Esteri 2
1 Mushure mezvinhu izvi kutsamwa kwamambo Zekisesi kwapera, akarangarira Vhashiti nezvaakanga aita uye nezvaakanga atema pamusoro pake.
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 Ipapo varanda vamambo vaimushandira vakati,
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 “Mambo ngaatsvakirwe mhandara dzakanaka. Mambo ngaagadze nhume munyika dzose dzoumambo hwake kuti vauye navasikana vakanaka munzvimbo inogara vakadzi panhare yeShushani. Ngavachengetwe naHegai, muranda wamambo anoona nezvamadzimai, uye zvinopa runako ngazvipiwe kwavari.
[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 Zvino musikana uyo anofadza mambo ngaave vahosi pachinzvimbo chaVhashiti.” Zano iri rakafadza mambo, uye akaita saizvozvo.
Then the woman who pleases you most can become queen instead of Vashti.” The king liked what they suggested, so he did it.
5 Zvino munhare yeShushani maiva nomuJudha worudzi rwaBhenjamini, ainzi Modhekai mwanakomana waJairi, mwanakomana waShimei, mwanakomana waKishi,
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 akanga atapwa kubva kuJerusarema naNebhukadhinezari mambo weBhabhironi, ari pakati paavo vakatapwa pamwe chete naJehoyakini mambo weJudha.
[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 Modhekai aiva nomwanasikana wasekuru vake ainzi Hadhasa, waakanga arera nokuti akanga asina mai kana baba. Musikana uyu ainziwo Esteri, akanga akanaka kwazvo pachimiro napaunhu, uye Modhekai akanga amutora somwanasikana wake pakufa kwakaita mai vake nababa vake.
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 Zvino murayiro nomutemo wamambo zvakati zvaziviswa, vasikana vazhinji vakauyiswa kunhare yeShushani ndokuiswa pasi paHegai kuti avachengete. NaEsteriwo akatorwa akaiswa mumuzinda wamambo akachengetwa naHegai, aiva muchengeti wenzvimbo yaigara madzimai.
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 Musikana akamufadza akawana nyasha kwaari. Pakarepo akamupa zvinonhuhwira zvinowedzera runako uye nezvokudya zvakatsaurwa. Akamupa vasikana vanomwe vakanga vasarudzwa kubva munhare yamambo ndokumuendesa iye navasikana vake kunzvimbo yakanga yakanakisisa muimba yavakadzi.
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 Esteri akanga asina kutaura rudzi rwake nemhuri yake, kana kwaaibva, nokuti Modhekai akanga amurambidza kuita izvozvo.
Esther did not tell anyone that she was a Jew, because Mordecai had told her not to tell anyone.
11 Zuva rimwe nerimwe aitenderera ari pedyo noruvazhe rwenzvimbo yaigariswa vanhukadzi achida kuona kuti Esteri akadini uye kuti chii chaiitika kwaari.
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 Musikana aifanira kupedza mwedzi gumi nemiviri achizvinatsa nezvinonhuhwira dzoro rake risati rasvika rokupinda kuna mambo Zekisesi sokurongerwa kwaiitirwa vanhukadzi, mwedzi mitanhatu yamafuta emura uye mwedzi mitanhatu yezvinonhuhwira nezvizoro.
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 Zvino aya ndiwo aiva maendero ake kuna mambo: Aipiwa chinhu chipi nechipi chaaida kutora kuti aende nacho kumuzinda wamambo paainge achibva kwaigara vanhukadzi.
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 Ava manheru aipota achiendako uye mangwanani achidzokera kune rimwe kamuri raigara vanhukadzi kwaichengetwa naShaashigazi, muranda wamambo aiva muchengeti wavarongo. Aisadzokerazve kuna mambo kunze kwokunge mambo afadzwa naye akamudaidza nezita.
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 Dzoro raEsteri rakati rasvika (musikana akanga atorwa kuti ave mwana naModhekai, mwanasikana wasekuru vake Abhihairi) rokuenda kuna Mambo, haana chaakakumbira kunze kwezvaakaudzwa naHegai, muranda wamambo aiva mutariri wenzvimbo yaigarwa navanhukadzi. Zvino Esteri akawana nyasha kuna vose vakamuona.
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 Akaendeswa kuna Mambo Zekisesi muimba youmambo mumwedzi wegumi, mwedzi waTibheti, mugore rechinomwe rokutonga kwake.
17 Zvino mambo akayevedzwa naEsteri kupfuura ani naani zvake wavamwe vakadzi, uye akawana nyasha kwaari akagamuchirwa kupfuura ani zvake pakati pedzimwe mhandara. Saka akagadza korona youmambo pamusoro wake akamuita vahosi panzvimbo yaVhashiti.
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 Zvino mambo akaita mabiko makuru, mabiko aEsteri, achiitira makurukota ake ose navabati. Akadaidzira zuva rezororo munyika dzose akagovera zvipo, zvakawanda sezvakakodzera mambo.
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 Mhandara dzakati dzaungana kechipiri, Modhekai akanga akagara pasuo ramambo.
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 Asi Esteri akanga avanza nhoroondo yemhuri yake norudzi rwake sezvaakanga audzwa naModhekai, nokuti akaramba achitevera kurayira kwaModhekai nezvaaisiita acharerwa naye.
But Esther still did not tell anyone that she was a Jew. She continued to do what Mordecai had told her to do.
21 Panguva iyo Modhekai akanga akagara pasuo ramambo, Bhigitana naTereshi, vabati vaviri vamambo vairinda mukova vakatsamwa ndokubva varangana kuuraya Mambo Zekisesi.
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 Asi Modhekai akazviziva ndokubva audza Esteri nezverangano iyi, iye ndokuzvizivisa kuna mambo, achiti akanga anzwa naModhekai.
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 Zvino shoko iri rakati raferefetwa uye rikawanikwa riri rechokwadi, vabati vaviri ava vakasungirwa pamatanda vakafa. Zvose izvi zvakanyorwa mubhuku renhoroondo pamberi pamambo.
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’.
