استر 3

1 چندی بعد، خشایارشا به یکی از وزیران خود به نام هامان، پسر همداتای اجاجی، ارتقاء مقام داده او را رئیس وزرای خود ساخت.

Some time later, King Xerxes (promoted/gave his most important job/work to) Haman, the son of Hammedatha, who was a descendant of [King] Agag. Haman became more important than all his other officials. [Only the king was more important.]

2 به دستور پادشاه همهٔ مقامات دربار در حضور هامان سر تعظیم فرود می‌آوردند؛ ولی مردخای به او تعظیم نمی‌کرد.

Then the king commanded that all the other officials had to bow down in front of Haman to honor him [when he walked by]. But Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman.

3 درباریان به مردخای گفتند: «چرا تو از فرمان پادشاه سرپیچی می‌کنی؟» او در جواب گفت: «من یک یهودی هستم و نمی‌توانم به هامان تعظیم کنم.»

The [other] officials [saw that, and they] asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey what the king commanded?”

4 هر چند آنها هر روز از او می‌خواستند این کار را بکند، ولی او قبول نمی‌کرد. پس ایشان موضوع را به هامان اطلاع دادند تا ببینند چه تصمیمی خواهد گرفت، زیرا به ایشان گفته بود که او یهودی است.

Mordecai told them that he was a Jew, [and that Jews would bow down only to God]. Day after day the other officials spoke to Mordecai about that, but he still refused to obey. So they told Haman about it, to see if Haman would tolerate it.

5 وقتی هامان فهمید که مردخای از تعظیم نمودن او خودداری می‌کند، خشمگین شد؛

When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down to him, he became extremely angry.

6 و چون دریافت که مردخای یهودی است تصمیم گرفت نه فقط او را بکشد، بلکه تمام یهودیانی را نیز که در قلمرو سلطنت خشایارشا بودند، نابود کند.

[After he found out that Mordecai was a Jew, ] he decided that it would not be enough to get rid of only Mordecai. He decided to kill all the Jews in all the area that Xerxes ruled.

7 در سال دوازدهم سلطنت خشایارشا در ماه نیسان که ماه اول سال است، هامان دستور داد قرعه (که به آن «پور» می‌گفتند) بیاندازند تا تاریخ قتل عام یهودیان معلوم شود. قرعه روز سیزدهم ماه اَدار یعنی ماه دوازدهم را نشان داد.

So, during the twelfth year that Xerxes was ruling, during the month of April, [Haman told his advisors to] (cast lots/throw small marked stones) to determine the best month and the best day to kill the Jews. Haman’s advisors did that, and the day that was selected was March 7th [during the following/next year].

8 سپس هامان نزد پادشاه رفت و گفت: «قومی در تمام قلمرو سلطنتی‌تان پراکنده‌اند که قوانین‌شان با قوانین سایر قومها فرق دارد. آنها از قوانین پادشاه سرپیچی می‌کنند. بنابراین، زنده ماندنشان به نفع پادشاه نیست.

Then Haman [went to] the king [and] said to [him], “[Your majesty, ] there is a certain group of people who live in many areas [of your empire] whose customs are different from ours. They even refuse to obey your laws. So it would be good for you to get rid of them.

9 اگر پادشاه را پسند آید فرمانی صادر کنند تا همهٔ آنها کشته شوند و من ده هزار وزنهٔ نقره بابت هزینهٔ این کار به خزانهٔ سلطنتی خواهم پرداخت.»

If it pleases you, command that they should all be killed. [If you do that, ] I will give (375 tons/750,000 pounds) of silver to your administrators so that you can use it for your government.”

10 پادشاه انگشترش را بیرون آورده به هامان که دشمن یهود بود، داد و گفت:

The king liked [what Haman said, so, and to confirm what he decided], he gave the ring that had his official seal on it to Haman, who now hated the Jews.

11 «این قوم و دارایی‌شان در اختیار تو هستند، هر طور صلاح می‌دانی با آنها عمل کن.»

The king told Haman, “Keep your money, but do what you want to with those people [whom you talked about]!”

12 پس در روز سیزدهم ماه اول، هامان کاتبان دربار را احضار نمود. آنها به دستور هامان نامه‌هایی به خطها و زبانهای رایج مملکت برای حاکمان، استانداران و مقامات سراسر مملکت نوشتند. این نامه‌ها به اسم پادشاه نوشته و با انگشتر مخصوص او مهر شد

On April 17th Haman summoned the king’s secretaries, and he dictated a letter to them that they [translated and] wrote to all the governors and administrators and other officials in all the provinces. They wrote copies of the letter in every language and every kind of writing/alphabet that was used in the empire. They wrote that all the Jews, [including] young people and old people, women and children, had to be killed on one day. That day was March 7th of the following year. They also wrote that [those who killed the Jews] could take everything that belonged to the Jews. [They signed] the king’s name [at the end of] the letters. Then they sealed the letters [with wax, and stamped the wax by] using the king’s ring. Then they sent the letters swiftly to every province in the empire,

13 و به‌وسیلۀ قاصدان به تمام استانها فرستاده شد، با این دستور که باید تمام یهودیان، زن و مرد، پیر و جوان در روز سیزدهم ماه اَدار قتل عام شوند و دارایی آنها به غنیمت گرفته شود.

14 محتوای این نامه‌ها می‌بایست در هر استان به اطلاع تمام مردم می‌رسید تا همه در روز تعیین شده آماده شوند.

The king [also commanded that] copies of these letters should be [nailed up] where [all the people] could see them, in every province, so that the people would be ready to do on the day the king had set [what was written in the letter].

15 این دستور در شوش اعلام شد و قاصدان به فرمان پادشاه آن را به سرعت به سراسر مملکت رساندند. آنگاه پادشاه و هامان مشغول عیش و نوش شدند ولی شهر شوش در پریشانی فرو رفت.

Then, according to what the king commanded, men [riding horses] took those letters quickly to every province [in the empire]. And one of the letters was read [aloud to the people] in the capital city, Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down and drank [wine], but the people in Susa were very perplexed [about why this was going to happen].