Ester 2
1 Pagkatapos ng mga bagay na ito, nang humupa ang galit ni Haring Assuero, naisip niya si Vashti at kung ano ang ginawa niya. Inisip din niya ang tungkol sa kautusang ginawa niya laban kay Vashti.
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 Pagkatapos ay sinabi ng mga binatang tauhan ng Hari na naglilingkod sa kanya, “Hayaang magsagawa ng paghahanap sa ngalan ng hari para sa mga magagandang dalagang birhen
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 Hayaang humirang ang hari ng mga opisyal sa lahat ng mga lalawigan ng kanyang kaharian, upang pagsama-samahin ang lahat ng magagandang mga dalagang birhen sa harem sa palasyo ng Susa. Hayaan silang mailagay sa ilalim ng pangangalaga ni Hegai, ang opisyal ng hari, na siyang namamahala sa mga babae, at hayaang ibigay niya ang kanilang mga pampaganda.
[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 Hayaan ang sinumang dalagang babaeng makalugod sa hari na maging reyna kapalit ni Vashti.” Naibigan ng hari ang payong ito at ginawa niya ito.
Then the woman who pleases you most can become queen instead of Vashti.” The king liked what they suggested, so he did it.
5 Mayroong isang Judio na nakatira sa siyudad ng Susa na nagngangalang Mordecai, anak na lalaki ni Jair na apo ni Simei na anak na lalaki ni Kis na lipi ni Benjamin.
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 Kinuha siya palayo mula sa Jerusalem kasama ng mga tinapon pati na mga dinakip na kasama ni Jehoiakin, hari ng Juda, na tinangay ni Nebuchadezzar na hari ng Babilonia.
[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 Siya ang nag-aalaga kay Hadasa, iyon ay, si Esther, ang anak na babae ng kanyang tiyo, sapagkat wala na siyang ama o ina. Ang dalaga ay may magandang hugis at kaibig-ibig ang panlabas na anyo. Inaruga siya ni Mordecai na parang sariling anak.
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 Nang pinahayag ang utos at batas ng hari, maraming dalaga ang dinala sa palasyo ng Susa. Sila ay inilagay sa ilalim ng pangangalaga ni Hegai. Dinala rin si Esther papuntang palasyo ng hari at inilagay sa ilalim ng pangangalaga ni Hegai, ang siyang tagapangasiwa sa mga dalaga.
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 Ang dalaga ay nakapag-bigay lugod sa kanya, at nakuha niya ang pabor nito. Agad niya itong binigyan ng mga pampaganda at bahagi ng pagkain niya. Itinalaga niya sa kanya ang pitong aliping babae mula sa palasyo ng hari, at siya at mga aliping babae ay inilipat niya sa pinakamagandang lugar sa bahay ng mga kababaihan.
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 Walang sinumang sinabihan si Esther kung sino ang kanyang lahi o mga kamag-anak, sapagkat sinabihan siya ni Mordecai na huwag sabihin.
Esther did not tell anyone that she was a Jew, because Mordecai had told her not to tell anyone.
11 Araw-araw naglalakad si Mordecai papunta at pabalik sa harapan ng patyo sa labas ng bahay ng mga kababaihan, upang malaman ang tungkol sa kapakanan ni Esther, at tungkol sa kung ano ang gagawin sa kanya.
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 Nang dumating ang pagkakataon para sa bawat dalaga upang pumunta kay Haring Assuero—sa pagsunod ng mga alintuntunin para sa mga babae, ang bawat babae ay kinakailangang tapusin ang labindalawang buwan ng pagpapaganda, anim na buwan na may langis ng mira, at anim na may pabango at pampaganda —
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 Kapag ang dalaga ay pumunta sa hari, anuman ang kagustuhan nito ay ibinibigay sa kanya mula sa bahay ng mga kababaihan, para madala niya sa palasyo.
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 Sa gabi siya ay papasok, at sa umaga siya ay babalik sa ikalawang tahanan ng mga babae, at sa pangangalaga ni Saasgaz, ang opisyal ng hari, na siyang namamahala sa ibang mga asawa. Hindi na siya muling makakabalik sa hari maliban na lamang kung siya ay malugod sa kanya at ipatawag siyang muli.
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 Ngayon nang dumating ang panahon para kay Esther (anak na babae ni Abihail, ang tiyo ni Mordecai, na siyang kumuha sa kanya bilang sariling anak) na pumunta sa hari, hindi siya humingi ng anumang bagay subalit kung ano ang iminungkahi ni Hegai na namamahala sa mga babae. Ngayon naibigan si Esther ng sinumang makakita sa kanya.
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 Dinala si Esther kay Haring Asssuero sa maharlikang tirahan sa ika-sampung buwan, ang buwan ng Tebeth, sa ikapitong taon ng kanyang pamumuno.
17 Higit na minamahal ng hari si Esther sa lahat ng mga babae, nakuha nito ang pabor at kabaitan sa harapan niya, higit sa lahat ng ibang mga birhen, kaya ipinatong niya ang maharlikang korona sa ulo nito at ginawa siyang reyna sa halip na si Vasthi.
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 Nagbigay ang hari ng isang malaking handaan para sa lahat ng mga opisyal at mga alipin niya, “Handaan ni Esther,” at nagbigay siya ng kaluwagan mula sa pagbubuwis sa mga lalawigan. Nagbigay rin siya ng mga regalo na may pangmaharlikang pagkabukas-palad.
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 Nang tipunin ang mga birhen sa ikalawang pagkakataon, si Mordecai ay naka-upo sa tarangkahan ng Hari.
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 Hindi pa sinabi ni Esther ang tungkol sa kanyang mga kamag-anak o kanyang lahi, tulad ng tagubilin ni Mordecai sa kanya. Patuloy niyang sinunod ang payo ni Mordecai tulad ng ginawa niya nang pinapalaki siya nito.
But Esther still did not tell anyone that she was a Jew. She continued to do what Mordecai had told her to do.
21 Sa panahong iyon, habang si Mordecai ay nakaupo sa tarangkahan ng hari, dalawa sa mga opisyal ng hari na sina Bigtan at Teres, na nagbabantay sa daanan ng pintuan, ay nagalit at naghanap ng paraan para gumawa ng masama kay Haring Assuero.
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 Nang mapag-alaman ni Mordecai ang bagay na ito, sinabihan niya si Reyna Esther, at kinausap ni Esther ang hari sa ngalan ni Mordecai.
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 Ang ulat ay siniyasat at napatunayan, kaya binitay ang dalawang lalaki sa bitayan. Isinulat ang pangyayaring ito sa Aklat ng mga Alaala sa presensya ng hari.
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’.
