1
Baada ya hayo, hasira yake mfalme Ahasuero ilipotulia, alimkumbuka Vashti, na vile alivyotenda, na yale yaliyoamriwa juu yake.
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
Basi watumishi wa mfalme waliomhudumu walimwambia, Mfalme na atafutiwe mabikira vijana wazuri;
Then the king’s attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king,
3
naye mfalme aweke wasimamizi katika majimbo yote ya ufalme wake, ili wakusanye pamoja mabikira vijana wazuri wote waende Shushani ngomeni, kwenye nyumba ya wanawake mikononi mwa Hegai, msimamizi-wa-nyumba wa mfalme, mwenye kuwalinda wanawake; tena wapewe vifaa vya utakaso.
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
Naye yule msichana atakayempendeza mfalme na awe malkia badala ya Vashti. Neno hilo likampendeza mfalme, naye akafanya hivyo.
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
Basi palikuwa na Myahudi mmoja huko Shushani ngomeni; jina lake Mordekai, bin Yairi, bin Shimei, bin Kishi, wa kabila ya Benyamini;
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
ambaye kwamba amechukuliwa mateka kutoka Yerusalemu miongoni mwa wafungwa waliochukuliwa pamoja na Yekonia, mfalme wa Yuda; ambaye Nebukadreza, mfalme wa Babeli,alimchukua.
He had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon among those taken captive with Jeconiah king of Judah.
7
Naye alikuwa amemlea Hadasa, yaani, Esta, binti wa mjomba wake, kwa kuwa hana baba wala mama. Naye msichana huyu alikuwa wa umbo mzuri na uso mwema; nao walipokufa baba yake na mama yake, yule Mordekai alimtwaa kuwa binti yake yeye.
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 as his own daughter.
8
Basi ikawa, wakati iliposikiwa amri ya mfalme na mbiu yake, wasichana wengi wakakusanyika huko Shushani ngomeni mikononi mwa Hegai; Esta naye aliingizwa katika nyumba ya mfalme, mikononi mwa Hegai mwenye kuwalinda wanawake.
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
Yule mwanamwali akampendeza, akapokea fadhili kwake; naye akampa upesi vifaa vya utakaso, pamoja na posho zake, na vijakazi saba walio haki yake, wa nyumbani mwa mfalme. Pia akamhamisha yeye na vijakazi wake akawaweka mahali pazuri katika nyumba ya wanawake.
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
Walakini Esta hakudhihirisha kabila yake wala jamaa yake, kwa maana ndivyo alivyomwagiza Mordekai asiwadhihirishe.
Esther did not reveal her people or her lineage, because Mordecai had instructed her not to do so.
11
Na yule Mordekai akawa akitembea kila siku mbele ya ua wa nyumba ya wanawake, ili ajue hali yake Esta, na hayo yatakayompata.
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
Basi ilipowadia zamu yake mwanamwali mmojawapo aingie kwa mfalme Ahasuero, hali akiisha kufanyiwa sawasawa na sheria ya wanawake miezi kumi na miwili; yaani, ndivyo zilivyotimia siku zao za utakaso, miezi sita kwa mafuta ya manemane, na miezi sita kwa manukato na vifaa vya utakaso wa wanawake;
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
mwanamwali huingia hivyo kwa mfalme; kila akitakacho hupewa kwenda nacho kutoka katika nyumba ya wanawake ili kuingia katika nyumba ya mfalme.
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
Huenda jioni, na asubuhi hurudi nyumba ya pili ya wanawake, mikononi mwa Shaashgazi, msimamizi wake mfalme, mwenye kuwalinda masuria. Wala haingii tena kwa mfalme, isipokuwa amempendeza mfalme, naye akaitwa kwa jina.
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
Hata ilipowadia zamu yake Esta, binti Abihaili, mjomba wake Mordekai, ambaye alimtwaa kuwa binti yake, ili aingie kwa mfalme, yeye hakutaka kitu, ila vile vilivyoagizwa na Hegai, msimamizi wake mfalme, mwenye kuwalinda wanawake. Naye huyu Esta alikuwa amepata kibali machoni pa wote waliomwona.
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
Basi Esta alipelekwa kwa mfalme Ahasuero, katika nyumba ya kifalme, mwezi wa kumi, ndio mwezi wa Tebethi, mwaka wa saba wa kumiliki kwake.
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
Mfalme akampenda Esta kuliko wanawake wote, naye akapata neema na kibali machoni pake kuliko mabikira wote; basi akamtia taji ya kifalme kichwani pake, akamfanya awe malkia badala ya Vashti.
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
Ndipo mfalme alipowafanyia karamu kubwa maakida wake wote na watumishi wake, yaani, karamu yake Esta; akafanya msamaha katika majimbo yote, akatoa zawadi sawasawa na ukarimu wa mfalme.
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
Basi mabikira walipokusanyika mara ya pili, Mordekai alikuwa akiketi mlangoni pa mfalme.
When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.
20
Esta alikuwa hajadhihirisha jamaa yake wala kabila yake, kama vile Mordekai alivyomwagiza; kwa maana Esta alikuwa akiyashika maagizo ya Mordekai, vile vile kama wakati alipolelewa naye.
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
Ikawa siku zile, Mordekai alipokuwa akiketi mlangoni pa mfalme, wawili katika wasimamizi wake mfalme, Bigthana na Tereshi, wangoje mlango, walighadhibika, wakataka kumpelekea mikono mfalme Ahasuero.
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
Basi Mordekai akapata kulijua jambo hilo, naye akamjulisha Esta, malkia; naye Esta akamwambia mfalme habari hiyo kwa jina la Mordekai.
When Mordecai learned of the plot, he reported it to Queen Esther, and she informed the king on Mordecai’s behalf.
23
Na jambo hilo lilipochunguzwa, na hakika ikapatikana, hao wote wawili wakatundikwa juu ya mti. Hayo pia yakaandikwa katika kitabu cha taarifa mbele ya mfalme.
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.