 Awo ku lunaku olwo Kabaka Akaswero n’awa Nnabagereka Eseza ebintu byonna ebya Kamani omulabe w’Abayudaaya. Eseza n’ategeeza Kabaka nti alina oluganda ku Moluddekaayi, era okuva mu kiseera ekyo Moluddekaayi n’ajjanga mu maaso ga Kabaka.
[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 Kabaka n’aggyako empeta ye gye yaggya ku Kamani n’agiwa Moluddekaayi, ate era ne Eseza n’afuula Moluddekaayi okuvunaanyizibwa ebintu ebyali ebya Kamani.
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 Awo Eseza n’agenda ewa Kabaka nate ng’amwegayirira ng’agwa ku bigere bye n’okukaaba nga bw’akaaba, ng’amusaba akomye enteekateeka embi zonna eza Kamani Omwagaagi, n’enkwe ze yali asalidde Abayudaaya.
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 Kabaka n’agololera Eseza omuggo ogwa zaabu, amangu ago Eseza n’agolokoka n’ayimirira mu maaso ga Kabaka.
The king held out his gold scepter/staff toward Esther, so Esther arose and stood in front of him.
5 Eseza n’ayogera nti, “Kabaka bw’anasiima, era obanga ŋŋaanze mu maaso ga Kabaka, nange obanga musanyusa, bawandiike ekiragiro okujjulula ebbaluwa Kamani mutabani wa Kammedasa Omwagaagi, ze yayiiya era n’awandiika okuzikiriza Abayudaaya mu bitundu byonna ebya kabaka.
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 Nnyinza ntya okugumiikiriza okulaba obulabe obulijja ku bantu bange, era n’okulaba okuzikirizibwa okw’ennyumba yange?”
I cannot bear seeing all my family and [all the rest of] my people killed.”
7 Awo Kabaka Akaswero n’agamba Nnabagereka Eseza ne Moluddekaayi Omuyudaaya nti, “Olw’okuba Kamani yali ayagala kuzikiriza Abayudaaya, ebintu bye mbiwadde Eseza, era n’okuwanikibwa awanikibbwa ku Kalabba.
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 Noolwekyo muwandiike ekiwandiiko ekirala mu linnya lya Kabaka ku lw’Abayudaaya nga bwe musiima, era mukisseeko akabonero n’empeta ya Kabaka, kubanga tewali kiwandiiko ekiwandiikiddwa mu linnya lya Kabaka era ekiteekeddwako akabonero n’empeta ya Kabaka ekiyinza okujjululwa.”
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 Ku lunaku olw’amakumi abiri mu esatu mu mwezi ogwokusatu, gwe mwezi Sivaani abawandiisi ba Kabaka ne bayitibwa ne bawandiika byonna Moluddekaayi bye yalagira Abayudaaya, ebbaluwa n’eweerezebwa eri abaamasaza, ne bagavana n’abakungu abaafuganga mu bitundu ekikumi mu abiri mu omusanvu okuva e Buyindi okutuusa ku Buwesiyopya. Ebiragiro by’awandiikibwa eri buli ssaza ng’empandiika yaalyo bwe yali, n’eri buli ggwanga ng’olulimi lwabwe bwe lwali, n’eri Abayudaaya mu mpandiika yaabwe era ne mu lulimi lwabwe.
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 Moluddekaayi n’awandiika mu linnya lya Kabaka Akaswero, ebbaluwa n’azissaako akabonero n’empeta ya Kabaka, n’aziweereza zitwalibwe ababaka abeebagala embalaasi ezidduka ennyo ate nga zaakuzibwa mu bisibo bya Kabaka.
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 Ekiragiro kya Kabaka ky’awa Abayudaaya mu buli kibuga olukusa okukuŋŋaana n’okwekuuma; okuzikiriza, n’okutta, n’okusaanyaawo eggye lyonna ery’eggwanga lyonna oba essaza lyonna erinaabalumba, abakazi baabwe n’abaana baabwe abato, ate era n’okunyaga ebintu by’abalabe baabwe.
12 Olunaku olwalondebwa Abayudaaya okukola bino mu bitundu byonna ebya Kabaka Akaswero lwe lwali olunaku olw’ekkumi n’essatu mu mwezi ogw’ekkumi n’ebiri, gwe mwezi Adali.
[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 Ebyaggyibwa mu kiragiro ekyo byali bya kuba nga tteeka mu buli kitundu, era n’okumanyibwa eri abantu aba buli ggwanga, nti ku lunaku olwo Abayudaaya beeteekereteekere okulwanyisa abalabe baabwe.
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 Awo ababaka abeebagala embalaasi za Kabaka, ne bagenda mbiro, ku kiragiro kya Kabaka, era n’ekiragiro ekiwandiikiddwa ne kirangirirwa mu lubiri lw’e Susani.
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 Awo Moluddekaayi n’ava mu maaso ga Kabaka ng’ayambadde ebyambalo bya Kabaka ebya kaniki n’ebyeru, era ng’atikkiddwa engule ennene eya zaabu, era ng’ayambadde omunagiro ogwa bafuta ennungi n’olugoye olw’effulungu. Ekibuga ekya Susani ne kisanyuka nnyo.
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 Ate n’eri Abayudaaya kyali kiseera kya ssanyu, n’okujaguza n’ekitiibwa.
The Jews in Susa were very happy, and [other people] honored [them].
17 Mu buli kitundu, ne mu buli kibuga, ekiragiro kya Kabaka we kyatuuka, waaliyo essanyu n’okujaguza n’embaga nnene ddala mu Bayudaaya. Era abantu bangi abamawanga amalala ne bafuuka Abayudaaya olw’entiisa ey’Abayudaaya eyali ebakutte.
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].
