< Esther 1 >

1 And it comes to pass, in the days of Ahasuerus—he [is] Ahasuerus who is reigning from Hodu even to Cush, one hundred twenty-seven provinces—
アハシユエロスすなはち印度よりエテオピヤまで百二十七州を治めたるアハシユエロスの世
2 in those days, at the sitting of King Ahasuerus on the throne of his kingdom, that [is] in Shushan the palace,
アハシユエロス王シユシヤンの城にてその國の祚に坐しをりける当時
3 in the third year of his reign, he has 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,
その治世の第三年にその牧伯等および臣僕等のために酒宴を設けたり ペルシヤとメデアの武士および貴族と讃州の牧伯等その前にありき
4 in his showing the wealth of the glory of his kingdom, and the glory of the beauty of his greatness, many days—one hundred eighty days.
時に王その盛なる國の富有とその大なる威の榮を示して衆多の日をわたり百八十日に及びぬ
5 And at the fullness of these days the king has made a banquet to all the people who are found in Shushan the palace, from great even to small, [for] seven days, in the court of the garden of the house of the king—
これらの日のをはりし時 王また王の宮の園の庭にてシユシヤンに居る大小のすべての民のために七日の間酒宴を設けたり
6 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—
白緑青の帳幔ありて細布と紫色の紐にて銀の環および蝋石の柱に繋がるまた牀榻は金銀にして赤白黄黒の蝋石の上に居らる
7 and the giving of drink in vessels of gold, and the vessels [are] various vessels, and the royal wine [is] abundant, as a memorial of the king.
金の酒盃にて酒を賜ふその酒盃は此と彼おのおの異なり王の用ゐる酒をたまふこと夥だし王の富有に適へり
8 And the drinking [is] according to law, none is pressing, for so the king has appointed for every chief one of his house, to do according to the pleasure of man and man.
その飮むことは法にかなひて誰も強ることを爲ず 其は王人として各々おのれの好むごとく爲しむべしとその宮内のすべての有司に命じたればなり
9 Also Vashti the queen has made a banquet for women, in the royal house that King Ahasuerus has.
后ワシテもまたアハシユエロス王に属する王宮の内にて婦女のために酒宴をまうけたり
10 On the seventh day, as the heart of the king is glad with wine, he has commanded to Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who are ministering in the presence of King Ahasuerus,
第七日にアハシユエロス王酒のために心樂み王の前に事ふる七人の侍從メホマン、ビスタ、ハルボナ、ビグタ、アバグタ、セタルおよびカルカスに命じ
11 to bring in Vashti the queen before the king, with a royal crown, to show the peoples and the heads her beauty, for she [is] of good appearance,
后ワシテをして后の冠冕をかぶりて王の前に來らしめよと言り 是は彼観に美しければその美麗を民等と牧伯等に見さんとてなりき
12 and the queen Vashti refuses to come in at the word of the king that [is] by the hand of the eunuchs, and the king is very angry, and his fury has burned in him.
しかるに后ワシテ侍從が傅へし王の命に從ひて來ることを肯はざりしかば王おほいに憤ほりて震怒その衷に燃ゆ
13 And the king says to wise men, knowing the times—for so [is] the word of the king before all knowing law and judgment,
是において王時を知る智者にむかひて言ふ(王はすべて法律と審理に明かなる者にむかひて是の如くするを常とせり
14 and he who is near to 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—
時に彼の次になりし者はペルシヤおよびメデアの七人の牧伯カルシナ、セタル、アデマタ、タルシシ、メレス、マルセナ、メムカンなりき 是みな王の面を見る者にして國の第一に位せり)
15 “According to law, what should [I] do with Queen Vashti, because that she has not done the saying of King Ahasuerus by the hand of the eunuchs?”
后ワシテ、アハシユエロス王が侍從をもて傅へし命を爲されば法律にしたがひて如何に彼になすべきや
16 And Memucan says before the king and the heads, “Queen Vashti has not done perversely against the king by himself, but against all the heads, and against all the peoples that [are] in all provinces of King Ahasuerus;
メムカン王と牧伯たちの前に答へて曰ふ 后ワシテは唯王にむかひて惡き事をなしたる而已ならず一切の牧伯たちおよびアハシユエロス王の各州のもろもろの民にむかひてもまた之を爲るなり
17 for the word of the queen goes forth to all the women, to render their husbands contemptible in their eyes, in their saying, King Ahasuerus commanded to bring in Vashti the queen before him, and she did not come;
后のこの事あまねく一切の婦女に聞えて彼らつひにその夫を藐め観て言ん アハシユエロス王后ワシテに已のまへに來れと命じたりしに來らざりしと
18 indeed, this day 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.
而して后の此所行を聞るペルシヤとメデアの諸夫人もまた今日王のすべての牧伯等に是のごとく言ん然すれば必らず藐視と忿怒多く起るべし
19 If to the king [it be] good, there goes forth a royal word from before him, and it is written with the laws of Persia and Media, and does not pass away, that Vashti does not come in before King Ahasuerus, and the king gives her royalty to her companion who [is] better than she;
王もし之を善としたまはばワシテは此後ふたたびアハシユエロス王の前に來るべからずといふ王命を下し之をペルシヤとメデアの律法の中に書いれて更ること無らしめ而してその后の位を彼に勝れる他の者に與へたまへ
20 and the sentence of the king that he makes has been heard in all his kingdom—for it [is] great—and all the wives give honor to their husbands, from great even to small.”
王の下したまはん御詔この大なる御國に徧ねく聞えわたる時は妻たる者ことごとくその夫を大小となく共に敬まふべしと
21 And the thing is good in the eyes of the king, and of the princes, and the king does according to the word of Memucan,
王と牧伯等この言を善としければ王メムカンの言のごとく爲たり
22 and sends letters to all provinces of the king, to province and province according to its writing, and to 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.
かくて王の諸州に徧ねく書をおくりもろもろの州にその文字にしたがひて書おくりもろもろの民にその言語にしたがひて書おくり凡て男子たる者はその家の主となるべくまたおのれの民の言を用ひてものいふべしと諭しぬ

< Esther 1 >