Esther 2
1 Ahasuerus siangpahrang palungphuihaih dip pacoengah, Vashti hoi anih mah sak ih hmuennawk nuiah lok takroekhaih to a poek let.
After a while, King Xerxes quit being so angry. He thought about Vashti, and he thought about the law he had made because of what she [had done, and he wanted another wife].
2 To naah siangpahrang toksah tamnanawk mah, Siangpahrang hanah kranghoih nongpata kacuem pakrong han angaih;
So his personal servants said to him, “[Your majesty, ] you should send some men to search throughout the empire for some beautiful young women/virgins for you.
3 siangpahrang ohhaih Susan vangpui, nongpatanawk suekhaih im ah, kranghoih, saning kanawk kacuem nongpatanawk boih caeh haih hanah, siangpahrang mah prae thung boih ah siangpahrang toksah angraengnawk to qoi nasoe, to tanglanawk loe siangpahrang ih toksah tangyat mii kadueh Hegai mah khenzawn nasoe. Tanglanawk ciimcai o hanah amthoephaih hmuennawk to nihcae han paek nasoe:
[After they find some, ] you can appoint some officials in each province to bring them to the place where you keep (your wives/the women you sleep with) here in Susa. Then Hegai, the man who is in charge of these women, can arrange for ointments to be put [on their bodies] to make them [more] beautiful.
4 siangpahrang palung tongsak tangla to Vashti zuengah siangpahrang zu ah om nasoe, tiah a thuih o. To tiah thuih o ih lok mah siangpahrang poeknawmsak pongah, to tiah hmuen to a sak.
Then the woman who pleases you most can become queen instead of Vashti.” The king liked what they suggested, so he did it.
5 To naah siangpahrang ohhaih Susan vangpui thungah, Benjamin acaeng, Kish capa Shimei, anih ih capa Jair, anih ih capa Mordekai, tiah ahmin kaom Judah kami maeto oh;
At that time there was a Jew [living] in Susa, the capital, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair. Jair was a descendant of Shimei. Shimei was a descendant of [King Saul’s father] Kish. [They were all] from the tribe descended from Benjamin.
6 anih loe Babylon siangpahrang Nebukhadnezzar mah Jerusalem vangpui hoiah Judah siangpahrang Jekoniah hoi nawnto misong ah caeh haih ih kaminawk thungah kathum kami maeto ah oh.
[Many years before that, ] King Nebuchadnezzar had taken (Mordecai/Mordecai’s family) [and brought them from Jerusalem] to Babylon, at the same time he brought King Jehoiachin of Judah and many other people to Babylon.
7 Mordekai loe amno ampa tawn ai, ampa amnawk ih canu, Hadassah tiah kawk ih Esther loe anih mah pacah; to nongpata loe mikcop koiah oh moe, kranghoih; amno hoi ampa duek pacoengah, Mordekai mah anih to a canu ah pacah.
Mordecai had a cousin whose [Hebrew] name was Hadassah. She had a beautiful face and beautiful body/figure. Her [Persian] name was Esther. After her father and mother died, Mordecai took care of Esther as though she were his own daughter.
8 Siangpahrang lokpaekhaih thaih o naah, paroeai tanglanawk loe Susan vangpui ah kaom, Hegai mah nongpatanawk khetzawnhaih ahmuen ah caeh haih; Esther doeh Hegai mah khetzawnhaih siangpahrang im ah caeh o haih toeng.
After the king commanded [that they search for some beautiful women], they brought Esther and many other young women to the king’s palace [in Susa], and (the king put Hegai/Hegai was put) in charge of them.
9 Esther loe Hegai mah palung ih kami ah oh pongah, anih to ciimcaisak moe, amthoephaih hmuennawk hoiah a hak han koi hmuennawk to karangah paek; topacoengah siangpahrang imthung ih tangla sarihtonawk doeh anih abomh hanah a paek; nihcae loe nongpatanawk ohhaih im ih kahoih koek imkhaan to hak o.
Hegai was very pleased with Esther, and he treated her well. He immediately arranged for her to be given ointments to make her [even more] beautiful, and [he ordered that] special food [would be given to her]. [He arranged that] seven maids from the king’s palace [would take care of her], and arranged that she/they would stay in the best rooms.
10 Mordekai mah Esther khaeah, Angmah ih acaeng hoi canawk kawng to taphong han ai ah thuih pae pongah, anih mah taphong ai.
Esther did not tell anyone that she was a Jew, because Mordecai had told her not to tell anyone.
11 Mordekai mah Esther loe kawbangmaw oh moe, kawbangmaw khosak, tiah panoek hanah, ni thokkruek nongpatanawk ohhaih im longhmaa ah amkaeh.
Every day Mordecai walked near the courtyard of the place where those women stayed. He asked [people who entered the courtyard] to find out [and tell him] what was happening to Esther.
12 Nongpatanawk ih dan baktih toengah, khrah hatlai hnetto akoep moe, nongpatanawk boih angmacae ih atue phak naah, siangpahrang Ahasuerus hmaa ah a caeh o han oh; (khrah tarukto thung hmuihoih myrrh angnok o moe, khrah tarukto thung hmuihoih tui angnok pacoengah, kalah nongpatanawk ciimcaihaih hmuennawk to patoh o, amprikcaihaih ni boeng khoek to to tiah sak o.)
Before these women were taken to the king, they put ointments on [the bodies of] these women for one year to make them more beautiful. For six months they [rubbed olive] oil mixed with myrrh [on their bodies each day]. For [the next] six months they rubbed ointments and perfumes on their bodies.
13 Atue akoep naah loe, siangpahrang hmaa ah caeh o; siangpahrang im ah caeh o naah, nongpatanawk ohhaih im hoiah angmacae koeh ih hmuennawk to a sin o.
Then, when one of these women [was summoned to] go to the king, she was allowed to wear whatever clothes and jewelry she chose.
14 Duembangah to ahmuen ah caeh o moe, akhawnbangah loe nongpatanawk ohhaih ahmuen hnetto haih, siangpahrang ih zulanawk khenzawnkung, siangpahrang ih toksah angraeng Shaashgaz khetzawnhaih tlim ah oh o; siangpahrang mah to nongpata to koeh moe, ahmin hoi kawk ai ih kami loe, siangpahrang khaeah caeh let thai ai boeh.
In the evening, they would take her [to the king’s own room]. The next morning, they would take her to another place where the women [who had slept with the king] stayed. There another official whose name was Shaashgaz was in charge [of those women]. [Those women would live there for the rest of their lives, and] one of those women would go back to the king again only if the king very much wanted her to come again, and only if he told Shaashgaz the name of the woman.
15 A canu ah pacah ih, Mordekai amnawk Abihail ih canu Esther, siangpahrang khaeah caehhaih tue phak naah loe, nongpatanawk khenzawnkung, siangpahrang toksah tangyat mii kadueh Hegai mah, thuih ih hmuen khue ai ah loe kalah hmuen tidoeh sin ai. Esther hnu kaminawk boih mah, anih to palung o.
Everyone who saw Esther liked her. After King Xerxes had been ruling for seven years, it was Esther’s turn to go to him. When they took her to the king, it was during the middle part of the winter. She wore only the things that Hegai suggested.
16 To tiah khrah hato haih, Tebeth khrah, siangpahrang mah ukhaih saning sarihto naah, Esther to siangpahrang Ahasuerus khaeah siangpahrang im ah caeh o haih.
17 Siangpahrang mah Esther to nongpatanawk boih pongah palung kue; siangpahrang mah kalah kacuem tanglanawk boih pongah Esther to koeh moe, mikcop kue pongah, anih to siangpahrang lumuek angmuek o sak moe, Vashti zuengah siangpahrang zu ah ohsak.
The king liked Esther more than he liked any of the other women [that they brought to him]. He liked her so much that he put on her head the queen’s crown, and he declared that Esther would be the queen instead of Vashti.
18 Siangpahrang mah, angmah ih angraengnawk hoi a tamnanawk boih hanah paroeai kalen Esther ih poih to a sak pae; to ni loe a prae thung boih ah anghakhaih ni, ah taphong moe, siangpahrang kuhoihaih baktih toengah atho kana tangqumnawk to a paek.
To celebrate her [becoming the queen], he had a big banquet/feast prepared for all his administrators and [other] officials. He generously gave [expensive] gifts to everyone, and he declared that in all the provinces there would be a holiday, [a time when people did not have to pay taxes].
19 Kacuem tanglanawk nawnto amkhuenghaih vai hnetto naah, Mordekai loe siangpahrang khongkha toep kami ah oh.
Later all those women who had spent a night with the king were gathered together again. By that time Mordecai had become an official at the palace.
20 Mordekai mah Esther to pacah pongah, anih mah thuih ih lok to tahngaih; Mordekai mah thuih ih lok baktih toengah, Esther loe angmah ih acaeng hoi canawk kawng to taphong ai.
But Esther still did not tell anyone that she was a Jew. She continued to do what Mordecai had told her to do.
21 To nathuem ah, Mordekai loe siangpahrang ih khongkha toep kami ah oh, siangpahrang ih imkhaan katoep, Bigthan hoi Teresh loe palungphui hoi moe, Ahasuerus siangpahrang hum hanah pacaeng hoi.
One day when Mordecai was doing his work in the palace, two of the king’s officials were there. Their names were Bigthana and Teresh. They were the guards who stood outside the king’s own rooms. They became angry [with the king], and they were planning how they could assassinate/kill him.
22 To tiah pacaenghaih to Mordekai mah panoek pongah, siangpahrang zu Esther khaeah thuih pae; Mordekai mah thuih ih lok baktih toengah, Esther mah Mordekai ih ahmin hoiah siangpahrang khaeah thuih pae let.
But Mordecai heard about what they were planning, and he told that to Queen Esther. Then she told the king what Mordecai had found out.
23 To kawng to kahoih ah parui o naah, tangtang lok ah oh; to pongah nihnik to thing pongah bangh o; to hmuen kawng to siangpahrang hmaa roe ah, hmuen paruihaih cabu thungah tarik o.
The king investigated and found out that Mordecai’s report was true. So the king ordered that those two men be hanged. When that was done, (an official wrote a report/a report was written) about it in a book called ‘The book that records what happened while Xerxes was king’.
