Esther 9
1 On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the king's order and decree were to be carried out. That day the enemies of the Jews had thought they would crush them, but the exact opposite happened—the Jews crushed their enemies.
Igitur duodecimi mensis, quem Adar vocari ante iam diximus, tertiadecima die, quando cunctis Iudaeis interfectio parabatur, et hostes eorum inhiabant sanguini, versa vice Iudaei superiores esse coeperunt, et se de adversariis vindicare.
2 The Jews gathered in their cities throughout the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those who wanted to destroy them. Nobody could oppose them, because all the other people were afraid of them.
Congregatique sunt per singulas civitates, oppida, et loca ut extenderent manum contra inimicos, et persecutores suos. Nullusque ausus est resistere, eo quod omnes populos magnitudinis eorum formido penetrarat.
3 All the officials of the provinces, the chief officers, the governors, and the king's officials helped the Jews, because they were afraid of Mordecai.
Nam et provinciarum iudices, et duces, et procuratores, omnisque dignitas, quae singulis locis ac operibus praeerat, extollebant Iudaeos timore Mardochaei:
4 Mordecai had a great deal of power in the royal palace, and his reputation spread throughout the provinces as his power increased.
quem principem esse palatii, et plurimum posse cognoverant: fama quoque nominis eius crescebat quotidie, et per cunctorum ora volitabat.
5 The Jews attacked their enemies with swords, killing and destroying them, and they did whatever they wanted to their enemies.
Itaque percusserunt Iudaei inimicos suos plaga magna, et occiderunt eos, reddentes eis quod sibi paraverant facere:
6 In the fortress of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men.
in tantum ut etiam in Susan quingentos viros interficerent, extra decem filios Aman Agagitae hostis Iudaeorum: quorum ista sunt nomina:
7 This included Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,
Pharsandatha, et Delphon, et Esphatha,
8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
et Phoratha, et Adalia, et Aridatha,
9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha,
et Phermesta et Arisai, et Aridai, et Iezatha.
10 the ten sons of Haman, son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, but they did not take their possessions.
Quos cum occidissent, praedas de substantiis eorum agere noluerunt.
11 The same day, when the number of those killed in the fortress of Susa was reported to the king,
Statimque numerus eorum, qui occisi erant in Susan, ad regem relatus est.
12 he said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men in the fortress of Susa, including Haman's ten sons. Imagine what they've done in the rest of the royal provinces! Now what is it you'd like to ask? It will be given to you. What more do you want? It will be granted.”
Qui dixit reginae: In urbe Susan interfecerunt Iudaei quingentos viros, et alios decem filios Aman: quantam putas eos exercere caedem in universis provinciis? Quid ultra postulas, et quid vis ut fieri iubeam?
13 “If it please Your Majesty,” Esther replied, “allow the Jews in Susa be allowed to do the same tomorrow as they did today, following the decree. Also, let the ten sons of Haman be impaled on poles.”
Cui illa respondit: Si regi placet, detur potestas Iudaeis, ut sicut fecerunt hodie in Susan, sic et cras faciant, et decem filii Aman in patibulis suspendantur.
14 The king ordered this to be done. A decree was issued in Susa, and they impaled the bodies of Haman's ten sons.
Praecepitque rex ut ita fieret. Statimque in Susan pependit edictum, et decem filii Aman suspensi sunt.
15 On the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, the Jews in Susa gathered together again and killed three hundred men there, but again they did not take their possessions.
Congregatis Iudaeis quartadecima die mensis Adar, interfecti sunt in Susan trecenti viri: nec eorum ab illis direpta substantia est.
16 The other Jews in the king's provinces also gathered to defend themselves and get rid of their enemies. They killed 75,000 who hated them, but did not touch their possessions.
Sed et per omnes provincias, quae ditioni regis subiacebant, pro animabus suis steterunt Iudaei, interfectis hostibus ac persecutoribus suis: in tantum ut septuagintaquinque millia occisorum implerentur, et nullus de substantiis eorum quidquam contingeret.
17 This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested and made it a day of feasting and celebration.
Dies autem tertiusdecimus mensis Adar primus apud omnes interfectionis fuit, et quartadecima die caedere desierunt. Quem constituerunt esse sollemnem, ut in eo omni tempore deinceps vacarent epulis, gaudio atque conviviis.
18 However, the Jews in Susa had gathered to fight on the thirteenth and the fourteenth days of the month. So they rested on the fifteenth day, and made that a day of feasting and celebration.
At hi, qui in urbe Susan caedem exercuerant, tertiodecimo et quartodecimo die eiusdem mensis in caede versati sunt: quintodecimo autem die percutere desierunt. Et idcirco eundem diem constituerunt sollemnem epularum atque laetitiae.
19 To this day rural Jews, living in the villages, observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day of celebration and feasting, a holiday when they send gifts to one another.
Hi vero Iudaei, qui in oppidis non muratis ac villis morabantur, quartumdecimum diem mensis Adar conviviorum et gaudii decreverunt, ita ut exultent in eo, et mittant sibi mutuo partes epularum et ciborum.
20 Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces ruled by King Xerxes, near and far,
Scripsit itaque Mardochaeus omnia haec, et litteris comprehensa misit ad Iudaeos, qui in omnibus regis provinciis morabantur, tam in vicino positis, quam procul,
21 requiring them to celebrate every year the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar
ut quartamdecimam et quintamdecimam diem mensis Adar pro festis susciperent, et revertente semper anno sollemni celebrarent honore:
22 as the time when the Jews rested from their victory over their enemies, and as the month when their sadness was turned into joy and their mourning into a time of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving gifts of food to one another and presents to the poor.
quia in ipsis diebus se ulti sunt Iudaei de inimicis suis, et luctus atque tristitia in hilaritatem gaudiumque conversa sunt, essentque dies isti epularum atque laetitiae, et mitterent sibi invicem ciborum partes, et pauperibus munuscula largirentur.
23 The Jews agreed to continue what they had already started doing, following what Mordecai had written to them.
Susceperuntque Iudaei in sollemnem ritum cuncta quae eo tempore facere coeperant, et quae Mardochaeus litteris facienda mandaverat.
24 For Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted to destroy the Jews, and had cast “pur” (meaning a “lot”) to crush and destroy them.
Aman enim, filius Amadathi stirpis Agag, hostis et adversarius Iudaeorum, cogitavit contra eos malum, ut occideret illos, atque deleret: et misit phur, quod nostra lingua vertitur in sortem.
25 But when it came to the king's attention, he sent out letters ordering that the evil scheme which Haman had planned against the Jews should rebound on him, and that he and his sons should be impaled on poles.
Et postea ingressa est Esther ad regem, obsecrans ut conatus eius, litteris regis irriti fierent: et malum, quod contra Iudaeos cogitaverat, reverteretur in caput eius. Denique et ipsum et filios eius affixerunt cruci,
26 (That's why these days are called Purim, from the word Pur.) As a result of all the instructions in Mordecai's letter, and what they'd seen, and what had happened to them,
atque ex illo tempore dies isti appellati sunt phurim, id est sortium: eo quod phur, id est sors, in urnam missa fuerit. Et cuncta, quae gesta sunt, epistolae, id est libri huius volumine continentur:
27 the Jews committed themselves to adopt the practice that they and their descendants and all who join them should not forget to celebrate these two days as set down, and at the right time every year.
quaeque sustinuerunt, et quae deinceps immutata sunt, susceperunt Iudaei super se et semen suum, et super cunctos, qui religioni eorum voluerunt copulari, ut nulli liceat duos hos dies absque sollemnitate transigere: quos scriptura testatur, et certa expetunt tempora, annis sibi iugiter succedentibus.
28 These days were to be remembered and celebrated by every generation, family, province, and city, so that these days of Purim would always be observed among the Jews, and they would not be forgotten by their descendants.
Isti sunt dies, quos nulla umquam delebit oblivio: et per singulas generationes cunctae in toto orbe provinciae celebrabunt: nec est ulla civitas, in qua dies phurim, id est sortium, non observentur a Iudaeis, et ab eorum progenie, quae his ceremoniis obligata est.
29 Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, wrote a letter, along with Mordecai the Jew, giving in her letter full authority to Mordecai's letter about Purim.
Scripseruntque Esther regina filia Abihail, et Mardochaeus Iudaeus etiam secundam epistolam, ut omni studio dies ista sollemnis sanciretur in posterum.
30 Letters expressing peace and reassurance were also sent all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the empire of King Xerxes.
et miserunt ad omnes Iudaeos, qui in centum viginti septem provinciis regis Assueri versabantur, ut haberent pacem, et susciperent veritatem,
31 They established these days of Purim at their given time as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had ordered, committing themselves and their descendants to the times of fasting and mourning.
observantes Dies sortium, et suo tempore cum gaudio celebrarent: sicut constituerant Mardochaeus et Esther, et illi observanda susceperunt a se, et a semine suo ieiunia, et clamores, et Sortium dies,
32 In this way Esther's decree confirmed these practices regarding Purim, which were entered in the official record.
et omnia, quae libri huius, qui vocatur Esther, historia continentur.
