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.
Poslije tih događaja, kako mu se utiša gnjev, kralj Ahasver sjeti se Vaštije, onoga što je ona učinila i što je bilo odlučeno protiv nje.
2 Then the king’s servants who waited upon him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king,
Rekoše tada momci što služahu kralja: "Neka se potraže za kralja mlade djevojke, djevice lijepa izgleda.
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,
Kralj neka odredi u svim pokrajinama svojega kraljevstva povjerenike da mu sakupe sve djevice pristala izgleda u tvrđavi grada Suze, u haremu, pod upravom Hegeja, kraljeva eunuha, čuvara žena. On će se pobrinuti za njihovu njegu.
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.
Ona djevojka koja se najviše svidi očima kraljevim neka kraljuje umjesto Vaštije." Bijaše to po volji kralju, i on tako uradi.
5 In Susa the royal residence lived a Jew named Mordecai. He was son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjamite.
U tvrđavi grada Suze bio je neki Židov koji se zvao Mordokaj, sin Jaira, sina Šimeja, sina Kišova, iz plemena Benjaminova.
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.)
On je bio protjeran iz Jeruzalema među prognanicima koje je babilonski kralj Nabukodonozor odveo zajedno s judejskim kraljem Jekonijom.
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.
On je odgajao Hadasu, to jest Esteru, kćerku strica svoga, jer ona ne imađaše ni oca ni majke. Djevojka je bila pristala i lijepa izgleda. Poslije smrti njezina oca i njezine majke Mordokaj je uze k sebi kao kćerku.
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.
Kako se začu za kraljevu riječ i njegovu naredbu, mnogo se djevojaka sabra u tvrđavi grada Suze pod Hegejevim nadzorom. Tako dovedoše i Esteru u kraljevu palaču, pod nadzor Hegeja, čuvara žena.
9 The girl pleased him and gained his favor, 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.
Djevojka se svidje njegovim očima, steče ona njegovu naklonost i on se pobrinu za njezino uljepšavanje i uzdržavanje. Uz to joj dade sedam najvrednijih ropkinja kraljevskog dvora i premjesti je, skupa s djevojkama, u najudobnije prostorije harema.
10 Esther had not revealed her people nor her family background because Mordecai had ordered her not to.
Estera ne spomenu ni naroda ni obitelji kojoj je pripadala, jer joj Mordokaj bijaše zabranio da to učini.
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.
Svakoga je dana Mordokaj šetao pred dvorištem harema da bi doznao kako se Estera osjeća i kako se prema njoj odnose.
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,
Svaka je djevojka morala ući kralju kad je na nju, prema uredbi za žene, došao red, to jest nakon dvanaest mjeseci. Jer tada se završavalo razdoblje njihova uljepšavanja: šest mjeseci uljem iz mirne, a šest mjeseci balzamom i ostalim pomastima za žensku njegu.
13 each girl went in to the king. She was allowed to take with her whatever she wished from the women’s quarters,
Pa kad bi djevojka ulazila kralju, bilo joj je dopušteno da sa sobom iz harema u kraljevsku palaču ponese sve što bi zatražila.
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.
Ona bi ulazila uvečer, a ujutro bi se vraćala u drugi harem, pod nadzorom Šaašgaza, kraljeva eunuha, čuvara priležnica. Više se ne bi vraćala kralju, osim ako bi je posebno zaželio i dozvao je k sebi poimence.
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.
Kada dođe red na Esteru, kćerku Abihajla, koji je bio stric Mordokaja koji ju je bio pokćerio, da uđe kralju, ona ne zatraži ništa osim onoga što joj bijaše rekao Hegej, kraljev eunuh, čuvar žena. Ipak je pobuđivala udivljenje svih koji su je gledali.
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.
Esteru, dakle, uvedoše kralju Ahasveru, u njegovu kraljevsku palaču, u desetom mjesecu, mjesecu Tebetu, sedme godine njegova vladanja.
17 And the king loved her more than all the other women, and she became his favorite and won his affection. He placed the royal diadem on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
Kralj zavolje Esteru više od svih drugih žena; više nego sve ostale djevice ona mu omilje i predobi ona njegovu naklonost. I položi on na njezinu glavu kraljevsku krunu, pa mjesto Vaštije ona posta kraljicom.
18 Then the king gave a great feast to all his officials and courtiers in honor of Esther, and he remitted the taxes of the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.
Nakon toga priredi kralj u čast Estere veliku gozbu za svoje knezove i službenike; svim pokrajinama odredi odmor i razda darove kraljevski darežljivo.
19 All the time the virgins were assembled again, Mordecai was sitting as an offical at the king’s gate.
Kad su drugi put djevojke bile sakupljene, Mordokaj sjeđaše na vratima kraljevim.
20 Esther had not revealed her people or family background because she still obeyed him as she had when he was bringing her up.
Estera ne oda ni naroda ni obitelji iz koje je potjecala, kao što joj Mordokaj bijaše naredio. Estera se i dalje držala svih Mordokajevih uputa kao kad se nalazila pod njegovim skrbništvom.
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.
U ono vrijeme kad je Mordokaj sjedio na vratima kraljevim, Bigtan i Tereš, dva kraljeva dvoranina, čuvari praga, planuše gnjevom i počeše snovati da podignu ruku na kralja Ahasvera.
22 But Mordecai learned of the conspiracy and disclosed it to Queen Esther, and she told the king on Mordecai’s behalf.
Za tu njihovu namjeru sazna Mordokaj. On je dojavi kraljici Esteri, a Estera je u Mordokajevo ime saopći kralju.
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.
Sve se izvidje i otkri se zavjera, pa obojica budu obješena o stup. To se pred kraljem zapisa u knjizi Ljetopisa.
