< Esta 3 >
1 Baada ya mambo haya, Mfalme Ahusiero alimpandisha cheo Hamani mwana wa Hammedatha mwagagi, na akaweka kiti chake cha ukuu juu ya wakuu wote waliokuwa pamoja naye.
Some time later, King Xerxes (promoted/gave his most important job/work to) Haman, the son of Hammedatha, who was a descendant of [King] Agag. Haman became more important than all his other officials. [Only the king was more important.]
2 Na watumishi wote wa mfalme waliokuwa katika lango la mfalme walipaswa kupiga magoti na kusujudia Hamani, kama mfalme alivyoagiza. Lakini Modekai hakupiga magoti wala kusujudu mbele ya Hamani.
Then the king commanded that all the other officials had to bow down in front of Haman to honor him [when he walked by]. But Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman.
3 Kisha watumishi wa mfalme waliokuwa langoni mwa mfalme walimwambia Modekai, kwa nini hautii amri ya mfalme?
The [other] officials [saw that, and they] asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey what the king commanded?”
4 Walisema naye siku kwa siku, lakini alikataa kufuata matakwa yao. Hivyo wakaongea na Hamani kuona kama swala la Modekai lingebaki hivyo alikuwa amewataarifu kuwa Modekai alikuwa Muyahudi.
Mordecai told them that he was a Jew, [and that Jews would bow down only to God]. Day after day the other officials spoke to Mordecai about that, but he still refused to obey. So they told Haman about it, to see if Haman would tolerate it.
5 Hamani alipoona kuwa Modekai hapigi magoti wala kumsujudia, alipatwa na hasira.
When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down to him, he became extremely angry.
6 Alikuwa na wazo la kumuua Modekai, watumishi wa mfalme walikuwa wamemueleza kuwa Modekai na jamaa zake walikuwa Wayahudi. Hamani akaazimu kuwaangamiza Wayahudi wote, watu wa Modekai, ambao walikuwa katika ufalme wa Ahusiero.
[After he found out that Mordecai was a Jew, ] he decided that it would not be enough to get rid of only Mordecai. He decided to kill all the Jews in all the area that Xerxes ruled.
7 Katika mwezi wa kwanza, (ambao ni mwezi wa Nisani) ndani ya mwaka wa kumi na mbili wa Mfalme Ahusiero, walipiga kura mbele ya Hamani kura kila siku na mwezi, kuchagua siku na mwezi hadi walipochagua mwezi wa kumi na mbili, (mwezi wa Adari.
So, during the twelfth year that Xerxes was ruling, during the month of April, [Haman told his advisors to] (cast lots/throw small marked stones) to determine the best month and the best day to kill the Jews. Haman’s advisors did that, and the day that was selected was March 7th [during the following/next year].
8 Kisha Hamani akamwambia mfalme Ahusiro, “kuna watu fulani katika majimbo yote ya ufalme wako wasiofuata sheria zako. Na kwa tabia yao ya kutofuata sheria zako hawapasi kuendelea kuwa hai.
Then Haman [went to] the king [and] said to [him], “[Your majesty, ] there is a certain group of people who live in many areas [of your empire] whose customs are different from ours. They even refuse to obey your laws. So it would be good for you to get rid of them.
9 Kama ikimpendeza mfalme, toa amri watu hawa wote wakatiliwe mbali, nami nitapima talanta elfu kumi za fedha katika mikono ya wale ambao ni wasimamizi wa maswala ya mfalme, ili kwamba waweke katika hazina ya mfalme.”
If it pleases you, command that they should all be killed. [If you do that, ] I will give (375 tons/750,000 pounds) of silver to your administrators so that you can use it for your government.”
10 Ndipo mfamle akavua pete yake ya muhuri na kumpa Hamani, adui wa Wayahudi.
The king liked [what Haman said, so, and to confirm what he decided], he gave the ring that had his official seal on it to Haman, who now hated the Jews.
11 Mfalme akamwambia Hamani, “Nitahakikisha kwamba fedha inarudi kwako na kwa watu wako. Ili muitumie kama mpendavyo.”
The king told Haman, “Keep your money, but do what you want to with those people [whom you talked about]!”
12 Kisha waandishi wa mfalme walikusanyika katika siku ya kumi na tatu ya mwezi wa kwanza, na mbiu iliyokuwa na matakwa ya Hamani yalikuwa yameandikwa na kupelekwa kwa wasimamizi wa majimbo, na wale wote waliokuwa juu ya wasimamizi wa majimbo yote, na wasimamizi wa watu, na kwa kila jimbo kwa andiko lao, na kila watu na lugha yao. Mbiu hii ilikuwa imeandikwa kwa jina la mfalme Ahusiero na kupigwa muhuri wa pete yake.
On April 17th Haman summoned the king’s secretaries, and he dictated a letter to them that they [translated and] wrote to all the governors and administrators and other officials in all the provinces. They wrote copies of the letter in every language and every kind of writing/alphabet that was used in the empire. They wrote that all the Jews, [including] young people and old people, women and children, had to be killed on one day. That day was March 7th of the following year. They also wrote that [those who killed the Jews] could take everything that belonged to the Jews. [They signed] the king’s name [at the end of] the letters. Then they sealed the letters [with wax, and stamped the wax by] using the king’s ring. Then they sent the letters swiftly to every province in the empire,
13 Barua hizi za kutaka kuwakatilia mbali Wayahudi wote zilizambazwa katika majimbo yote ya Mfalme Ahusiero, kuangamiza, kuua na kuwaharibu Wayahudi wote, tangu mdogo hadi mkubwa, watoto na wanawake, ndani ya siku moja katika siku ya kumi na tatu ya mwezi wa kumi na mbili (ambao ni mwezi wa Adari) na kuteka mali zo.
14 Nakala ya ilifanywa kuwa sheria na kupelekwa kila jimbo. Taarifa juu ya maangamizi ya Wayahudi ilienea katika kila jimbo kwamba watu wote wajiandae katika siku hiyo.
The king [also commanded that] copies of these letters should be [nailed up] where [all the people] could see them, in every province, so that the people would be ready to do on the day the king had set [what was written in the letter].
15 Wasambazajia walisambaza agizo la mfalme. Tangazo hili pioa lilitolewa na kusambazwa katika mji wa Shushani. Mfalme alikuwa na Hamani walikaa na kunywa, lakini mji wa Shushani, lakini mjiwa Shushani ulikuwa katika uangamivu.
Then, according to what the king commanded, men [riding horses] took those letters quickly to every province [in the empire]. And one of the letters was read [aloud to the people] in the capital city, Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down and drank [wine], but the people in Susa were very perplexed [about why this was going to happen].