Esther 2
1 Some time later, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered what Vashti had done and what had been decreed against her.
これらの事の後アハシユエロス王忿怒とけてワシテおよび彼が爲たる所またその彼にむかひて議定めしところの事を憶ひおこせり
2 Then the king’s servants who waited upon him said, ‘Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king,
ここに王の前に事ふる僕等いひけるは請ふ美しき少き處女等を王のために尋もとめん
3 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,
願はくは王御國の各州において官吏を択び之をして美はしき處女をことごとくシユシヤンの城に集めしめ婦人を管理る王の侍從ヘガイの手にわたして婦人の局に入らしめ而して潔浄の物をこれに與へたまへ
4 and let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.’ The proposal pleased the king so he put it into action.
斯して王の御意に適ふ女子を取りワシテに代りて后とならしめたまへと王この事を善として然なしぬ
5 In Susa the royal residence lived a Jew named Mordecai. He was son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjamite.
茲にシユシヤンの城に一人のユダヤ人ありその名をモルデカイと日ひキシの曾孫シメイの孫ヤイルの子にしてベニヤミン人なり
6 (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.)
かれはバビロンの王ネブカデネザルが擄へゆきしユダのヱコニヤとともに擄はれ往る俘囚の中にありてヱサレムより移されたる者なり
7 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.
かれその叔父の女ハダツサすなはちエステルを養ひ育てたり 是は父も母もなかりければなり この女子顔貌勝れてうるはしかりしがその父母の死たる後モルデカイこれを取ておのれの女となせるなり
8 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.
王の命令と詔言の聞え伝はり衆多の女子シユシヤンの城にあつめられてヘガイの手にわたさにし時エステルも亦王の家に携へられてゆき婦人を管理るヘガイの手に交されしが
9 The girl pleased him and gained his favour, 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.
この女子ヘガイの意にかなひて之が恵を受たり即はちヘガイすみやかに之に潔浄の物およびその分を與へまた王の家の中より七人の侍女を挙てこれに附そはしめ彼とその侍女等を婦人の局の中なる最も佳き處に移しぬ
10 Esther had not revealed her people nor her family background because Mordecai had ordered her not to.
エステルはおのれの民をもおのれの宗族をも顧はさざりき其はモルデカイこれを顕はすなかれと彼に言ふくめたればなり
11 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.
またモルデカイはエステルの模様およびその如何になれるかを知んため日々に婦人の局の庭の前をあゆめり
12 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,
女子はおのおの婦人の則にしたがひて十二ケ月を経しかる後順番にいりてアハシユエロス王にいたる是その潔浄の日を終るはかくのごとくなるが故なり 既ち没薬の油を用ふること六ヶ月また各種の薫物および婦人の潔浄ごとにあつる物等を用ふること六ヶ月
13 each girl went in to the king. She was allowed to take with her whatever she wished from the women’s quarters,
女子の王にいたるは是のごとしその婦人の局より出て王の家にゆく時には凡てその望む物をことごとく與へらる
14 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.
而して夕に往き朝におよびて婦人の第二の局に還り妃嬪をつかさどる王の侍從シヤシガスの手に属す王これを喜こびて名をさして召すにあらざれぼ重ねて王にいたることなし
15 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.
ここにモルデカイの叔父アビハイルの女すなはちモルデカイが取ておのれの女となしたるエステル入て王にいたるべき順番にあたりけるが彼は婦人をつかさどる王の侍從ヘガイが言きかせたる事の外には何をももとめざりき エステルは凡て彼を見る者によろこばれたり
16 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.
かくエステルは王の家に召いれられてアハシユエロス王にいたれり是その治世の第七年十月即ちテベテの月なり
17 And the king loved her more than all the other women, and she became his favourite and won his affection. He placed the royal diadem on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
王一切の婦人に超てエステルを愛しければエステルはすべての處女にまさりて王の前に恩寵と厚情を得たり 王つひに后の冕をかれの首に戴かせ彼をしてワシテにかはりて后とならしむ
18 Then the king gave a great feast to all his officials and courtiers in honour of Esther, and he remitted the taxes of the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.
ここにおいて王おほいなる酒宴を設けてそのもろもろの牧伯と臣僕を饗す これをエステルの酒宴と稱ふまた諸州に租税をゆるし王の富有にかなひて物を賜ふ
19 All the time the virgins were assembled again, Mordecai was sitting as an offical at the king’s gate.
再度處女の集められし時モルデカイは王の門に坐しをりぬ
20 Esther had not revealed her people or family background because she still obeyed him as she had when he was bringing her up.
エステルはモルデカイがかれに言ふくめたる如くして未だおのれの宗族をもおのれの民をも顕はさざりき エステタはモルデカイの言語にしたがふことその彼に養なひ育てられし時と異ならざりき
21 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.
常時モルデカイ王の門に坐し居ける時王の侍從にて戸を守る者の中ビグタンおよびテレシの二人怨むる事ありてアハシユエロス王を弑せんともとめたりしが
22 But Mordecai learned of the conspiracy and disclosed it to Queen Esther, and she told the king on Mordecai’s behalf.
その事モルデカイに知れければモルデカイこれを后エステルに告げエステルまたモルデカイの名をもてこれを王に告げたり
23 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.
ここにおいて此事をしらべさせしにその然ること顕はれければ彼ら二人は木にかけられその事は王の前なる日誌の書にかきしるさる
