Ɛster 2
1 Ɔhene Ahasweros bo tɔɔ ne yam akyire no, ɔhyɛɛ aseɛ dwenee deɛ Wasti ayɛ ne mmara a wɔahyɛ no ho.
Some time later, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered what Vashti had done and what had been decreed against her.
2 Na nʼasomfoɔ susuu ho kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Ma yɛnwurawura ahemman yi mu, na yɛmpɛ mmaabunu ahoɔfɛfoɔ mfa wɔn mmrɛ ɔhene.
Then the king’s servants who waited upon him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king,
3 Ɔhene nyi ananmusifoɔ bi wɔ ɔmantam biara mu, na wɔmfa mmaa ahoɔfɛfoɔ yi mmra ɔhene yerenom atenaeɛ wɔ Susa. Hegai a ɔyɛ opiani no na ɔbɛhwɛ wɔn so, ama wɔn ahosiesie nnuro.
and let the king appoint commissioners to all the provinces of his kingdom to gather them all to Susa the royal residence. Let them be brought into the women’s quarters under the custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who has charge of the women. Then give them what is needed to make them beautiful,
4 Ɛno akyi no, ababaawa a ɔsɔ wʼani yie no na wɔbɛsi no ɔhemmaa, asi Wasti ananmu.” Saa afotuo yi sɔɔ ɔhene no ani yie, enti ɔyɛɛ saa ntɛm so.
and let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” The proposal pleased the king so he put it into action.
5 Na Yudani bi a ɔyɛ Yair babarima a ne din de Mordekai te Susa aban no mu. Na ɔfiri Benyamin abusuakuo mu. Na ɔyɛ Kis ne Simei aseni.
In Susa the royal residence lived a Jew named Mordecai. He was son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjamite.
6 Ɔhene Nebukadnessar na ɔtwaa nʼabusuafoɔ ne Yudahene Yekonia ne afoforɔ bi asuo firii Yerusalem kɔɔ Babilonia.
(Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem with the exiles who were deported with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon took captive.)
7 Na saa ɔbarima yi wɔ onua hoɔfɛfoɔ bi a ne din de Hadasa a na wɔsane frɛ no Ɛster. Ɛberɛ a nʼagya ne ne maame wuwuiɛ no, Mordekai faa no kaa nʼabusua ho, tetee no sɛ nʼankasa babaa.
Mordecai had adopted Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, since she had neither father nor mother. The girl was shapely and beautiful; and after her father and mother died, Mordecai raised her as if she was his own daughter.
8 Ɔhene no mmara a ɔhyɛeɛ no enti, wɔde Ɛster ne mmabaawa bebree baa ɔhene yerenom atenaeɛ wɔ Susa aban no mu, de wɔn hyɛɛ Hegai nsa.
When the king’s command and decree were known, many girls were gathered together to Susa the capital under the custody of Hegai. Esther was also taken into the king’s palace and placed under the custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women.
9 Hegai ani gyee Ɛster ho yie, ma ɔhwɛɛ no yie. Ntɛm ara, ɔma wɔmaa no aduane sononko, na ɔmaa no ahosiesie nnuro kaa ho. Ɔsane de mfenaa baason a ɔyii wɔn firii ahemfie hɔ maa no, na ɔde ɔno ne mfenaa no kɔtenaa deɛ ɛhɔ yɛ pa ara wɔ mmaa atenaeɛ hɔ.
The girl pleased him and gained his favor, so that he quickly gave her the cosmetics she needed to enhance her beauty and her allowance of food and the seven maids selected from the king’s household. He also transferred her and her maids to the best place in the harem.
10 Ɛster anka ne ɔman a ɔfiri mu ne nʼabusua a ɔbɔ ankyerɛ obiara, ɛfiri sɛ na Mordekai abɔ nʼano sɛ ɔnnkyerɛ.
Esther had not revealed her people nor her family background because Mordecai had ordered her not to.
11 Ɛda biara Mordekai kɔnante fa ahemfie no adihɔ hɔ, bisa Ɛster ase sɛ ne ho te sɛn.
Every day Mordecai would to walk in front of the courtyard of the harem and ask after Esther’s health and what was happening to her.
12 Ansa na wɔde ababaawa biara bɛkɔ ɔhene nkyɛn no, wɔma ɔde ahoɔfɛ nnuro yɛ ne ho afe. Wɔde kurobo ngo yɛ ne ho abosome nsia na ɛno akyi, wɔde aduhwam ne nku sononko bi ayɛ ne ho abosome nsia.
The girls were prepared for meeting King Ahasuerus for twelve months: six months being treated with oil of myrrh and six months with perfumes and cosmetics. After the twelve months,
13 Na sɛ ɛduru ɛberɛ a ɛsɛ sɛ ɔkɔ ɔhene nkyɛn a wɔma no kwan ma ɔfa atadeɛ anaa agudeɛ a ɔpɛ sɛ ɔde siesie ne ho, na ama nʼahoɔfɛ no adi mu.
each girl went in to the king. She was allowed to take with her whatever she wished from the women’s quarters,
14 Anwummerɛ no, wɔde no kɔ ɔhene dabekyire, na adeɛ kye a, wɔde no akɔ baabi a ɔhene yerenom teɛ no. Ɛhɔ no, ɔhene piani foforɔ bi a wɔfrɛ no Saasgas na ɔbɛhwɛ no so. Na ɛhɔ na ɔbɛtena ne nkwa nna nyinaa a ɔrenkɔ ɔhene no nkyɛn bio, gye sɛ ɔhene no ani gyee ne ho yie ansa na wabɔ ne din afrɛ no.
and would enter the palace in the evening and return the next morning to another part of the harem under the care of the king’s eunuch Shaashgaz who was in charge of concubines. She would not go to the king again unless he desired her and summoned her by name.
15 Na ɛduruu Ɛster a ɔyɛ Abihail ba no so no, wammisa hwee gye sɛ deɛ Hegai a ɔyɛ ɔhene piani a ɔhwɛ mmaa no so no tuu no fo wɔ ho no (Mordekai nua ne Abihail, na Mordekai nso ha ɔhwɛɛ Ɛster).
When it was the turn of Esther (the girl adopted by Mordecai, daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go in to the king, she only took with her those things that Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the women, had advised her to take. Esther was liked by all who saw her.
16 Ɛberɛ a wɔde Ɛster kɔmaa ɔhene Ahasweros wɔ ahemfie hɔ Tebet bosome (bɛyɛ Ɔpɛpɔn) mu a na ɛyɛ nʼadedie mfeɛ nson so no,
Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus in the royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 ɔhene no dɔɔ no senee mmaabunu a wɔaka no nyinaa. Nʼani gyee ne ho ara kɔsii sɛ, ɔhyɛɛ no ahenkyɛ, pagyaa no sɛ ɔhemmaa, sii Wasti ananmu.
And the king loved her more than all the other women, and she became his favorite and won his affection. He placed the royal diadem on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
18 Ahemmaasie no mu, ɔtoo ɛpono maa ne mmapɔmma ne asomfoɔ nyinaa de hyɛɛ Ɛster animuonyam. Ɔmaa obiara akyɛdeɛ bebree, na ɔyɛɛ no afahyɛ wɔ amantam no nyinaa so.
Then the king gave a great feast to all his officials and courtiers in honor of Esther, and he remitted the taxes of the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.
19 Mpo, ɛberɛ a wɔde mmabaawa no nyinaa kɔɔ mmaa atenaeɛ a ɛtɔ so mmienu no mu no, na Mordekai nso abɛyɛ panin wɔ ahemfie hɔ no,
All the time the virgins were assembled again, Mordecai was sitting as an offical at the king’s gate.
20 Ɛster ankyerɛ baabi a ɔfiri ne abusua a ɔbɔ da. Ɔkɔɔ so dii Mordekai afotuo no so sɛdeɛ ɔyɛeɛ wɔ ɛberɛ a na ɔne no teɛ no.
Esther had not revealed her people or family background because she still obeyed him as she had when he was bringing her up.
21 Ɛda koro bi a Mordekai wɔ adwuma mu wɔ ahemfie no, ɔhene no apiafoɔ baanu a wɔn din de Bigtan ne Teres a na wɔyɛ ɔhene no kɔkoamfie no ɛpono ano awɛmfoɔ no bo fuu ɔhene Ahasweros, na wɔpamm ne tiri so sɛ wɔbɛkum no.
In those days while Mordecai was sitting in the king’s gate, two of the royal court attendants, Bigthan and Teresh, who guarded the entrance of the palace, became enraged and attempted to kill King Ahasuerus.
22 Mordekai tee atirisopam no, ɔbɔɔ ɔhemmaa Ɛster amaneɛ. Ɔno nso ka kyerɛɛ ɔhene no, na ɔmaa Mordekai amo sɛ ɔbɛkaa asɛm no.
But Mordecai learned of the conspiracy and disclosed it to Queen Esther, and she told the king on Mordecai’s behalf.
23 Wɔkɔɔ asɛm no mu, hunuu sɛ asɛm a Mordekai bɛkaeɛ no yɛ nokorɛ no, wɔsɛnee mmarima baanu no wɔ dua so. Wɔtwerɛɛ yei nyinaa hyɛɛ ɔhene Ahasweros adedie abakɔsɛm nwoma mu.
When the affair was investigated and the facts discovered, the conspirators were both hanged on the gallows. The incident was recorded in the presence of the king in the daily record of events.
