Esther 2
1 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].
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 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.
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 [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.
願はくは王御國の各州において官吏を擇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淨の物をこれに與へたまへ
4 Then the woman who pleases you most can become queen instead of Vashti.” The king liked what they suggested, so he did it.
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 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.
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曰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 [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.
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 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.
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 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.
王の命令と詔言の聞え傳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れ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 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.
この女子ヘガイの意にかなひて之が惠を受たり即はちヘガイすみやかに之に潔淨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擧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 did not tell anyone that she was a Jew, because Mordecai had told her not to tell anyone.
エステルはおのれの民をもおのれの宗族をも顯はさざりき其はモルデカイこれを顯はすなかれと彼に言ふくめたればなり
11 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.
またモルデカイはエステルの模樣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 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.
女子はおのおの婦人の則にしたがひて十二ヶ月を經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淨の日を終るはかくのごとくなるが故なり 即ち沒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淨ごとにあつる物等を用ふること六ヶ月
13 Then, when one of these women [was summoned to] go to the king, she was allowed to wear whatever clothes and jewelry she chose.
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 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.
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屬す王これを喜こびて名をさして召すにあらざれば重ねて王にいたることなし
15 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.
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
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 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.
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 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].
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 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.
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 But Esther still did not tell anyone that she was a Jew. She continued to do what Mordecai had told her to do.
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顯はさざりき エステル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 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.
當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 heard about what they were planning, and he told that to Queen Esther. Then she told the king what Mordecai had found out.
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 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’.
ここにおいて此事をしらべさせしにその然ること顯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
