Ester 2
1 Passadas estas coisas, e apaziguado já o furor do rei Assuero, lembrou-se de Vasthi, e do que fizera, e do que se tinha decretado a seu respeito.
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 Então disseram os mancebos do rei, que lhe serviam: Busquem-se para o rei moças virgens, formosas à vista.
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 E ponha o rei comissários em todas as províncias do seu reino, que ajuntem a todas as moças virgens, formosas à vista, na fortaleza de Susan, na casa das mulheres, debaixo da mão de Hegai, eunuco do rei, guarda das mulheres, e dêem-se-lhes os seus enfeites.
[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 E a moça que parecer bem aos olhos do rei, reine em lugar de Vasthi. E isto pareceu bem aos olhos do rei, e assim fez.
Then the woman who pleases you most can become queen instead of Vashti.” The king liked what they suggested, so he did it.
5 Havia então um homem judeu na fortaleza de Susan, cujo nome era mardoqueu, filho de Jair, filho de Simei, filho de Kis, homem benjamita,
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 Que fôra transportado de Jerusalém, com os transportados que foram transportados com Jechonias, rei de Judá, o qual transportara Nabucodonosor, rei de Babilônia.
[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 Este criara a Hadassa (que é Esther, filha de seu tio), porque não tinha pai nem mãe: e era moça bela de parecer, e formosa à vista; e, morrendo seu pai e sua mãe, mardoqueu a tomara por sua filha
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 Sucedeu pois que, divulgando-se o mandado do rei e a sua lei, e ajuntando-se muitas moças na fortaleza de Susan, debaixo da mão de Hegai, também levaram Esther à casa do rei, debaixo da mão de Hegai, guarda das mulheres.
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 E a moça pareceu formosa aos seus olhos, e alcançou graça perante ele; pelo que se apressurou com os seus enfeites, e em lhe dar os seus quinhões, como também em lhe dar sete moças de respeito da casa do rei: e a fez passar com as suas moças ao melhor lugar da casa das mulheres.
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 Esther porém não declarou o seu povo e a sua parentela; porque mardoqueu lhe tinha ordenado que o não declarasse.
Esther did not tell anyone that she was a Jew, because Mordecai had told her not to tell anyone.
11 E passeava mardoqueu cada dia diante do pátio da casa das mulheres, para se informar de como Esther passava, e do que lhe sucederia.
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 E, chegando já a vez de cada moça, para vir ao rei Assuero, depois que fôra feito a ela segundo a lei das mulheres, por doze meses (porque assim se cumpriam os dias das suas purificações), seis meses com óleo de mirra, e seis meses com especiarias, e com as coisas para a purificação das mulheres:
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 Desta maneira pois entrava a moça ao rei: tudo quanto ela dizia se lhe dava, para se ir com aquilo da casa das mulheres à casa do rei:
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 Á tarde entrava, e pela manhã tornava à segunda casa das mulheres, debaixo da mão de Saasgaz, eunuco do rei, guarda das concubinas: não tornava mais ao rei, salvo se o rei a desejasse, e fosse chamada por nome
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 Chegando pois a vez de Esther, filha de Abihail, tio de mardoqueu (que a tomara por sua filha), para ir ao rei, coisa nenhuma pediu, senão o que disse Hegai, eunuco do rei, guarda das mulheres: e alcançava Esther graça aos olhos de todos quantos a viam.
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 Assim foi levada Esther ao rei Assuero, à sua casa real, no décimo mes, que é o mês de tebeth, no sétimo ano do seu reinado.
17 E o rei amou a Esther mais do que a todas as mulheres, e alcançou perante ele graça e benevolência mais do que todas as virgens: e pôs a coroa real na sua cabeça, e a fez rainha em lugar de Vasthi.
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 Então o rei fez um grande convite a todos os seus príncipes e aos seus servos, que era o convite de Esther: e deu repouso às províncias, e fez presentes segundo o estado do rei.
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 E ajuntando-se segunda vez as virgens, mardoqueu estava assentado à porta do rei.
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 Esther porém não declarava a sua parentela e o seu povo, como mardoqueu lhe ordenara: porque Esther fazia o mandado de mardoqueu, como quando a criara.
But Esther still did not tell anyone that she was a Jew. She continued to do what Mordecai had told her to do.
21 Naqueles dias, assentando-se mardoqueu à porta do rei, dois eunucos do rei, dos guardas da porta, Bigthan e Theres, grandemente se indignaram, e procuraram pôr as mãos no rei Assuero.
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 E veio isto ao conhecimento de mardoqueu, e ele fez saber à rainha Esther, e Esther o disse ao rei, em nome de mardoqueu.
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 E inquiriu-se o negócio, e se descobriu, e ambos foram enforcados numa forca: e foi escrito nas crônicas perante o rei.
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’.
