< Asteer 2 >

1 Ahashweroos Mootichi erga aariin isaa qabbanaaʼee booddee waan Waashtiin gootee fi labsii inni waaʼee ishee labse ni yaadate.
Some time later, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered what Vashti had done and what had been decreed against her.
2 Kana irrattis tajaajiltoonni mootichaa akkana jedhanii yaada dhiʼeessan; “Dubarran babbareedoon mootichaaf haa barbaadaman.
Then the king’s servants who waited upon him said, ‘Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king,
3 Akka isaan kutaalee biyyaa mootichaa hunda keessaa dubarran babbareedoo hunda gara Suusaa magaalaa guddoo iddoo dubartoonni jiraatanitti fidaniif mootichi itti gaafatamtoota haa muudu; isaanis Heegaayi xuʼaashii mootichaa itti gaafatamaa dubartoota sana jalatti haa ajajaman; dubarran sanaafis kunuunsi miidhaginaa haa godhamu.
and let the king appoint commissioners to all the provinces of his kingdom to gather them all to Susa the royal residence. Let them be brought into the women’s quarters under the custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who has charge of the women. Then give them what is needed to make them beautiful,
4 Ergasiis durbi mooticha gammachiiftu iddoo Waashtiin buutee niitii mootii haa taatu.” Gorsi kunis mooticha ni gammachiise; innis akkuma jedhame sana godhe.
and let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.’ The proposal pleased the king so he put it into action.
5 Yeroo sanatti gosa Beniyaam keessaa namichi Yihuudaa ilmi Yaaʼiir, ilmi Shimeʼii, ilmi Qiish kan Mordekaayi jedhamu tokko Suusaa magaalaa muummittii keessa jiraata ture;
In Susa the royal residence lived a Jew named Mordecai. He was son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjamite.
6 innis warra Yehooyaakiin mooticha Yihuudaa wajjin Yerusaalemii Nebukadnezar mooticha Baabiloniin boojiʼamanii fudhataman keessaa tokko ture.
(Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem with the exiles who were deported with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon took captive.)
7 Mordekaayis, durbii Hadasaa jedhamtu kan sababii isheen abbaa fi haadha hin qabneef ofitti fudhate tokko qaba ture. Durbi Asteer jedhamtee beekamtu kun dhaabaa fi bifaan jaallatamtuu turte; yeroo abbaa fi haati ishee duʼanitti Mordekaayi ofitti fudhatee akkuma intala ofii isaatti guddifate.
Mordecai had adopted Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, since she had neither father nor mother. The girl was shapely and beautiful; and after her father and mother died, Mordecai raised her as if she was his own daughter.
8 Yeroo ajajnii fi labsiin mootichaa dhagaʼametti dubarran hedduun gara Suusaa magaalaa gudditiitti fidamanii harka Hegeetti kennaman. Asteeris gara masaraa mootichaatti geeffamtee Heegaayi itti gaafatamaa dubartootaa sanatti imaanaa kennamte.
When the king’s command and decree were known, many girls were gathered together to Susa the capital under the custody of Hegai. Esther was also taken into the king’s palace and placed under the custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women.
9 Durbi sunis isa gammachiiftee fuula isaa duratti fudhatama argatte. Innis yommusuma dibata miidhagina isheetiif taʼuu fi nyaata addaa kenneef. Dubartoota ishee tajaajilan kanneen masaraa mootichaa keessaa filataman torbas isheedhaaf ramade; ishee fi tajaajiltoota ishee sana gara mana dubartootaa kan mana hunda caalaa filatamaa taʼeetti geesse.
The girl pleased him and gained his favour, so that he quickly gave her the cosmetics she needed to enhance her beauty and her allowance of food and the seven maids selected from the king’s household. He also transferred her and her maids to the best place in the harem.
10 Waan Mordekaayi akka isheen hin himne ishee dhowweef Asteer saba isheetii fi maalummaa maatii ishee hin himne.
Esther had not revealed her people nor her family background because Mordecai had ordered her not to.
11 Mordekaayis haala Asteer keessa jirtuu fi waan ishee irra gaʼe beekuudhaaf guyyuma guyyaadhaan fuula oobdii mana dubartootaa dura jiru sana irra deddeebiʼaa ture.
Every day Mordecai would to walk in front of the courtyard of the harem and ask after Esther’s health and what was happening to her.
12 Durbi tokko utuu dabareen isheen itti fuula Ahashweroos Mootichaa duratti dhiʼeeffamtu hin gaʼin dura akkuma seera dubartootaaf kaaʼame sanaatti kunuunsa miidhaginaa kan jiʼa kudha lamaa fixuu qabdi ture; isheenis jiʼa jaʼa zayitii qumbiitiin, jiʼa jaʼa immoo shittoo fi dibata garaa garaatiin miidhagfamuu qabdi ture.
The girls were prepared for meeting King Ahasuerus for twelve months: six months being treated with oil of myrrh and six months with perfumes and cosmetics. After the twelve months,
13 Haalli itti durbi tokko mooticha bira dhaqxu akkana ture: Wanni isheen mana dubartootaatii fudhattee gara masaraa mootichaa dhaquu feetu kam iyyuu ni kennamaaf ture.
each girl went in to the king. She was allowed to take with her whatever she wished from the women’s quarters,
14 Isheenis galgala achi dhaqxee ganama immoo gara kutaa mana dubartootaa kan harka Shaʼasgaazi xuʼaashii itti gaafatamaa saajjatoowwan sana jala jiru kaaniitti deebiti turte; yoo mootichi itti gammadee maqaadhaan waame malee isheen gara mootichaatti hin deebitu turte.
and would enter the palace in the evening and return the next morning to another part of the harem under the care of the king’s eunuch Shaashgaz who was in charge of concubines. She would not go to the king again unless he desired her and summoned her by name.
15 Yommuu dabareen Asteer intalli Abiihaayil obboleessa abbaa Mordekaayi kan Mordekaayi akkuma intala ofii isaatti guddifate sun itti mooticha bira dhaqxu gaʼetti isheen waan Heegaayi xuʼaashiin mootichaa inni itti gaafatamaa mana dubartootaa ture sun gorse malee waan tokko illee hin gaafanne. Asteeris fuula nama ishee argu hundaa duratti fudhatama argatte.
When it was the turn of Esther (the girl adopted by Mordecai, daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go in to the king, she only took with her those things that Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the women, had advised her to take. Esther was liked by all who saw her.
16 Isheenis bara mootichaa keessa waggaa torbaffaa jiʼa kurnaffaa Teebeeti jedhamu keessa gara mana jireenyaa Ahashweroos Mootichaatti dhiʼeeffamte.
Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus in the royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 Mootichis dubartoota kaan hunda caalaa Asteerin jaallate; isheenis dubarran qulqulluu kaan hunda caalaa fuula isaa duratti surraa fi fudhatama argatte. Kanaafuu inni gonfoo mootummaa mataa ishee irra kaaʼeefii qooda Waashtiin ishee mootittii taasise.
And the king loved her more than all the other women, and she became his favourite and won his affection. He placed the royal diadem on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
18 Ergasiis mootichi ulfina Asteeriitiif jedhee qondaaltota isaatii fi tajaajiltoota isaatiif cidha guddaa qopheesse. Innis ayyaana kana guutummaa kutaalee biyyaa keessatti labse; akkuma arjooma mootiitti kennaas kenne.
Then the king gave a great feast to all his officials and courtiers in honour of Esther, and he remitted the taxes of the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.
19 Yommuu dubarran qulqulloonni sun yeroo lammaffaa walitti qabamanitti Mordekaayi karra mootichaa dura taaʼaa ture.
All the time the virgins were assembled again, Mordecai was sitting as an offical at the king’s gate.
20 Asteer garuu akkuma Mordekaayi ishee gorse sanatti maalummaa maatii isheetii fi saba ishee hin himne; Asteer akkuma yeroo inni ishee guddise sanaatti ajaja Mordekaayi eegaa turteetii.
Esther had not revealed her people or family background because she still obeyed him as she had when he was bringing her up.
21 Yeroo Mordekaayi karra mootichaa dura taaʼaa turetti qondaaltonni mootichaa warri balbala eegaa turan lamaan jechuunis Bigtaanaa fi Tereshi aaranii Ahashweroos Mooticha ajeessuuf malatan.
In those days while Mordecai was sitting in the king’s gate, two of the royal court attendants, Bigthan and Teresh, who guarded the entrance of the palace, became enraged and attempted to kill King Ahasuerus.
22 Mordekaayi garuu waaʼee mala kanaa beekee Asteer Mootittiitti hime; Asteer immoo maqaa Mordekaayiin waan kana mootichatti himte.
But Mordecai learned of the conspiracy and disclosed it to Queen Esther, and she told the king on Mordecai’s behalf.
23 Yeroo wanni sun qoratamee dhugaa taʼee argametti qondaaltonni sun lamaanuu muka irratti fannifaman. Wanni kun hundinuu fuula mootichaa duratti kitaaba seenaa keessatti barreeffame.
When the affair was investigated and the facts discovered, the conspirators were both hanged on the gallows. The incident was recorded in the presence of the king in the daily record of events.

< Asteer 2 >