Ɛster 2
1 Ɔhene Ahasweros bo tɔɔ ne yam akyi yi no, ofii ase dwenee nea Wasti ayɛ ne mmara a wɔahyɛ no ho.
Some time later, when the anger of King Xerxes had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done, and what had been decreed against her.
2 Na nʼasomfo susuw ho kyerɛɛ no se, “Ma yenwurawura ahemman yi mu, na yɛmpɛ mmabun ahoɔfɛfo mfa wɔn mmrɛ ɔhene.
Then the king’s attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king,
3 Ɔhene nyi ananmusifo bi wɔ ɔmantam biara mu, na wɔmfa mmea ahoɔfɛfo yi mmra ɔhene yerenom atenae wɔ Susa. Hegai a ɔyɛ piamni no na ɔbɛhwɛ wɔn so, ama wɔn ahosiesie nnuru.
and let the king appoint commissioners in each province of his kingdom to assemble all the beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the women, and let them be given beauty treatments.
4 Ɛno akyi no, ababaa a ɔsɔ wʼani yiye no na wobesi no ɔhemmea, asi Wasti anan mu.” Saa afotu yi sɔɔ ɔhene no ani yiye, enti ɔyɛɛ saa ntɛm so.
Then let the young woman who pleases the king become queen in place of Vashti.” This suggestion pleased the king, and he acted accordingly.
5 Na Yudani bi a ɔyɛ Yair babarima a ne din de Mordekai te Susa aban no mu. Na ofi Benyamin abusuakuw mu. Na ɔyɛ Kis ne Simei aseni.
Now there was at the citadel of Susa a Jewish man from the tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish.
6 Ɔhene Nebukadnessar na otwaa nʼabusuafo ne Yudahene Yekonia ne afoforo bi asu fii Yerusalem kɔɔ Babilonia.
He had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon among those taken captive with Jeconiah king of Judah.
7 Na saa ɔbarima yi wɔ onua hoɔfɛfo bi a ne din de Hadasa a na wɔsan frɛ no Ɛster. Bere a nʼagya ne ne na wuwui no, Mordekai faa no kaa nʼabusua ho, tetew no sɛ nʼankasa babea.
And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah (that is, Esther), the daughter of his uncle, because she did not have a father or mother. The young woman was lovely in form and appearance, and when her father and mother had died, Mordecai had taken her in as his own daughter.
8 Ɔhene no mmara a ɔhyɛe no nti, wɔde Ɛster ne mmabaa bebree baa ɔhene yerenom atenae wɔ Susa aban no mu, de wɔn hyɛɛ Hegai nsa.
When the king’s command and edict had been proclaimed, many young women gathered at the citadel of Susa under the care of Hegai. Esther was also taken to the palace and placed under the care of Hegai, the custodian of the women.
9 Hegai ani gyee Ɛster ho yiye, maa ɔhwɛɛ no yiye. Ntɛm ara, ɔma wɔmaa no aduan sononko, na ɔmaa no ahosiesie nnuru kaa ho. Ɔsan de mfenaa baason a oyii wɔn fii ahemfi hɔ no maa no, na ɔde ɔno ne mfenaa no kɔtenaa nea ɛhɔ ye pa ara wɔ mmea atenae hɔ.
And the young woman pleased him and obtained his favor, so he quickly provided her with beauty treatments and the special diet. He assigned to her seven select maidservants from the palace and transferred her with them to the best place in the harem.
10 Ɛster anka ne man a ofi mu ne nʼabusua a ɔbɔ ankyerɛ obiara, efisɛ na Mordekai abɔ nʼano sɛ ɔnnkyerɛ.
Esther did not reveal her people or her lineage, because Mordecai had instructed her not to do so.
11 Da biara Mordekai kɔnantew fa ahemfi no adiwo hɔ, bisa Ɛster ase sɛ ne ho te dɛn.
And every day Mordecai would walk back and forth in front of the court of the harem to learn about Esther’s welfare and what was happening to her.
12 Ansa na wɔde ababaa biara bɛkɔ ɔhene nkyɛn no, wɔma ɔde ahoɔfɛ nnuru yɛ ne ho afe baako. Wɔde kurobow ngo yɛ ne ho asram asia na ɛno akyi no wɔde aduhuam ne nkum sononko bi ayɛ ne ho asram asia.
In the twelve months before her turn to go to King Xerxes, the harem regulation required each young woman to receive beauty treatments with oil of myrrh for six months, and then with perfumes and cosmetics for another six months.
13 Na sɛ edu bere a ɛsɛ sɛ ɔkɔ ɔhene nkyɛn a wɔma no kwan ma ɔfa atade anaa agude a ɔpɛ sɛ ɔde siesie ne ho, na ama nʼahoɔfɛ no adi mu.
When the young woman would go to the king, she was given whatever she requested to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace.
14 Anwummere no, wɔde no kɔ ɔhene dabekyire, na ade kye a, wɔde no akɔ baabi a ɔhene yerenom te no. Ɛhɔ na ɔhene piamni foforo bi a wɔfrɛ no Saasgas na bɛhwɛ no so. Na ɛhɔ na ɔbɛtena a ɔrenkɔ ɔhene no nkyɛn gye sɛ ɔhene no ani gye ne ho ansa na wabɔ ne din afrɛ no.
She would go there in the evening, and in the morning she would return to a second harem under the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he delighted in her and summoned her by name.
15 Na eduu Ɛster a ɔyɛ Abihail ba no so no, wammisa hwee gye sɛ nea Hegai a ɔyɛ ɔhene piamni a ɔhwɛ mmea no so no tuu no fo wɔ ho no (Mordekai nua ne Abihail, na Mordekai nso ha ɔhwɛɛ Ɛster).
Now Esther was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle from whom Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter. And when it was her turn to go to the king, she did not ask for anything except what Hegai, the king’s trusted official in charge of the harem, had advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of everyone who saw her.
16 Bere a wɔde Ɛster kɔmaa ɔhene Ahasweros wɔ ahemfi hɔ Tebet ɔsram (bɛyɛ Ɔpɛpɔn) mu a na ɛyɛ nʼadedi mfe ason so no,
She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 ɔhene no dɔɔ no sen mmabun a wɔaka no nyinaa. Nʼani gyee ne ho ara kosii sɛ, ɔhyɛɛ no ahenkyɛw, pagyaw no sɛ ɔhemmea, sii Wasti anan mu.
And the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she found grace and favor in his sight more than all of the other virgins. So he placed the royal crown upon her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.
18 Ahemmeasi no mu no, ɔtoo pon maa ne mmapɔmma ne asomfo nyinaa de hyɛɛ Ɛster anuonyam. Ɔmaa obiara akyɛde bebree, na ɔyɛɛ no afoofida wɔ amantam no nyinaa so.
Then the king held a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his officials and servants. He proclaimed a tax holiday in the provinces and gave gifts worthy of the king’s bounty.
19 Mpo, bere a wɔde mmabaa no nyinaa kɔɔ mmea atenae a ɛto so abien no mu no, na Mordekai nso abɛyɛ ɔpanyin wɔ ahemfi hɔ no,
When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.
20 Ɛster ankyerɛ baabi a ofi ne abusua a ɔbɔ da. Ɔkɔɔ so dii Mordekai afotu no so sɛnea ɔyɛe bere a na ɔne no te no.
Esther still had not revealed her lineage or her people, just as Mordecai had instructed. She obeyed Mordecai’s command, as she had done under his care.
21 Da koro bi a Mordekai wɔ adwuma mu wɔ ahemfi no, ɔhene no piamfo baanu a wɔn din de Bigtan ne Teres a na wɔyɛ ɔhene no kokoamfi no pon ano awɛmfo no bo fuw ɔhene Ahasweros, na wɔpam ne ti so sɛ wobekum no.
In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the entrance, grew angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.
22 Mordekai tee pɔwbɔ no, ɔbɔɔ ɔhemmea Ɛster amanneɛ. Ɔno nso ka kyerɛɛ ɔhene no, na ɔmaa Mordekai mo sɛ ɔbɛkaa asɛm no.
When Mordecai learned of the plot, he reported it to Queen Esther, and she informed the king on Mordecai’s behalf.
23 Wɔkɔɔ asɛm no mu, huu sɛ asɛm a Mordekai bɛkae no yɛ nokware no, wɔsɛn mmarima baanu no wɔ dua so. Wɔkyerɛw eyi nyinaa hyɛɛ ɔhene Ahasweros adedi abakɔsɛm nhoma mu.
After the report had been investigated and verified, both officials were hanged on the gallows. And all this was recorded in the Book of the Chronicles in the presence of the king.
