< U-Esta 9 >
1 Kwathi ngenyanga yetshumi lambili, eyinyanga uAdari, ngosuku lwetshumi lantathu lwayo, sekusondele ilizwi lenkosi lomlayo wayo ukuthi kwenziwe, ngosuku izitha zamaJuda ezazithemba ukuwabusa ngalo, kwaguquka, ngoba amaJuda ngokwawo abusa kwababewazonda.
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 AmaJuda abuthana emizini yawo kuzo zonke izabelo zenkosi uAhasuwerusi ukwelulela isandla kulabo ababedinge ukulinyazwa kwawo; njalo kakho owayengema phambi kwawo, ngoba ukwesabeka kwawo kwakwehlele bonke abantu.
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 Zonke-ke iziphathamandla zezabelo, lezikhulu, lababusi, labenzi bomsebenzi inkosi eyayilabo, basiza amaJuda, ngoba ukwesabeka kukaModekhayi kwakubehlele.
All the governors and [other] officials and important people in all the provinces helped the Jews, because they were afraid of Mordecai.
4 Ngoba uModekhayi wayemkhulu endlini yenkosi, lodumo lwakhe lwahamba kuzo zonke izabelo, ngoba lindoda uModekhayi yaqhubeka ikhula.
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 Ngakho amaJuda atshaya phakathi kwezitha zawo zonke ngokutshaya kwenkemba lokubulala lokubhubhisa, enza ngabazondi bawo ngokwentando yawo.
[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 EShushani isigodlo amaJuda asebulala abhubhisa abantu abangamakhulu amahlanu,
[Just] in Susa alone, the capital city, they killed 500 people.
7 loParishanidatha, loDalifoni, loAsiphatha,
Among those whom they killed were the ten sons of Haman. [Their names were] Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,
8 loPoratha, loAdaliya, loAridatha,
Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
9 loParimashita, loArisayi, loAridayi, loVayizatha.
Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha.
10 Amadodana alitshumi kaHamani indodana kaHamedatha, isitha samaJuda, awabulala; kodwa kawelulelanga isandla sawo empangweni.
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 Ngalolosuku inani lababulawayo eShushani isigodlo lafika phambi kwenkosi.
[At the end of] that day someone reported to the king the number of people whom the Jews killed in Susa.
12 Inkosi yasisithi kuEsta indlovukazi: EShushani isigodlo amaJuda abulele abhubhisa abantu abangamakhulu amahlanu lamadodana alitshumi kaHamani. Enzeni kwezinye izabelo zenkosi? Siyini-ke isicelo sakho? Njalo uzasinikwa. Siyini-ke isifiso sakho futhi? Njalo sizakwenziwa.
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 UEsta wasesithi: Uba kulungile enkosini kawavunyelwe amaJuda aseShushani ukwenza lakusasa njengokomthetho walamuhla; lamadodana alitshumi kaHamani kabawalengise egodweni.
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 Inkosi yasisithi kwenziwe njalo; kwasekunikwa umthetho eShushani, lamadodana alitshumi kaHamani bawalengisa.
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 AmaJuda eyeseShushani asebuthana futhi ngosuku lwetshumi lane lwenyanga uAdari, abulala abantu abangamakhulu amathathu eShushani; kodwa kawelulelanga isandla sawo empangweni.
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 Amanye kumaJuda ayesezabelweni zenkosi abuthana-ke amela impilo yabo, aphumula ezitheni zawo, abulala kwabawazondayo izinkulungwane ezingamatshumi ayisikhombisa lanhlanu; kodwa kawelulelanga isandla sawo empangweni.
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 Kwakungosuku lwetshumi lantathu lwenyanga uAdari. Asephumula ngolwetshumi lane lwayo, alwenza lwaba lusuku lwedili lentokozo.
That occurred on March 7th, and on the following day they rested and celebrated.
18 Kodwa amaJuda aseShushani abuthana ngolwetshumi lantathu lwayo langolwetshumi lane lwayo; asephumula ngolwetshumi lanhlanu lwayo, alwenza lwaba lusuku lwedili lentokozo.
After the Jews in Susa gathered together [and killed their enemies] on March 7th and 8th, they rested and celebrated on March 9th.
19 Ngenxa yalokhu amaJuda emaphandleni ahlala emizini emaphandleni enza usuku lwetshumi lane lwenyanga uAdari lwaba ngolwentokozo ledili, losuku oluhle, lolokuthumelana izabelo.
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 UModekhayi wasezibhala lezizinto, wathumela izincwadi kuwo wonke amaJuda ayekuzo zonke izabelo zenkosi uAhasuwerusi, aseduze lakhatshana,
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 ukumisa phakathi kwabo ukwenza usuku lwetshumi lane lwenyanga uAdari losuku lwetshumi lanhlanu lwayo kuwo wonke umnyaka ngomnyaka,
He told them that every year they should celebrate on the 8th and 9th of March,
22 njengokwensuku amaJuda aphumula ngazo ezitheni zawo, lenyanga eyaphendulwa kuwo kusuka osizini kusiya kuntokozo, lekulileni kube lusuku oluhle, azenze zibe zinsuku zedili lentokozo, lezokuthumelana izabelo, lezipho kubayanga.
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 AmaJuda emukela lokho ayesekuqalile ukukwenza, lalokho uModekhayi ayewabhalele khona.
So the Jews agreed to do what Mordecai wrote. They agreed to celebrate on those days [every year].
24 Ngoba uHamani indodana kaHamedatha umAgagi, isitha sawo wonke amaJuda, wayecebe mayelana lamaJuda ukuwachitha, waphosa iPuri, eyinkatho, ukuwachoboza lokuwabhubhisa.
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 Kodwa lapho uEsta efika phambi kwenkosi, yalaya ngencwadi ukuthi icebo lakhe elibi ayelicebe ngamaJuda libuyele ekhanda lakhe; basebebalengisa yena lamadodana akhe egodweni.
[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 Ngenxa yalokhu babiza lezozinsuku ngokuthi iPurimi ngebizo lePuri. Ngenxa yalokhu, ngenxa yawo wonke amazwi aleyoncwadi, lababekubonile mayelana lalokho, lokwakubehlele,
[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 amaJuda amisa azemukelela wona lenzalo yawo labo bonke abazihlanganisa lawo, ukuze bangeqi, ukugcina lezinsuku ezimbili, njengokombhalo wazo, lanjengokwesikhathi sazo esimisiweyo, kuwo wonke umnyaka lomnyaka,
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 ukuthi lezinsuku zikhunjulwe zigcinwe kuso sonke isizukulwana lesizukulwana, usapho losapho, isabelo ngesabelo, lomuzi ngomuzi, ukuthi lezinsuku zePurimi zingeqiwa phakathi kwamaJuda, lesikhumbuzo sazo singapheli enzalweni yawo.
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 UEsta indlovukazi, indodakazi kaAbihayili, loModekhayi umJuda, basebebhala ngamandla wonke ukuqinisa lincwadi yesibili yePurimi.
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 Wasethumela izincwadi kuwo wonke amaJuda ezabelweni ezilikhulu lamatshumi amabili lesikhombisa zombuso kaAhasuwerusi, amazwi okuthula leqiniso,
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 ukuqinisa lezinsuku zePurimi ngezikhathi zazo ezimisiweyo njengokumisa phezu kwawo kukaModekhayi umJuda loEsta indlovukazi, lanjengokuzimisela kwawo wona lenzalo yawo, indaba zokuzila ukudla lokukhala kwawo.
32 Ilizwi likaEsta laseliqinisa lezizindaba zePurimi; kwasekubhalwa egwalweni.
The letter that Esther wrote about the manner in which they should celebrate the Purim feast was also written in an official record.