Ɛster 1
1 Saa asɛm yi sii ɔhene Ahasweros a ɔdii amantam ɔha aduonu nson so, firi India kɔsi Etiopia no ɛberɛ so.
And it cometh to pass, in the days of Ahasuerus — he [is] Ahasuerus who is reigning from Hodu even unto Cush, seven and twenty and a hundred provinces —
2 Saa ɛberɛ no na ɔte ahennwa so wɔ Susa aban mu de di nʼahemman no so.
in those days, at the sitting of the king Ahasuerus on the throne of his kingdom, that [is] in Shushan the palace,
3 Nʼahennie mfeɛ mmiɛnsa so no, ɔtoo ɛpono kɛseɛ maa nʼahenemma ne ne mpanimfoɔ. Ɔtoo nsa frɛɛ asraafoɔ mpanimfoɔ a wɔwɔ Media ne Persia nyinaa ne atitire ne amantam mu mpanimfoɔ.
in the third year of his reign, he hath made a banquet to all his heads and his servants; of the force of Persia and Media, the chiefs and heads of the provinces [are] before him,
4 Afahyɛ no dii abosome nsia, na ɔdaa nʼahemman mu sika pepe ne emu animuonyam adi.
in his shewing the wealth of the honour of his kingdom, and the glory of the beauty of his greatness, many days — eighty and a hundred days.
5 Yei nyinaa twaam no, ɔhene no too ɛpono sononko bi maa ahemfie hɔ asomfoɔ ne mpanimfoɔ nyinaa, ɛfiri ɔkɛseɛ so de kɔsi ɔketewa so. Ɛdii nnanson, na wɔyɛɛ no wɔ Susa ahemfie adihɔ turo mu.
And at the fulness of these days hath the king made to all the people who are found in Shushan the palace, from great even unto small, a banquet, seven days, in the court of the garden of the house of the king —
6 Wɔde ntoma fɛfɛ nahanaha fitaa ne tuntum a wɔanwono mu sensɛnee adihɔ hɔ. Na wɔde nhoma kɔkɔɔ akyekyere ahyɛ dwetɛ nkawa a ɛhyehyɛ abohemaa afadum mu. Sikakɔkɔɔ ne dwetɛ nkonnwa sisi abohemaa ne abohyɛn ne abobire ne aboɔdemmoɔ ahodoɔ nsesɛeɛ so.
white linen, white cotton, and blue, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on rings of silver, and pillars of marble, couches of gold, and of silver, on a pavement of smaragdus, and white marble, and mother-of-pearl, and black marble —
7 Wɔde nsakuruwa a wɔadi ho adwini ahodoɔ papa bi someeɛ, na adehyesa buu so hɔ, sɛdeɛ ɔhene hyɛeɛ no.
and the giving of drink in vessels of gold, and the vessels [are] divers vessels, and the royal wine [is] abundant, as a memorial of the king.
8 Nhyehyɛeɛ a na ɛwɔ asanom no ho ara ne sɛ, ɛnsɛ sɛ wɔhyɛ obi ma ɔnom boro deɛ ɔbɛtumi so. Nanso, wɔn a wɔbɛtumi anom no deɛ, wɔnomee sɛdeɛ wɔpɛ, ɛfiri sɛ, na ɔhene no aka akyerɛ ne fiefoɔ no sɛ, obiara bɛtumi anom sɛdeɛ ɔpɛ.
And the drinking [is] according to law, none is pressing, for so hath the king appointed for every chief one of his house, to do according to the pleasure of man and man.
9 Ɔhemmaa Wasti too ɛpono maa ahemfie mmaa no saa ɛberɛ korɔ no ara mu.
Also Vashti the queen hath made a banquet for women, in the royal house that the king Ahasuerus hath.
10 Afahyɛ no nnanson so a nsã afa ɔhene Ahasweros ani so kakra no, ɔka kyerɛɛ Mehuman, Bista, Harbona, Bigta, Abagta, Setar ne Karkas a wɔyɛ apiafoɔ baason a wɔhwɛ no no sɛ,
On the seventh day, as the heart of the king is glad with wine, he hath said to Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who are ministering in the presence of the king Ahasuerus,
11 wɔmfa ɔhemmaa Wasti a ɔhyɛ ahemmaa kyɛ no mmrɛ no. Na ɔpɛ sɛ mmarima nyinaa hwɛ nʼahoɔfɛ, ɛfiri sɛ, na ɔyɛ ɔbaa hoɔfɛfoɔ pa ara.
to bring in Vashti the queen before the king, with a royal crown, to shew the peoples and the heads her beauty, for she [is] of good appearance,
12 Nanso, wɔde ɔhene ɔfrɛtumi nkra kɔmaa ɔhemmaa Wasti no, wamma. Yei maa ɔhene ani bereeɛ yie, maa abufuo hyɛɛ no ma.
and the queen Vashti refuseth to come in at the word of the king that [is] by the hand of the eunuchs, and the king is very wroth, and his fury hath burned in him.
13 Ntɛm so, ɔbisaa nʼafotufoɔ a wɔnim Persia mmara ne nʼamanneɛ deɛ ɛsɛ sɛ ɔyɛ, ɛfiri sɛ, na ɔtaa bisa wɔn afotuo.
And the king saith to wise men, knowing the times — for so [is] the word of the king before all knowing law and judgment,
14 Na afotufoɔ no ne Karsena, Setar, Admata, Tarsis, Meres, Marsena, Memukan, a wɔyɛ akunini baason a wɔfiri Persia ne Media. Na wɔyɛ ne nnamfo berɛboɔ a wɔkura dibea akɛseɛ wɔ ahemman no mu.
and he who is near unto him [is] Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, Memucan, seven heads of Persia and Media seeing the face of the king, who are sitting first in the kingdom —
15 Ɔhene no bisaa sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn na menyɛ ɔhemmaa Wasti? Asotweɛ bɛn na mmara no kyerɛ sɛ, wɔmfa mma ɔhemmaa a mesomaa me piafoɔ sɛ wɔnkɔfrɛ no mmra na wamma no?”
'According to law, what — to do with queen Vashti, because that she hath not done the saying of the king Ahasuerus by the hand of the eunuchs?'
16 Na Memukan buaa ɔhene no ne ahenemma no sɛ, “Ɛnyɛ ɔhene no nko na ɔhemmaa Wasti afom, na wafom ɔpanin biara ne ɔmanfoɔ a wɔwɔ wʼahemman no mu nyinaa.
And Memucan saith before the king and the heads, 'Not against the king by himself hath Vashti the queen done perversely, but against all the heads, and against all the peoples that [are] in all provinces of the king Ahasuerus;
17 Sɛ mmaa a wɔwɔ ɔman yi mu te sɛ ɔhemmaa Wasti ankɔ ɔhene frɛ no a, wɔbɛfiri aseɛ atwiri wɔn kununom.
for go forth doth the word of the queen unto all the women, to render their husbands contemptible in their eyes, in their saying, The king Ahasuerus said to bring in Vashti the queen before him, and she did not come;
18 Ansa na adeɛ bɛkye no, yɛn yerenom, wo mpanimfoɔ yerenom nyinaa bɛte deɛ ɔhemmaa no yɛeɛ, na wɔahyɛ aseɛ akasa wɔn kununom wɔ kwan korɔ no ara so. Na ntwirie no ne abufuo no to rentwa da wɔ wʼahemman mu ha.
yea, this day do princesses of Persia and Media, who have heard the word of the queen, say [so] to all heads of the king, even according to the sufficiency of contempt and wrath.
19 “Enti, sɛ ɔhene bɛpene so a, yɛsusu sɛ, ɛbɛyɛ sɛ ɔhene bɛhyɛ mmara a wɔatwerɛ no Persiafoɔ ne Mediafoɔ mmara mu a wɔntumi nsakra mu. Ɛsɛ sɛ ɛhyɛ sɛ wɔmpam ɔhemmaa Wasti mfiri wʼani so, na wɔnsi ɔhemmaa foforɔ a ɔsom bo kyɛn no.
'If to the king [it be] good, there goeth forth a royal word from before him, and it is written with the laws of Persia and Media, and doth not pass away, that Vashti doth not come in before the king Ahasuerus, and her royalty doth the king give to her companion who [is] better than she;
20 Sɛ wɔde saa mmara yi to dwa, ma obiara te wɔ wʼahemman kɛseɛ yi mu a, mmaa awarefoɔ de obuo a ɛsɛ na ɛfata bɛma wɔn kununom.”
and the sentence of the king that he maketh hath been heard in all his kingdom — for it [is] great — and all the wives give honour to their husbands, from great even unto small.'
21 Ɔhene no ne nʼahenemma no faa no sɛ ɛyɛ adwene pa enti, wɔfaa Memukan afotuo no.
And the thing is good in the eyes of the king, and of the princes, and the king doth according to the word of Memucan,
22 Ɔtwerɛɛ nkrataa kɔɔ nʼahemman no mu afanan nyinaa. Ɔtwerɛɛ ɔmantam biara wɔ ne kasa mu, sɛ ɔbarima biara nni ne fie so.
and sendeth letters unto all provinces of the king, unto province and province according to its writing, and unto people and people according to its tongue, for every man being head in his own house — and speaking according to the language of his people.
