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].
Pasadas estas cosas, reposada ya la ira del rey Asuero, acordóse de Vasti, y de lo que hizo, y de lo que fue sentenciado sobre ella.
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.
Y dijeron los criados del rey, sus oficiales: Busquen al rey mozas vírgenes de buen parecer.
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.
Y ponga el rey personas en todas las provincias de su reino, que junten todas las mozas vírgenes de buen parecer en Susán la cabecera del reino, en la casa de las mujeres, en poder de Egeo eunuco del rey, guarda de las mujeres, dándoles sus atavíos.
4 Then the woman who pleases you most can become queen instead of Vashti.” The king liked what they suggested, so he did it.
Y la moza que agradare a los ojos del rey, reine en lugar de Vasti. Y la cosa plugo en ojos del rey, e hízolo así.
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.
Había un varón Judío en Susán la cabecera del reino, cuyo nombre era Mardoqueo, hijo de Jair, hijo de Semeí, hijo de Cis, del linaje de Jemini,
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.
Que había sido traspasado de Jerusalem con los cautivos que fueron traspasados con Jeconías rey de Judá, que hizo traspasar Nabucodonosor rey de Babilonia.
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.
Y había criado a Edisa, que es Ester, hija de su tio, porque no tenía padre ni madre, y era moza hermosa de forma y de buen parecer: y como su padre y su madre murieron, Mardoqueo se la había tomado por hija.
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.
Y fue, que como se divulgó el mandamiento del rey y su ley, y siendo juntadas muchas mozas en Susán la cabecera del reino en poder de Egeo, fue tomada Ester para casa del rey, al cargo de Egeo guarda de las mujeres.
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.
Y aquella moza agradó en sus ojos, y hubo gracia delante de él, e hizo apresurar sus atavíos, y sus raciones para darle; y siete mozas convenientes de la casa del rey para darle: y pasóla con sus mozas a lo mejor de la casa de las mujeres.
10 Esther did not tell anyone that she was a Jew, because Mordecai had told her not to tell anyone.
Ester no declaró su pueblo, ni su nacimiento, porque Mardoqueo le había mandado, que no lo declarase.
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.
Y cada día Mardoqueo se paseaba delante del patio de la casa de las mujeres, por saber cómo iba a Ester, y qué se hacía de ella.
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.
Y como venía el tiempo de cada una de las mozas para venir al rey Asuero, al cabo que tenía ya doce meses según la ley de las mujeres, porque así se cumplía el tiempo de sus atavíos, seis meses con óleo de mirra, y seis meses con cosas aromáticas y afeites de mujeres;
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.
Y con esto la moza venía al rey: todo lo que ella decía, se le daba, para venir con ello de la casa de las mujeres hasta la casa del rey.
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.
Ella venía a la tarde, y a la mañana se volvía a la casa segunda de las mujeres al cargo de Saasgaz eunuco del rey, guarda de las concubinas: no venía más al rey, salvo si el rey la quería: entonces era llamada por nombre.
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.
Y como se llegó el tiempo de Ester, hija de Abihail, tio de Mardoqueo, que él se había tomado por hija, para venir al rey, ninguna cosa procuró, sino lo que dijo Egeo eunuco del rey, guarda de las mujeres: y ganaba Ester la gracia de todos los que la veían.
Y fue Ester llevada al rey Asuero a su casa real en el mes décimo, que es el mes de Tebet, en el año séptimo de su reino.
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.
Y el rey amó a Ester sobre todas las mujeres, y tuvo gracia y misericordia delante de él más que todas las vírgenes: y puso la corona del reino en su cabeza, e hízola reina en lugar de Vasti.
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].
E hizo el rey gran banquete a todos sus príncipes y siervos, el banquete de Ester: e hizo relajación a las provincias; e hizo y dio mercedes conforme a la facultad real.
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.
Y cuando eran juntadas las vírgenes la segunda vez, Mardoqueo estaba asentado a la puerta del rey.
20 But Esther still did not tell anyone that she was a Jew. She continued to do what Mordecai had told her to do.
Y Ester nunca declaró su nación ni su pueblo, como Mardoqueo le mandó: porque Ester hacía lo que decía Mardoqueo, como cuando estaba en crianza con él.
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.
En aquellos días, estando Mardoqueo asentado a la puerta del rey, enojáronse Bagatán y Tares, dos eunucos del rey, de la guarda de la puerta, y procuraban poner mano en el rey Asuero.
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.
Y la cosa fue entendida de Mardoqueo, y él lo denunció a la reina Ester, y Ester lo dijo al rey en nombre de Mardoqueo.
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’.
Y fue inquirida la cosa, y fue hallada; y ambos ellos fueron colgados en la horca: y fue escrito en el libro de las cosas de los tiempos delante del rey.
