Esther 3
1 Some time later, King Xerxes (promoted/gave his most important job/work to) Haman, the son of Hammedatha, who was a descendant of [King] Agag. Haman became more important than all his other officials. [Only the king was more important.]
これらの事の後アハシユエロス王アガグ人ハンメダタの子ハマンを貴びこれを高くして己とともにある一切の牧伯の上にその席を定めしむ
2 Then the king commanded that all the other officials had to bow down in front of Haman to honor him [when he walked by]. But Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman.
王の門にある主の諸臣みな跪づきてハマンを拝せり 是は王斯かれになすことを命じたればなり 然れどもモルデカイは跪まづかず又これを拝せざりき
3 The [other] officials [saw that, and they] asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey what the king commanded?”
ここをもて王の門にある王の諸臣モデカイにむかひて言ふ 汝いかなれば王の命に背くやと
4 Mordecai told them that he was a Jew, [and that Jews would bow down only to God]. Day after day the other officials spoke to Mordecai about that, but he still refused to obey. So they told Haman about it, to see if Haman would tolerate it.
かれらモルデカイに日々かく言ふといへども聽ざりければその事の爲をふさるべきか否を見んとてハマンにこれを告たり 其はモルデカイおのれのユダヤ人なることを語りたればなり
5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down to him, he became extremely angry.
ハマン、モルデカイの跪づかずまた己を拝せざるを見たれば ハマン忿怒にたへざりしが
6 [After he found out that Mordecai was a Jew, ] he decided that it would not be enough to get rid of only Mordecai. He decided to kill all the Jews in all the area that Xerxes ruled.
ただモルデカイ一人を殺すは事小さしと思へり彼らモルデカイの屬する民をハマンに顯はしければハマンはアハシユエロスの國の中にある一切のユダヤ人すなはちモルデカイの屬する民をことごとく殺さんと謀れり
7 So, during the twelfth year that Xerxes was ruling, during the month of April, [Haman told his advisors to] (cast lots/throw small marked stones) to determine the best month and the best day to kill the Jews. Haman’s advisors did that, and the day that was selected was March 7th [during the following/next year].
アハシユエロス王の十二年正月即ちニサンの月にハマンの前にて十二月すなはちアダルの月まで一日一日のため一月一月のためにプルを投しむプルは即ち籤なり
8 Then Haman [went to] the king [and] said to [him], “[Your majesty, ] there is a certain group of people who live in many areas [of your empire] whose customs are different from ours. They even refuse to obey your laws. So it would be good for you to get rid of them.
ハマンかくてアハシユエロス王に言けるは御國の各州にある諸民の中に散されて別れ別れになりをる一の民ありその律法は一切の民と異り また王の法律を守らずこの故にこれを容しおくは王の益にあらず
9 If it pleases you, command that they should all be killed. [If you do that, ] I will give (375 tons/750,000 pounds) of silver to your administrators so that you can use it for your government.”
王もしこれを善としたまはば願くは彼らを滅ぼせと書くだしたまへ さらば我王の事をつかさどる者等の手に銀一萬タラントを秤り交して王の府庫に入しめん
10 The king liked [what Haman said, so, and to confirm what he decided], he gave the ring that had his official seal on it to Haman, who now hated the Jews.
王すなはち指環をその手より取はづしアガグ人ハンメダタの子ハマンすなはちユダヤ人の敵たる者に交し
11 The king told Haman, “Keep your money, but do what you want to with those people [whom you talked about]!”
しかしてハマンに言けるはその銀はなんぢに與ふ その民もまた汝にあたふれば汝に善と見ゆるごとく爲よ
12 On April 17th Haman summoned the king’s secretaries, and he dictated a letter to them that they [translated and] wrote to all the governors and administrators and other officials in all the provinces. They wrote copies of the letter in every language and every kind of writing/alphabet that was used in the empire. They wrote that all the Jews, [including] young people and old people, women and children, had to be killed on one day. That day was March 7th of the following year. They also wrote that [those who killed the Jews] could take everything that belonged to the Jews. [They signed] the king’s name [at the end of] the letters. Then they sealed the letters [with wax, and stamped the wax by] using the king’s ring. Then they sent the letters swiftly to every province in the empire,
ここにおいて正月の十三日に王の書記官を召あつめ王に屬する州牧各州の方伯およびもろもろの民の牧伯にハマンが命ぜんとする所をことごとく書しるさしむ 即ちもろもろの州におくるものは其文字をもちひ もろもろの民におくるものはその言語をもちひ おのおのアハシユエロス王の名をもてこれを書き王の指環をもてこれに印したり
しかして驛卒をもて書を王の諸州におくり十二月すなはちアダルの月の十三日において一日の内に一切のユダヤ人を若き者老たる者小兒婦人の差別なくことごとく滅ぼし殺し絶しかつその所有物を奪ふべしと諭しぬ
14 The king [also commanded that] copies of these letters should be [nailed up] where [all the people] could see them, in every province, so that the people would be ready to do on the day the king had set [what was written in the letter].
この詔旨を諸州に傳へてかの日のために準備をなさしめんとてその書る物の寫本を一切の民に開きて示せり
15 Then, according to what the king commanded, men [riding horses] took those letters quickly to every province [in the empire]. And one of the letters was read [aloud to the people] in the capital city, Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down and drank [wine], but the people in Susa were very perplexed [about why this was going to happen].
驛卒王の命によりて急ぎて出ゆきぬ この詔書はシユシヤンの城に於て出されたり かくて王とハマンは坐して酒飮ゐたりしがシユシヤンの邑は惑ひわづらへり
