< Ester 2 >

1 Passadas estas coisas, e tendo já sido apaziguado o furor do rei Assuero, ele se lembrou de Vasti, e do que ela havia feito, e do que havia sido sentenciado contra ela.
After this, when the wrath of king Assuerus was appeased, he remembered Vasthi, and what she had done and what she had suffered:
2 Então os servos do rei, que lhe serviam, disseram: Busquem-se ao rei moças virgens de boa aparência;
And the king’s servants and his officers said: Let young women be sought for the king, virgins and beautiful,
3 E o rei ponha comissários em todas as províncias de seu reino, para que juntem todas as moças virgens de boa aparência na fortaleza de Susã, na casa das mulheres, ao cuidado de Hegai, eunuco do rei, vigilante das mulheres; e sejam lhes dado seus enfeites;
And let some persons be sent through all the provinces to look for beautiful maidens and virgins: and let them bring them to the city of Susan, and put them into the house of the women under the hand of Egeus the eunuch, who is the overseer and keeper of the king’s women: and let them receive women’s ornaments, and other things necessary for their use.
4 E a moça que agradar aos olhos do rei, reine em lugar de Vasti. E isto foi do agrado dos olhos do rei, e ele assim fez.
And whosoever among them all shall please the king’s eyes, let her be queen instead of Vasthi. The word pleased the king: and he commanded it should be done as they had suggested.
5 Havia um homem judeu na fortaleza de Susã, cujo nome era Mardoqueu, filho de Jair, filho de Simei, filho de Quis, um homem da [linhagem] de Benjamim;
There was a man in the city of Susan, a Jew, named Mardochai, the son of Jair, the son of Semei, the son of Cis, of the race of Jemini,
6 O qual tinha sido levado de Jerusalém com os cativos que foram levados com Jeconias rei de Judá, a quem Nabucodonosor, rei da Babilônia, havia levado.
Who had been carried away from Jerusalem at the time that Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon carried away Jechonias king of Juda,
7 E ele tinha criado a Hadassa, que é Ester, filha de seu tio, porque não tinha pai nem mãe; e ela tinha bela forma, e era linda de aparência; e como seu pai e sua mãe tinham morrido, Mardoqueu a havia tomado como sua filha.
And he had brought up his brother’s daughter Edissa, who by another name was called Esther: now she had lost both her parents: and was exceeding fair and beautiful. And her father and mother being dead, Mardochai adopted her for his daughter.
8 Sucedeu pois, que quando se divulgou o mandamento do rei e seu lei, e sendo reunidas muitas moças na fortaleza de Susã, ao cuidado de Hegai, também levaram Ester para casa do rei, ao cuidado de Hegai, vigilante das mulheres.
And when the king’s ordinance was noised abroad, and according to his commandment many beautiful virgins were brought to Susan, and were delivered to Egeus the eunuch: Esther also among the rest of the maidens was delivered to him to be kept in the number of the women.
9 E a moça foi do agrado de seus olhos, e alcançou favor diante dele; por isso ele se apressou em [lhe dar] seus enfeites e suas porções de alimento, dando-lhe também sete moças escolhidas da casa do rei; e ele a passou com suas moças ao melhor [lugar] da casa das mulheres.
And she pleased him, and found favour in his sight. And he commanded the eunuch to hasten the women’s ornaments, and to deliver to her her part, and seven of the most beautiful maidens of the king’s house, and to adorn and deck out both her and her waiting maids.
10 Ester, porém, não declarou seu povo nem sua parentela; porque Mardoqueu tinha lhe mandado que não declarasse.
And she would not tell him her people nor her country. For Mardochai had charged her to say nothing at all of that:
11 E todo dia Mardoqueu passeava diante do pátio da casa das mulheres, para saber como Ester estava, e que estava acontecendo com ela.
And he walked every day before the court of the house, in which the chosen virgins were kept, having a care for Esther’s welfare, and desiring to know what would befall her.
12 E quando chegava a vez de cada uma das moças para vir ao rei Assuero, ao fim de haver estado doze meses, conforme à lei acerca das mulheres (porque assim se cumpriam os dias de seus enfeites, isto é, seis meses com óleo de mirra, e seis meses com especiarias, e [outros] enfeites de mulheres),
Now when every virgin’s turn came to go in to the king, after all had been done for setting them off to advantage, it was the twelfth month: so that for six months they were anointed with oil of myrrh, and for other six months they used certain perfumes and sweet spices.
13 Então assim a moça vinha ao rei; tudo quanto ela pedia se lhe dava, para vir com isso da casa das mulheres até a casa do rei.
And when they were going in to the king, whatsoever they asked to adorn themselves they received: and being decked out, as it pleased them, they passed from the chamber of the women to the king’s chamber.
14 Ela vinha à tarde, e pela manhã voltava à segunda casa das mulheres, ao cuidado de Saasgaz eunuco do rei, vigilante das concubinas; ela não voltava mais ao rei, a não ser se o rei a desejasse, e fosse chamada por nome.
And she that went in at evening, came out in the morning, and from thence she was conducted to the second house, that was under the hand of Susagaz the eunuch, who had the charge over the king’s concubines: neither could she return any more to the king, unless the king desired it, and had ordered her by name to come.
15 Chegando, pois, a vez de Ester, filha de Abiail, tio de Mardoqueu (que e havia tinha tomado por filha), para vir ao rei, nenhuma coisa pediu a não ser o que Hegai eunuco do rei, vigilante das mulheres, havia dito; e Ester alcançava o favor aos olhos de todos quantos a viam.
And as the time came orderly about, the day was at hand, when Esther, the daughter of Abihail the brother of Mardochai, whom he had adopted for his daughter, was to go in to the king. But she sought not women’s ornaments, but whatsoever Egeus the eunuch the keeper of the virgins had a mind, he gave her to adorn her. For she was exceeding fair, and her incredible beauty made her appear agreeable and amiable in the eyes of all.
16 Assim Ester foi levada ao rei Assuero a sua casa real no décimo mês, que é o mês de Tebete, no sétimo ano de seu reinado.
So she was brought to the chamber of king Assuerus the tenth month, which is called Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 E o rei amou a Ester mais que todas as mulheres, e alcançou diante dele favor e benevolência mais que todas as virgens; e ele pôs a coroa real em sua cabeça, e a fez rainha em lugar de Vasti.
And the king loved her more than all the women, and she had favour and kindness before him above all the women, and he set the royal crown on her head, and made her queen instead of Vasthi.
18 Então o rei fez um grande banquete a todos seus príncipes e servos, o banquete de Ester; e deu repouso às províncias, e deu presentes, conforme a generosidade do rei.
And he commanded a magnificent feast to be prepared for all the princes, and for his servants, for the marriage and wedding of Esther. And he gave rest to all the provinces, and bestowed gifts according to princely magnificence.
19 E quando as virgens se ajuntaram pela segunda vez, Mardoqueu estava sentado à porta do rei.
And when the virgins were sought the second time, and gathered together, Mardochai stayed at the king’s gate,
20 Ester, [porém], não tinha declarado sua parentela nem seu povo, assim como Mardoqueu havia lhe mandado; porque Ester fazia o que Mardoqueu mandava, assim como quando ele a criava.
Neither had Esther as yet declared her country and people, according to his commandment. For whatsoever he commanded, Esther observed: and she did all things in the same manner as she was wont at that time when he brought her up a little one.
21 Naqueles dias, estando Mardoqueu sentado à porta do rei, Bigtã e Teres, dois eunucos do rei, dos guardas da porta, ficaram muito indignados, e procuravam matar o rei Assuero.
At that time, therefore, when Mardochai abode at the king’s gate, Bagathan and Thares, two of the king’s eunuchs, who were porters, and presided in the first entry of the palace, were angry: and they designed to rise up against the king, and to kill him.
22 E isso foi percebido por Mardoqueu; então ele avisou à rainha Ester, e Ester disse ao rei em nome de Mardoqueu.
And Mardochai had notice of it, and immediately he told it to queen Esther: and she to the king in Mardochai’s name, who had reported the thing unto her.
23 Tendo o caso sido investigado, assim foi achado; e ambos foram pendurados em uma forca. E isso foi registrado nas crônicas diante do rei.
It was inquired into, and found out: and they were both hanged on a gibbet. And it was put in the histories, and recorded in the chronicles before the king.

< Ester 2 >