Ester 9
1 El decimotercer día del duodécimo mes, el mes de Adar, debía cumplirse la orden y el decreto del rey. Ese día los enemigos de los judíos pensaron que los aplastarían, pero sucedió exactamente lo contrario: los judíos aplastaron a sus enemigos.
Therefore, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which as we have said before is called Adar, when all the Jews were prepared to be executed and their enemies were greedy for their blood, the situation turned around, and the Jews began to have the upper hand and to vindicate themselves of their adversaries.
2 Los judíos se reunieron en sus ciudades por todas las provincias del rey Jerjes para atacar a los que querían destruirlos. Nadie podía oponerse a ellos, porque todos los demás pueblos les tenían miedo.
And they gathered together throughout each city, and town, and place, so as to extend their hands against their enemies and their persecutors. And no one dared to resist them, because their great power had pierced all the peoples.
3 Todos los funcionarios de las provincias, los jefes, los gobernadores y los funcionarios del rey ayudaron a los judíos, porque tenían miedo de Mardoqueo.
For even the judges of the provinces, and the rulers, and the procurators, and everyone of dignity, who presided over every place and work, extolled the Jews for fear of Mordecai.
4 Mardoqueo tenía mucho poder en el palacio real, y su reputación se extendía por las provincias a medida que aumentaba su poder.
For they knew him to be the leader of the palace and to have much power. Likewise, the fame of his name increased daily and flew everywhere through word of mouth.
5 Los judíos atacaban a sus enemigos con espadas, matándolos y destruyéndolos, y hacían lo que querían con sus enemigos.
And so the Jews struck their enemies like a great plague and killed them, repaying according to what they had prepared to do to them,
6 En la fortaleza de Susa, los judíos mataron y destruyeron a quinientos hombres.
so much so that even in Susa they executed five hundred men, besides the ten sons of Haman the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews, and their names are these:
7 Entre ellos estaban Parsandata, Dalfón, Aspata,
Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha
8 Porata, Adalia, Aridata,
and Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,
9 Parmasta, Arisai, Aridai y Vaizata,
and Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vaizatha.
10 los diez hijos de Amán, hijo de Hamedata, el enemigo de los judíos, pero no tomaron sus posesiones.
When they had slain them, they were unwilling to touch the spoils of their belongings.
11 Ese mismo día, cuando se informó al rey del número de los muertos en la fortaleza de Susa,
And immediately the number of those who had been killed in Susa was reported to the king.
12 éste dijo a la reina Ester: “Los judíos han matado y destruido a quinientos hombres en la fortaleza de Susa, incluidos los diez hijos de Amán. ¡Imagina lo que han hecho en el resto de las provincias reales! Ahora, ¿qué es lo que quieres pedir? Se te dará. ¿Qué más quieres? Se te concederá”.
He said to the queen, “In the city of Susa, the Jews have executed five hundred men, and also the ten sons of Haman. How many executions do you think that they have carried out in all the provinces? What more do you ask, and what do you wish, so that I may order it to be done?”
13 “Si le place a Su Majestad”, respondió Ester, “permita que los judíos de Susa hagan mañana lo mismo que han hecho hoy, siguiendo el decreto. Además, que los diez hijos de Amán sean empalados en postes”.
And she answered, “If it pleases the king, may power be granted to the Jews, so as to do tomorrow in Susa just as they have done today, and that the ten sons of Haman may be hung up the gallows.”
14 El rey ordenó que se hiciera esto. Se emitió un decreto en Susa, y empalaron los cuerpos de los diez hijos de Amán.
And the king instructed that it should be so done. And immediately the edict was hung up in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hung up.
15 El día catorce del mes de Adar, los judíos de Susa volvieron a reunirse y mataron allí a trescientos hombres, pero de nuevo no tomaron sus posesiones.
On the fourteenth day of the month Adar, the Jews gathered themselves together, and they executed in Susa three hundred men, but they did not seize their belongings from them.
16 Los demás judíos de las provincias del rey también se reunieron para defenderse y librarse de sus enemigos. Mataron a setenta y cinco mil que los odiaban, pero no tocaron sus posesiones.
Moreover, throughout all the provinces which were subject to the king’s dominion, the Jews made a stand for their lives, and they executed their enemies and their persecutors, so much so that the number of those who were killed amounted to seventy-five thousand, and yet no one touched any of their belongings.
17 Esto sucedió el día trece del mes de Adar, y el día catorce descansaron y lo convirtieron en un día de fiesta y celebración.
Now the thirteenth day of the month Adar was the first day with all of the executions, and on the fourteenth day they ceased the killing. This day they established to be sacred, so that in all times hereafter they would be free for feasting, joyfulness, and celebration.
18 Sin embargo, los judíos de Susa se habían reunido para luchar los días trece y catorce del mes. Así que descansaron el día quince, y lo convirtieron en un día de fiesta y celebración.
But, as for those who were carrying out the killings in the city of Susa, they turned to killing on the thirteenth and fourteenth day of the same month. But on the fifteenth day they ceased to attack. And for that reason they established that day as sacred, with feasting and with gladness.
19 Hasta el día de hoy, los judíos rurales que viven en las aldeas observan el decimocuarto día del mes de Adar como un día de celebración y fiesta, un día festivo en el que se envían regalos unos a otros.
But in truth, those Jews who were staying in unwalled towns and villages, appointed the fourteenth day of the month Adar for celebration and gladness, so as to rejoice on that day and send one another portions of their feasts and their meals.
20 Mardoqueo registró estos sucesos y envió cartas a todos los judíos de las provincias gobernadas por el rey Jerjes, cerca y lejos,
And so Mordecai wrote down all these things and sent them, composed in letters, to the Jews who were staying in all the king’s provinces, as much to those in nearby places as to those far away,
21 exigiéndoles que celebraran todos los años los días catorce y quince del mes de Adar
so that they would accept the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the month Adar for holy days, and always, at the return of the year, would celebrate them with sacred esteem.
22 como el momento en que los judíos descansaban de su victoria sobre sus enemigos, y como el mes en que su tristeza se convertía en alegría y su luto en un tiempo de celebración. Les escribió que observaran los días como días de fiesta y alegría y que se dieran regalos de comida unos a otros y regalos a los pobres.
For on those days, the Jews vindicated themselves of their enemies, and their mourning and sorrow were turned into mirth and joy, so that these would be days of feasting and gladness, in which they would send one another portions of their feasts, and would grant gifts to the poor.
23 Los judíos acordaron continuar con lo que ya habían comenzado a hacer, siguiendo lo que Mardoqueo les había escrito.
And the Jews accepted as a solemn ritual all the things which they had begun to do at that time, which Mordecai had commanded with letters to be done.
24 Porque Amán, hijo de Hamedata, el agagueo, enemigo de todos los judíos, había tramado destruir a los judíos, y había echado “pur” (es decir, una “suerte”) para aplastarlos y destruirlos.
For Haman, the son of Hammedatha of Agag lineage, the enemy and adversary of the Jews, had devised evil against them, to kill them and to destroy them. And he had cast Pur, which in our language means the lot.
25 Pero cuando llegó a conocimiento del rey, éste envió cartas ordenando que el malvado plan que Amán había planeado contra los judíos recayera sobre él, y que él y sus hijos fueran empalados en postes.
And after this, Esther had entered before the king, begging him that his efforts might be made ineffective by the king’s letters, and that the evil he intended against the Jews might return upon his own head. Finally, both he and his sons were fastened to a cross.
26 (Por eso estos días se llaman Purim, de la palabra Pur.) Como resultado de todas las instrucciones de la carta de Mardoqueo, y de lo que habían visto, y de lo que les había sucedido,
And so, from that time, these days are called Purim, that is, of the lots, because Pur, that is, the lot, was cast into the urn. And all things that had been carried out are contained in the volume of this epistle, that is, of this book.
27 los judíos se comprometieron a adoptar la práctica de que ellos y sus descendientes, y todos los que se unieran a ellos, no se olvidaran de celebrar estos dos días tal como se había establecido, y en el momento adecuado cada año.
And whatever they suffered, and whatever was altered afterwards, the Jews received for themselves and their offspring and for all who were willing to be joined to their religion, so that none would be permitted to transgress the solemnity of these two days, to which the writing testifies, and which certain times require, as the years continually succeed one another.
28 Estos días debían ser recordados y celebrados por cada generación, familia, provincia y ciudad, para que estos días de Purim fueran siempre observados entre los judíos y no fueran olvidados por sus descendientes.
These are the days which no one ever will erase into oblivion, and which every province in the whole world, throughout each generation, shall celebrate. Neither is there any city wherein the days of Purim, that is, of lots, may not be observed by the Jews, and by their posterity, which has been obligated to these ceremonies.
29 Entonces la reina Ester, hija de Abihail, escribió una carta, junto con Mardoqueo el judío, dando en su carta plena autoridad a la carta de Mardoqueo sobre Purim.
And Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, also wrote a second letter, so that with all zealousness this day would be confirmed as customary for future generations.
30 También se enviaron cartas expresando paz y tranquilidad a todos los judíos de las 127 provincias del imperio del rey Jerjes.
And they sent to all the Jews, who had been stirred up in the one hundred twenty-seven provinces of king Artaxerxes, that they should have peace and receive truth,
31 Establecieron estos días de Purim en su momento, tal como lo habían ordenado Mardoqueo el judío y la reina Ester, comprometiéndose ellos y sus descendientes a los tiempos de ayuno y luto.
and observe the days of lots, and celebrate them with joy at their proper time, just as Mordecai and Esther had established. And they accepted these to be observed by themselves and by their offspring: fasting, and crying out, and the days of lots,
32 De este modo, el decreto de Ester confirmó estas prácticas relativas a Purim, que se inscribieron en el registro oficial.
and all things which are contained in the history of this book, which is called Esther.
