Ɛster 3
1 Mmerɛ bi akyi, ɔhene Ahasweros pagyaa Agagni Hamedata babarima Haman diberɛ, yɛɛ no ɔsoafoɔ panin wɔ ahemman no mu ma ɔbɛyɛɛ ɔhene abadiakyire.
And after this king Artaxerxes highly honoured Aman [son] of Amadathes, the Bugæan, and exalted him, and set his seat above all his friends.
2 Sɛ Haman retwam a, ɔhene mpanimfoɔ bɔ wɔn mu ase, de kyerɛ obuo ne anidie a wɔwɔ ma no, ɛfiri sɛ, saa na ɔhene ahyɛ. Nanso, Mordekai ammɔ ne mu ase da, na wankyerɛ obuo ne anidie nso da.
And all in the palace did him obeisance, for so the king had given orders to do: but Mardochæus did not do him obeisance.
3 Ahemfie mpanimfoɔ a wɔwɔ ɔhene ɛpono ano no bisaa Mordekai sɛ, “Adɛn enti na worebu ɔhene ɔhyɛ nsɛm so?”
And they in the king’s palace said to Mardochæus, Mardochæus, why dost thou transgress the commands of the king?
4 Adeɛ akye a ade asa yi, wɔkasa kyerɛɛ no nanso ɔkɔɔ so buu ɔhyɛ nsɛm no so. Enti, wɔbɔɔ Haman amaneɛ hwɛɛ sɛ ɔbɛpene Mordekai suban no so anaa, ɛfiri sɛ, na Mordekai aka akyerɛ wɔn sɛ ɔyɛ Yudani.
[Thus] they spoke daily to him, but he hearkened not unto them; so they represented to Aman that Mardochæus resisted the commands of the king: and Mardochæus had shewn to them that he was a Jew.
5 Ɛberɛ a Haman hunuu sɛ Mordekai nkoto no, anaa ɔnnkyerɛ no obuo ne anidie no, ne bo fuiɛ.
And when Aman understood that Mardochæus did not obeisance to him, he was greatly enraged,
6 Enti, Haman yɛɛ nʼadwene sɛ, ɔremfa ne nsa nka Mordekai nko ara. Esiane sɛ na wate sɛ Mordekai yɛ Yudani no enti, ɔyɛɛ nʼadwene sɛ ɔbɛtɔre Yudafoɔ a wɔwɔ Ahasweros ahemman mu no nyinaa ase.
and took counsel to destroy utterly all the Jews who were under the rule of Artaxerxes.
7 Na ɔbosome Nisan (bɛyɛ Oforisuo) mu a ɛyɛ ɔhene Ahasweros adedie mfeɛ dumienu so no, wɔbɔɔ ntonto a wɔfrɛ no Pur de hwehwɛɛ ɛda pa ne bosome a ɛfata sɛ wɔdi dwuma no. Na da a wɔyiiɛ no yɛ Adar bosome (bɛyɛ Ɔbɛnem) da a ɛtɔ so nson a na ɛreyɛ akɔ ntontobɔ no akyi afe mu.
And he made a decree in the twelfth year of the reign of Artaxerxes, and cast lots daily and monthly, to slay in one day the race of Mardochæus: and the lot fell on the fourteenth [day] of the month which is Adar.
8 Na Haman kɔɔ ɔhene Ahasweros nkyɛn kɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Nnipa bi wɔ hɔ a wɔabɔ apete amantam a ɛwɔ wʼahemman yi nyinaa so. Wɔn mmara ne ɔman foforɔ biara deɛ bɔ abira, na mpo, wɔbu ɔhene mmara so. Ɛno enti, ɛnyɛ mma ɔhene sɛ ɔbɛhwɛ ama wɔatena ase.
And he spoke to king Artaxerxes, saying, There is a nation scattered among the nations in all thy kingdom, and their laws differ from [those of] all the [other] nations; and they disobey the laws of the king; and it is not expedient for the king to let them alone.
9 Sɛ ɛbɛtumi a, Ɔhene kɛseɛ, hyɛ mmara na wɔntɔre wɔn ase, na mɛma aban amammufoɔ dwetɛ tɔno 375, na wɔde agu adehyeɛ fotoɔ no mu.”
If it seem good to the king, let him make a decree to destroy them: and I will remit into the king’s treasury ten thousand talents of silver.
10 Ɔhene no penee so, worɔɔ ne pɛtea de maa Agagni Hamedata babarima Haman a ɔyɛ Yudafoɔ ɔtamfoɔ no de sii asɛm no so dua.
And the king took off his ring, and gave it into the hands of Aman, to seal the decrees against the Jews.
11 Ɔhene no ka kyerɛɛ Haman sɛ, “Ma sika no ntena hɔ, nanso wo ne nnipa no nni no sɛdeɛ wopɛ no biara.”
And the king said to Aman, Keep the silver, and treat the nation as thou wilt.
12 Nisan bosome (bɛyɛ Oforisuo) da a ɛtɔ so dunson no, Haman frɛɛ ɔhene atwerɛfoɔ ma ɔkaa deɛ ɔpɛ sɛ ɔtwerɛ de kɔma mmapɔmma, amantam amradofoɔ a wɔwɔ mmea nyinaa, adwumayɛfoɔ a wɔwɔ amantam no mu, ma wɔtwerɛɛ no wɔ wɔn ankasa kasa mu. Ɔhene Ahasweros na wɔde ne din hyɛɛ nkrataa no ase, na wɔde ne kawa no sosɔɔ ano,
So the king’s recorders were called in the first month, on the thirteenth [day], and they wrote as Aman commanded to the captains and governors in every province, from India even to Ethiopia, to a hundred and twenty-seven provinces; and to the rulers of the nations according to their [several] languages, in the name of king Artaxerxes.
13 na wɔde somaa abɔfoɔ maa wɔde kokɔɔ amantam a ɛwɔ ahemman no mu nyinaa. Nkrataa no hyɛɛ mmara sɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔkunkum Yudafoɔ nyinaa, mmɔfra ne mpanin, a mmaa ne mmɔfra ka ho, tɔre wɔn ase ɛda koro. Wɔhyɛɛ sɛ, saa asɛm yi nsi wɔ Adar bosome (bɛyɛ Ɔbɛnem) da a ɛtɔ so nson, a ɛyɛ afe akyi a wɔhyɛɛ mmara no. Yudafoɔ agyapadeɛ no, wɔde bɛma wɔn akumfoɔ.
And [the message] was sent by posts throughout the kingdom of Artaxerxes, to destroy utterly the race of the Jews on the first day of the twelfth month, which is Adar, and to plunder their goods.
14 Wɔde mmara no sɛso bi bɛkokɔ amantam no nyinaa so, na wɔbɛma ɔmanfoɔ nyinaa nso ate mu nsɛm, sɛdeɛ wɔbɛtumi adi dwuma no wɔ ɛda a wɔahyɛ no so.
And the copies of the letters were published in every province; and an order was given to all the nations to be ready against that day.
15 Ɔhene no hyɛ maa wɔde mmara no somaa abɔfoɔ a wɔn ho yɛ herɛ na wɔbɔɔ no dawuro wɔ Susa aban no mu. Afei, ɔhene no ne Haman tenaa ase nomm nsã; nanso Susa kuropɔn no mu yɛɛ basabasa.
And the business was hastened, and [that] at Susa: and the king and Aman began to drink; but the city was troubled.
