Esta 2
1 Baada ya mambo haya na baada ya hasira ya mfalme Ahusiero kutulia, alifikiri kuhusu Malkia Vashiti na alichokuwa amekifanya na tangazo alilokuwa ameamuru litolewe ya Vashiti kupoteza sifa za kuwa malkia.
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 Kisha vijana waliomtumikia mfalme wakasema, mfalme atafutiwemabikira warembo.
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 Mfalme na achague wasimamizi katika majimbo yote ya ufalme wake, ili wawakusanye mabikira warembo wote harem katika ikulu ya Susa. Mabikira hawa wawe chini ya usimamizi wa Hegai, msimamizi, ambaye ni mkuu wa wanawake, na wapewe vipodozi vyao vyote.
[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 Na binti yule atakaye mfurahisha mfalme ndiye atakaye kuwa Malkia badala ya Vashiti.” Mfalme alupenda ushauri na akafanya kama alivoshauriwa,
Then the woman who pleases you most can become queen instead of Vashti.” The king liked what they suggested, so he did it.
5 Katika mji wa Shushani alikuwepo Myahudi aliyeitwa Modekai mwana wa Jaira mwana wa Shimei mwana wa Kishi, aliye kuwa wa kabila la Benjamini.
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 Yeye ni miongoni mwa Wayahudi waliochukuliwa pamoja na Yekonia, mfalme wa Yuda kutoka Yerusalemu na kupelekwa uhamishoni na mfalme Nebukadreza.
[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 Modekai alikuwa akimlea, Hadasa, yaani Esta, binti wa mjomba wake kwa sababu hakuwa na wazaai wake wote wawili. Modekai alimchukuwa kama binti yake. Esta alikuwa na umbo zuri na uso wa kupendeza.
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 Wasichana wengi waliletwa ikulu Shushani, baada ya tangazo na amri ya mfalme kutolewa. Waliwekwa chini ya usimamizi wa Hegai. Esta naye alikuwa ni miongoni mwa wasichana walioletwa na kuwekwa chini ya usimamizi wa Hegai, mwangalizi wa wanawake.
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 Esta alimfurahisha, na akapata kibali mbele ya Hegai. Akampa vipodozi na sehemu ya chakula. Akampa wahudumu wa kike saba kutoka katika ikulu ya mfalme, na akampeleka na wahudumu wa kike katika sehemu bora katika nyumba ya wanawake.
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 Esta hakuwa amemweleza mtu yeyote kuhusu jamaa zake kwa sababu Modekai alikuwa amemzuia.
Esther did not tell anyone that she was a Jew, because Mordecai had told her not to tell anyone.
11 kila siku Modekai alienda na kurudi mbele nje ya ua wa nyumba ya wanawake, ili kwamba asikie kuhusu mambo ya Esta na atakachofanyiwa.
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 Zamu ilipofika ya kila msichana kwenda kwa mfalme Ahusero kwa kufuata maelekezo kwa wanawake, kila msichana alitakiwa kumaliza miezi kumi na miwili ya urembo, miezi sita ya mafuta ya manemane na miezi sita ya vipodozi.
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 wakati msichana alipoenda kwa mfalme, alipewa chochote alichotamani kutoka katika nyumba ya wanawake ili aende nacho katika nyuma ya mfalme.
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 Msichana alipaswa kwenda wakati wa usiku na kurudi katika nyumba ya wanawake, na kwa msimamizi Shaashigazi, msimamizi wa mfalme, ambaye alikuwa mwenye kuwalinda masulia. Msichana hakuruhusiwa kwenda tena kwa mfalme isipokuwa amemfurahiha mfalme na mfalme akaamuru arudi tena.
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 Zamu ya Esta ilipotimia( mwana wa Abihaili, mjomba wa Modekai alikuw amemchukua kama kama binti yake) kwenda mbele ya mfalme, hakutaka kitu chochote isipokuwa vile ambavyo Hegai, msimamizi wa wanawake alimtaka avichukue.
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 Esta akapata kibali mbele ya kila aliyemwona. Esta akapelekwa kwa Mfalme Ahusiero katika makazi ya kifalme mwezi wa kumi, ambao ni mwezi wa Tabeti, katika mwaka wa saba wa utawala wake.
17 Mfalme alimpenda Esta zaidi kuliko wanawake wengine, na alipata kibali kuliko na wema mbele zake zaidi kuliko mabikira wengine na hivyo mfalme akamvika taji ya kimalkia badala ya Vashiti.
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 mfalme akawafanyia karamu kubwa wasimamizi na wahudumu wake wote, karamu ya Esta na akawapa unafuu wa kodi katika majimbo. Pia akawapa zawadi kwa ukarimu.
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 Modekai alikuwa ameketi katika lango la mfalme wakati mabikira walipokuwa wamekusanyika kwa mara ya pili.
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 Esta alifuata ushauri Modekai ya kutomwambia mtu yeyote kuhusu jamaa zake. aliendelea kufuata ushauri wa Modekai kama alivyofanya alipokuwa mdogo.
But Esther still did not tell anyone that she was a Jew. She continued to do what Mordecai had told her to do.
21 katika siku hizo ambazo Modekai alikuwa ameketi getini kwa mfalme, Bighani na Tereshi, wasimamizi wa mfalme walio linda lando, walikasirika na wakatafuta kumuua mfalme Ahusiero.
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 Jambo lilipowekwa wazi kwa Modekai, alimtaarifu Malkia Esta na Esta akamweleza kile achoelezwa na Modekai.
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 Habari hii ilipepelelezwa na kuonekana kuwa kweli na wanaume wawili walinyongwa juu ya mti. Na habari hii ikaandikwa katika kitabu cha taarifa mbele ya mfalme.
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’.
