< Esta 8 >

1 Siku ile ile Mfalme Ahasuero akampa Malkia Esta shamba la Hamani, adui wa Wayahudi. Naye Mordekai akaja mbele ya mfalme, kwa kuwa Esta alikuwa amesema jinsi anavyohusiana naye.
[Later] on that same day, King Xerxes declared that everything that Haman, the enemy of the Jews, owned, would now belong to Queen Esther. Esther told the king that Mordecai was her cousin. [When] the king [heard that, he sent a message to tell] Mordecai to come in.
2 Mfalme akaivua pete yake ya muhuri, ambayo alikuwa amemnyangʼanya Hamani, akampa Mordekai, naye Esta akamweka Mordekai juu ya shamba la Hamani.
When Mordecai came in, the king took off the ring that had his official seal on it, the ring that he had [previously] given to Haman, and gave it to Mordecai, [to indicate that Mordecai was now his most important official]. And Esther appointed Mordecai to be in charge of everything that had belonged to Haman.
3 Esta alimsihi tena mfalme, akianguka miguuni pake na kulia. Akamwomba akomeshe mpango mwovu wa Hamani Mwagagi ambao alikuwa ameupanga dhidi ya Wayahudi.
Esther again [came to] talk to the king. She prostrated herself at his feet, crying. She [wanted to] plead for him to stop what Haman had planned, to kill all the Jews.
4 Kisha mfalme alimnyooshea Esta fimbo yake ya utawala ya dhahabu naye aliinuka na kusimama mbele yake.
The king held out his gold scepter/staff toward Esther, so Esther arose and stood in front of him.
5 Esta akasema, “Kama ikimpendeza mfalme, nami kama nikipata kibali naye akiona ni jambo lililo sawa kunitendea na kama akipendezwa nami, basi iandikwe amri ya kuzitangua barua zile Hamani mwana wa Hamedatha, Mwagagi, alizotunga na kuandika kuangamiza Wayahudi katika majimbo yote ya mfalme.
She said, “Your majesty, if you are pleased with me, and if you think that it is the right thing to do, make a new law to cancel what Haman decreed, that all the Jews in all the provinces in your empire should be killed.
6 Kwa maana nitawezaje kuvumilia kuona maafa yakiwapata watu wangu? Nitawezaje kuvumilia kuona maangamizi ya jamaa yangu?”
I cannot bear seeing all my family and [all the rest of] my people killed.”
7 Mfalme Ahasuero akawajibu Malkia Esta na Mordekai Myahudi, “Kwa sababu Hamani aliwashambulia Wayahudi, nimetoa shamba la Hamani kwa Esta, naye ameangikwa kwenye mti wa kunyongea.
King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and Mordecai, “Because Haman tried to get rid of all the Jews, I have given to Esther everything that belonged to Haman, and I have ordered [my soldiers] to hang Haman.
8 Basi andika amri nyingine kwa jina la mfalme kwa ajili ya Wayahudi kama unavyoona vyema, kisha uifunge kwa kutia muhuri kwa pete ya mfalme kwa kuwa hakuna andiko lililoandikwa kwa jina la mfalme na kutiwa muhuri kwa pete ya mfalme linaloweza kutanguliwa.”
So now I am also permitting you to write other letters, to [save] your people. You may put my name [on the letters], and use my ring to seal them because no letter that has my name on it and which is sealed with my ring can ever be changed.”
9 Mara moja waandishi wa mfalme wakaitwa kwenye siku ya ishirini na tatu, mwezi wa tatu, ndio mwezi wa Siwani. Wakaandika yote Mordekai aliyoamuru kwa Wayahudi, kwa majemadari, watawala na wakuu wa majimbo 127 kuanzia Bara Hindi mpaka Kushi. Maagizo haya yaliandikwa kwa maandishi ya kila jimbo na kwa lugha ya kila mtu pia kwa Wayahudi kwa maandishi yao wenyewe na lugha yao.
Then the king summoned his secretaries, on June 25th, and [Mordecai told them to] write letters to the Jews and to all the governors and other officials in all of the 127 provinces, which extended from India [in the east] to Ethiopia [in the west]. They wrote these letters in all the languages that the people in each area spoke. They also wrote letters to the Jewish people, in their language.
10 Mordekai aliandika nyaraka kwa jina la Mfalme Ahasuero, akazitia muhuri kwa pete ya mfalme na kuzipeleka kwa njia ya matarishi, ambao waliendesha farasi waendao kasi waliozalishwa maalum kwa ajili ya mfalme.
They wrote in those letters that the Jews in every city were permitted by the king to gather together to protect themselves. They also were permitted to kill any group of soldiers who attacked them. They were also permitted to kill the women and children of those who attacked them, and to take the possessions of the people whom they killed.
11 Waraka wa mfalme uliwaruhusu Wayahudi katika kila mji kuwa na haki ya kukusanyika na kujilinda wenyewe; kuharibu, kuua na kuangamiza jeshi lolote, taifa lolote au jimbo lile litakalowashambulia wao, wake zao, watoto wao na kuteka mali za adui zao.
12 Siku ambayo iliwekwa kwa Wayahudi kufanya hili katika majimbo yote ya Mfalme Ahasuero ilikuwa siku ya kumi na tatu ya mwezi wa kumi na mbili, yaani mwezi wa Adari.
[All this was to be done] on March 7th of the following year. Mordecai signed the king’s name on the letters, and sealed them with the seal that was on the king’s ring. Then he gave them to messengers, who rode on fast horses that had been raised especially for the king.
13 Nakala ya tangazo ilikuwa itolewe kama sheria katika kila jimbo na iweze kujulikana kwa watu wa kila taifa, ili kwamba Wayahudi wawe tayari siku hiyo kulipiza kisasi kwa adui zao.
Copies of this law were to be nailed to posts in every province and read to all the people, in order that the Jews would be ready to (get revenge on/fight against) their enemies on March 7th.
14 Matarishi, wakiwa wamepanda farasi wa kifalme, walitoka mbio wakichochewa na agizo la mfalme. Tangazo lilitolewa pia katika ngome ya mji wa Shushani.
The king commanded the men who took these letters [to all the provinces] to ride quickly on the king’s horses. And copies of the letter were also posted and read to the people in [the capital city, ] Susa.
15 Mordekai akaondoka mbele ya mfalme akiwa amevaa mavazi ya kifalme ya buluu na nyeupe, taji kubwa la dhahabu na joho la zambarau la kitani safi. Na mji wa Shushani ukasherehekea kwa furaha.
Before Mordecai left the palace, he put on the blue and white robe and a large gold crown that the king had given him. He also put on a coat made of fine purple cloth. When the people in Susa heard the new law, they all shouted and cheered.
16 Kwa maana kwa Wayahudi ulikuwa wakati wa raha na furaha, shangwe na heshima.
The Jews in Susa were very happy, and [other people] honored [them].
17 Katika kila jimbo na katika kila jiji, popote waraka wa mfalme ulipofika, kulikuwepo furaha na shangwe miongoni mwa Wayahudi, pamoja na karamu na kushangilia. Na watu wengi wa mataifa mengine wakajifanya Wayahudi kwa sababu ya kuwahofu Wayahudi.
And when the new law arrived in every city and province, the Jews there celebrated and prepared feasts and were very joyful. And many men throughout the empire [were circumcised and] became Jews, because they were now afraid of [what] the Jews [would do to them if they were not Jews].

< Esta 8 >