Ɛster 9
1 Na Adar ɔsram (bɛyɛ Ɔbɛnem) da a ɛto so ason no, wɔde ɔhene no mmara abien no yɛɛ adwuma. Saa da no na Yudafo no atamfo no ani da so sɛ wɔbɛsɛe wɔn, nanso ani danee.
The first law that the king had commanded was to be made effective on March 7th. On that day the enemies of the Jews hoped to get rid of them. But instead, on that same day the Jews defeated their enemies.
2 Yudafo no boaa wɔn ho ano wɔ wɔn nkuropɔn a ɛwɔ ɔhene amantam no mu no nyinaa so, bɔɔ wɔn ho ban de tiaa obiara a ɔpɛ sɛ ɔbɛhaw wɔn no. Nanso obiara antumi ansɔre antia wɔn, efisɛ na obiara suro wɔn.
Throughout the empire, the Jews gathered together in their cities to attack those who wanted to get rid of them. No one could fight against the Jews, because all the other people in the areas where the Jews lived were afraid of them, [so they did not want to help anyone who attacked the Jews].
3 Esiane Mordekai ho hu nti, amantam so asafohene nyinaa, mmapɔmma, amradofo ne ɔhene adwumayɛfo nyinaa boaa Yudafo no.
All the governors and [other] officials and important people in all the provinces helped the Jews, because they were afraid of Mordecai.
4 Efisɛ na wɔama Mordekai panyin wɔ ahemfi hɔ, ama ne din ahyeta amantam no nyinaa mu, bere a na ne tumi nso rekɔ soro.
They were afraid of him because in all the provinces [they knew that] Mordecai was now the king’s most important official, [with the authority that Haman previously had]. Mordecai was becoming more famous because [the king was giving him] more and more power.
5 Yudafo no kunkum wɔn atamfo, sɛee wɔn wɔ afoa ano. Wokunkum wɔn atamfo, tɔree wɔn ase, na wɔyɛɛ wɔn a wɔtan wɔn no nea wɔpɛ biara.
[On March 7th, ] the Jews attacked and killed with their swords all of their enemies. They did whatever they wanted to do, to the people who hated them.
6 Wokunkum nnipa ahannum wɔ Susa aban no mu.
[Just] in Susa alone, the capital city, they killed 500 people.
7 Wɔsan kunkum Parsandata, Dalfon ne Aspata,
Among those whom they killed were the ten sons of Haman. [Their names were] Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,
8 Porata, Adalia, Aridata,
Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
9 Parmasta, Arisai, Aridai ne Waisata
Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha.
10 a, wɔyɛ Hamedata babarima Haman a ɔyɛ Yudafo tamfo no mmabarima du no. Nanso wɔamfa asade biara.
Those were grandsons of Hammedatha and sons of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. The Jews killed them, but they did not take the things that belonged to the people whom they killed.
11 Bere a wɔbɔɔ ɔhene no amanneɛ a ɛfa nnipa dodow a wokum wɔn wɔ Susa aban mu ho anwummere no,
[At the end of] that day someone reported to the king the number of people whom the Jews killed in Susa.
12 ɔma wɔfrɛɛ Ɔhemmea Ɛster, na ɔka kyerɛɛ no se, “Yudafo no akunkum nnipa ahannum wɔ Susa aban mu nko ara ne Haman mmabarima du no. Sɛ wɔayɛ saa wɔ ha de a, ɛno de asɛm bɛn na asi wɔ amantam a aka no mu? Afei, dɛn bio na wohwehwɛ? Wɔde bɛma wo; ka kyerɛ me na mɛyɛ.”
Then the king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed 500 people here in Susa, including the ten sons of Haman! [So I think that] they must have killed many more people in the rest of my empire [RHQ]! [But okay], now what else do you want me to do for you. You tell me, and I will do it.”
13 Na Ɛster kae se, “Ɔhempɔn, sɛ ɛsɔ wʼani a, ma Yudafo a wɔwɔ Susa no kwan na wɔnyɛ nea wɔyɛɛ no nnɛ no bio ɔkyena, na wɔmfa Haman mmabarima du no amu nsensɛn nnua so.”
Esther replied, “If it pleases you, allow the Jews here in Susa to do again tomorrow what [you] commanded [them] to do today. And command that the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows/poles.”
14 Na ɔhene no penee so, na wɔbɔɔ mmara no ho dawuru wɔ Susa. Wɔsan de Haman mmabarima du no amu sensɛn nnua so.
So the king commanded that the Jews be permitted to kill more of their enemies the next day. After he issued [another] order in Susa, the bodies of Haman’s ten sons were hanged.
15 Na Yudafo a wɔwɔ Susa no boaa wɔn ho ano Adar ɔsram (bɛyɛ Ɔbɛnem) da a ɛto so awotwe, na wɔsan kunkum nnipa ahaasa; na bio, wɔamfa asade biara.
On the next day, the Jews in Susa gathered together and killed 300 more people. But [again, ] they did not take the things that belonged to the people whom they killed.
16 Saa bere no na Yudafo nkae a wɔwɔ Ɔhene no amantam mu nyinaa aboa wɔn ho ano, rebɔ wɔn nkwa ho ban. Wokum wɔn atamfo no mpem aduɔson anum, nam so nyaa ɔhome fii wɔn atamfo nsam. Nanso wɔamfa asade biara.
That happened on March 8th. On the following day, the Jews [in Susa] rested and celebrated. In all the other provinces, the Jewish people gathered together to defend themselves, and they killed 75,000 people who hated them, but [again] they did not take the things that belonged to the people whom they killed.
17 Saa ara na wɔyɛɛ wɔ Adar ɔsram no (bɛyɛ Ɔbɛnem) da a ɛto so ason no wɔ amantam no nyinaa mu. Ade kyee no, wɔhomee, didii, gyee wɔn ani wɔ wɔn nkonimdi no ho.
That occurred on March 7th, and on the following day they rested and celebrated.
18 Nanso Yudafo a wɔwɔ Susa no toaa so kunkum wɔn atamfo no da a ɛto so abien no nso, na wɔhomee ne nnansa so de didii, gyee wɔn ani.
After the Jews in Susa gathered together [and killed their enemies] on March 7th and 8th, they rested and celebrated on March 9th.
19 Enti ebesi nnɛ yi, Yudafo a wɔtete nkuraa a wɔntoo afasu mfaa ho no di saa afirihyia dapɔnna yi. Wodi afoofi saa awɔwbere da yi mu, sɛpɛw wɔn ho, de akyɛde mema wɔn ho wɔn ho.
That is why [every year], on March 8th, the Jews who live in villages now celebrate [defeating their enemies]. They have feasts and give gifts [of food] to each other.
20 Mordekai kyerɛw saa nsɛm a esisii yi nyinaa, na wɔde nkrataa kɔmaa Yudafo a wɔbɛn ne wɔn a wɔwɔ akyiri wɔ ɔhene no amantam nyinaa mu,
Mordecai wrote down all the things that had happened. Then he sent letters to the Jews who lived throughout the empire of King Xerxes.
21 hyɛɛ wɔn nkuran sɛ, wonni afirihyia afahyɛ yi wɔ saa nnaanu no mu.
He told them that every year they should celebrate on the 8th and 9th of March,
22 Ɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn se wɔnhyɛ saa nna no ho fa a adidi ne ɔnom ka ho, na wɔmma wɔn ho wɔn ho ne ahiafo akyɛde. Eyi bɛma Yudafo no akae bere a wonyaa ogye fii wɔn atamfo nsam, wɔn awerɛhow dan anigye, na wɔn su bɛyɛɛ ahosɛpɛw no.
because those were the days when the Jews got rid of their enemies. He also told them that they should celebrate on those days by feasting and giving gifts [of food] to each other and to poor people. They would remember it as the month in which they changed from being very sorrowful to being very joyful, from crying to celebrating.
23 Enti Yudafo no faa Mordekai adwenkyerɛ no, fii afirihyia amanne no ase.
So the Jews agreed to do what Mordecai wrote. They agreed to celebrate on those days [every year].
24 Efisɛ na Haman a ɔyɛ Agagni Hamedata babarima, a ɔyɛ Yudafo tamfo no apam sɛ ɔbɛyam wɔn, asɛe wɔn saa da no ne ɔsram a ɔnam ntontobɔ so nyae no. (Na wɔfrɛ saa ntonto no Purim).
They would remember how Haman, son of Hammedatha, a descendant of [King] Agag, became an enemy of all the Jews. [They would remember] how he had made an evil plan to kill the Jews, and that he had (cast lots/thrown small marked stones) to choose the day to kill [DOU] them.
25 Nanso Ɛster baa ɔhene anim no, ɔhyɛɛ mmara, nam so maa Haman adwemmɔne no bɔɔ ne ti so, na wɔsɛn no ne ne mmabarima wɔ nnua so.
[They would remember] that when Esther told the king about Haman’s plan, the king arranged that the evil plan that Haman had made to kill the Jews would fail, and that he [would be killed] instead of the Jews, and that Haman and that his sons were hanged.
26 (Ɛno nti na wɔfrɛ saa afahyɛ no Purim no, efisɛ ɛyɛ tete kasa a ne nkyerɛase ne ntontobɔ.) Esiane Mordekai krataa no ne osuahu a wɔanya no nti,
[Because the (lot/small marked stone) that Haman threw was called] Pur, the Jews called these days Purim. And, because of everything that ([Mordecai] wrote/was written) in that letter, and because of all that happened to them,
27 Yudafo a wɔwɔ ahemman no mu no nyinaa penee so sɛ, wɔbɛhyɛ saa amanne no ho fa, na wɔama wɔn awo ntoatoaso ne wɔn a wɔbɛyɛ Yudafo no nyinaa abɛhyɛ bi. Wɔn nyinaa gye too mu sɛ, saa nnaanu a wɔayi ato hɔ sɛ wɔnhyɛ fa no wɔ afe biara mu no, wɔremma ɛmpa wɔn ti so da.
the Jews [throughout the empire] agreed to celebrate in that manner on those two days every year. They said that they would tell their descendants and those people who became Jews to be certain to celebrate this festival every year. They should celebrate just as [Mordecai] told them to do [in the letter] that he wrote.
28 Wɔbɛkae saa nna yi wɔ awo ntoatoaso nyinaa mu na ɛsɛ sɛ abusua biara a ɛwɔ amantam ne nkuropɔn wɔ ahemman no mu no di. Wɔrennyae saa nna yi di wɔ Yudafo mu, na nsɛm a esii no nso wɔn asefo werɛ remfi da.
They said that they would remember and celebrate on those two days every year, in each family, in every city, and in every province. They solemnly declared that they and their descendants would never stop remembering and celebrating those days called Purim.
29 Na Ɔhemmea Ɛster, Abihail babea no ne Yudani Mordekai kyerɛw krataa foforo a wɔde ɔhemmea no tumi kɛse foaa krataa no so de hyɛɛ Purim afahyɛ no mu den.
Then Mordecai and Queen Esther, who was the daughter of Abihail, wrote a second letter about the Purim feast. Esther used the authority that she had because of being the queen to confirm that what Mordecai had written in the first letter was true.
30 Ɛno akyi no, wɔsoma ma wɔde nkrataa a wɔde bɛma asomdwoe ne bammɔ aba, kɔɔ Yudafo a wɔwɔ amantam ɔha ne aduonu ason no a ɛwɔ Ahasweros ahemman mu no nyinaa so.
What they wrote [in the second letter] was, “We wish that all of you will be living peacefully and safely/righteously. We want you and your descendants to celebrate Purim each year on the days that we two established, and to do the things that we two told you to do.” In that letter, Queen Esther and Mordecai also gave them instructions about (fasting/abstaining from eating food) and being sorrowful. Then copies of that letter were sent to all the Jews who were living in the 127 provinces of the empire.
31 Saa nkrataa yi ma Purim Afahyɛ a ɛyɛ afirihyiade a wodi no nnɛ yi ara no timii. Yudani Mordekai ne Ɔhemmea Ɛster na wɔhyɛɛ mmara no. (Nnipa no yɛɛ wɔn adwene sɛ wɔbɛhyɛ saa fa yi, sɛnea wɔasi no gyinae ama wɔn ho ne wɔn asefo no, de ama mmuadadi ne agyaadwotwa mmere no atim.)
32 Enti Ɛster mmara no sii Purim ho nhyehyɛe so dua, na wɔkyerɛw ne nyinaa guu nhoma mu.
The letter that Esther wrote about the manner in which they should celebrate the Purim feast was also written in an official record.
