< Esther 9 >

1 The first law that the king had commanded was to be made effective on March 7th. On that day the enemies of the Jews hoped to get rid of them. But instead, on that same day the Jews defeated their enemies.
Ngelanga letshumi lantathu ngenyanga yetshumi lambili, inyanga ethiwa ngu-Adari, isimemezelo somlayo wenkosi kwakufanele senziwe. Ngalelilanga izitha zamaJuda zazisithi zizakuwanqoba, kodwa akusayanga njengokucabangela kwabo ngoba amaJuda aba yiwo anqobayo.
2 Throughout the empire, the Jews gathered together in their cities to attack those who wanted to get rid of them. No one could fight against the Jews, because all the other people in the areas where the Jews lived were afraid of them, [so they did not want to help anyone who attacked the Jews].
AmaJuda abuthana emadolobheni awo kuzozonke izabelo zeNkosi u-Ahasuweru ukuhlasela labo ababefuna ukubachitha. Kakho owayengamelana labo, ngoba abantu bezizwe zonke ezinye babebesaba.
3 All the governors and [other] officials and important people in all the provinces helped the Jews, because they were afraid of Mordecai.
Ngakho zonke izikhulu zezabelo, iziphathamandla, ababusi kanye lezisebenzi zenkosi bancedisa amaJuda, ngoba besesaba uModekhayi.
4 They were afraid of him because in all the provinces [they knew that] Mordecai was now the king’s most important official, [with the authority that Haman previously had]. Mordecai was becoming more famous because [the king was giving him] more and more power.
UModekhayi wayesengumuntu omkhulu esigodlweni; udumo lwakhe lwamemetheka kuzozonke izabelo, waba lamandla amakhulu kakhulu.
5 [On March 7th, ] the Jews attacked and killed with their swords all of their enemies. They did whatever they wanted to do, to the people who hated them.
AmaJuda acakaza izitha zawo zonke ngenkemba, enza intando yawo ezitheni ezaziwazonda.
6 [Just] in Susa alone, the capital city, they killed 500 people.
Esigodlweni saseSusa, amaJuda abulala njalo achitha amadoda angamakhulu amahlanu.
7 Among those whom they killed were the ten sons of Haman. [Their names were] Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,
Abulala njalo uPharishandatha, uDalifoni, u-Asiphatha,
8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
uPhoratha, u-Adaliya, u-Aridatha,
9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha.
uPharimashitha, u-Arisayi, u-Aridayi loVayizatha,
10 Those were grandsons of Hammedatha and sons of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. The Jews killed them, but they did not take the things that belonged to the people whom they killed.
amadodana alitshumi kaHamani indodana kaHamedatha, isitha samaJuda. Kodwa abazange bayithathe impango.
11 [At the end of] that day someone reported to the king the number of people whom the Jews killed in Susa.
Inani lalabo ababulawayo esigodlweni saseSusa labikwa enkosini ngalelolanga.
12 Then the king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed 500 people here in Susa, including the ten sons of Haman! [So I think that] they must have killed many more people in the rest of my empire [RHQ]! [But okay], now what else do you want me to do for you. You tell me, and I will do it.”
Inkosi yathi eNdlovukazini u-Esta, “AmaJuda asebulale njalo achitha amadoda angamakhulu amahlanu kanye lamadodana kaHamani alitshumi enqabeni yaseSusa. Kuyini asebekwenze kwezinye izabelo zenkosi? Tshono, siyini isicelo sakho? Uzakunikwa. Kuyini okucelayo na? Lakho uzakwenzelwa.”
13 Esther replied, “If it pleases you, allow the Jews here in Susa to do again tomorrow what [you] commanded [them] to do today. And command that the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows/poles.”
U-Esta wathi, “Nxa kuyithokozisa inkosi, phana imvumo kubaJuda abaseSusa ukuthi benze isimiso somlayo lo kusasa njalo uvumele ukuba amadodana kaHamani alitshumi alengiswe esakhiweni sokulengisa.”
14 So the king commanded that the Jews be permitted to kill more of their enemies the next day. After he issued [another] order in Susa, the bodies of Haman’s ten sons were hanged.
Inkosi yalaya ukuba kwenziwe lokho. Isimiso somlayo samenyezelwa eSusa, alengiswa amadodana kaHamani alitshumi.
15 On the next day, the Jews in Susa gathered together and killed 300 more people. But [again, ] they did not take the things that belonged to the people whom they killed.
AmaJuda aseSusa ahlangana ndawonye ngelanga letshumi lane ngenyanga ethiwa ngu-Adari, abulala amadoda angamakhulu amathathu eSusa, kodwa abazange bayithinte impango.
16 That happened on March 8th. On the following day, the Jews [in Susa] rested and celebrated. In all the other provinces, the Jewish people gathered together to defend themselves, and they killed 75,000 people who hated them, but [again] they did not take the things that belonged to the people whom they killed.
Kusenjalo, amaJuda ayesele ezabelweni zenkosi ahlangana ukuba azivikele lokuthi athole ukuphumula ezitheni zawo. Abulala izinkulungwane ezingamatshumi ayisikhombisa lanhlanu kodwa kawazange ayithinte impango.
17 That occurred on March 7th, and on the following day they rested and celebrated.
Lokhu kwenzakala ngelanga letshumi lantathu ngenyanga ethiwa ngu-Adari, kwathi ngelanga letshumi lane aphumula alenza ilanga lentokozo ledili.
18 After the Jews in Susa gathered together [and killed their enemies] on March 7th and 8th, they rested and celebrated on March 9th.
AmaJuda aseSusa wona ayehlangene ngelanga letshumi lantathu leletshumi lane, kwathi ngeletshumi lanhlanu aphumula alenza laba lilanga lentokozo lokudla.
19 That is why [every year], on March 8th, the Jews who live in villages now celebrate [defeating their enemies]. They have feasts and give gifts [of food] to each other.
Yikho amaJuda ahlala emaphandleni lemizini engelamithangala ethakazelela usuku lwetshumi lane olwenyanga ka-Adari njengelanga lentokozo ledili, ilanga lokuphana izipho.
20 Mordecai wrote down all the things that had happened. Then he sent letters to the Jews who lived throughout the empire of King Xerxes.
UModekhayi wabhala ngalezizinto, wasethumela izincwadi kuwo wonke amaJuda kuzozonke izabelo zeNkosi u-Ahasuweru, eziseduze lezikhatshana,
21 He told them that every year they should celebrate on the 8th and 9th of March,
ukuthi babeledili lokuthokoza minyaka yonke ngamalanga etshumi lane letshumi lanhlanu enyangeni ethiwa ngu-Adari
22 because those were the days when the Jews got rid of their enemies. He also told them that they should celebrate on those days by feasting and giving gifts [of food] to each other and to poor people. They would remember it as the month in which they changed from being very sorrowful to being very joyful, from crying to celebrating.
kube yisikhumbuzo sesikhathi lapho amaJuda athola khona ukuphumula ezitheni zawo, njalo kuyinyanga lapho usizi lwaba yintokozo lokulila kwaba lilanga lokujabula. Wawabhalela ukuba akhumbule lawo malanga abe zinsuku zokuthokoza lamadili njalo aphanane izipho zokudla kanye lokupha abayanga izipho.
23 So the Jews agreed to do what Mordecai wrote. They agreed to celebrate on those days [every year].
Ngakho amaJuda avuma ukuqhubeka ngamadili entokozo ayewaqalile, esenza lokho uModekhayi ayewabhalele ngakho.
24 They would remember how Haman, son of Hammedatha, a descendant of [King] Agag, became an enemy of all the Jews. [They would remember] how he had made an evil plan to kill the Jews, and that he had (cast lots/thrown small marked stones) to choose the day to kill [DOU] them.
Ngoba uHamani indodana kaHamedatha, umʼAgagi, isitha samaJuda wonke, wayecebe ukuwachitha amaJuda njalo wayenze inkatho okuthiwa yiphuri eyadala ukubhujiswa lencithakalo yawo.
25 [They would remember] that when Esther told the king about Haman’s plan, the king arranged that the evil plan that Haman had made to kill the Jews would fail, and that he [would be killed] instead of the Jews, and that Haman and that his sons were hanged.
Kodwa kwathi icebo lelo selivelile enkosini, yathumela imilayo ebhaliweyo ukuthi amaqhinga amabi kaHamani ayekade ewamisele amaJuda acine esephendukela yena, njalo yena lamadodana akhe balengiswe endaweni eyakhelwe lokho.
26 [Because the (lot/small marked stone) that Haman threw was called] Pur, the Jews called these days Purim. And, because of everything that ([Mordecai] wrote/was written) in that letter, and because of all that happened to them,
(Ngakho amalanga lawo athiwa yiPhurimi, kusuka ebizweni elithi phuri.) Ngenxa yakho konke okubhalwe encwadini le lakho konke ababekubonile lokwakwenzakale kubo,
27 the Jews [throughout the empire] agreed to celebrate in that manner on those two days every year. They said that they would tell their descendants and those people who became Jews to be certain to celebrate this festival every year. They should celebrate just as [Mordecai] told them to do [in the letter] that he wrote.
amaJuda akwenza umlandu wawo ukuthi aqalise umkhuba wokuthi wona kanye lezizukulwane zawo labo bonke abahlanganyela lawo kumele loba kutheni baphumule ngezinsuku lezi ezimbili minyaka yonke, ngendlela eyayimisiwe langesikhathi esasiqanjiwe.
28 They said that they would remember and celebrate on those two days every year, in each family, in every city, and in every province. They solemnly declared that they and their descendants would never stop remembering and celebrating those days called Purim.
Amalanga la kumele akhunjulwe njalo alandelwe kuzozonke izizukulwane zezimuli zonke, ezifundeni zonke lemadolobheni wonke. Akumelanga amalanga ePhurimi la ayekelwe ukuthakazelelwa ngamaJuda, loba ukuthi isikhumbuzo sawo sikhohlakale kumbe sitshabalale kuzizukulwane zawo.
29 Then Mordecai and Queen Esther, who was the daughter of Abihail, wrote a second letter about the Purim feast. Esther used the authority that she had because of being the queen to confirm that what Mordecai had written in the first letter was true.
Ngakho, iNdlovukazi u-Esta, indodakazi ka-Abhihayili, kanye loModekhayi umJuda, babhala ngegunya langamandla amakhulu beqinisekisa incwadi yesibili eyayimayelana lePhurimi.
30 What they wrote [in the second letter] was, “We wish that all of you will be living peacefully and safely/righteously. We want you and your descendants to celebrate Purim each year on the days that we two established, and to do the things that we two told you to do.” In that letter, Queen Esther and Mordecai also gave them instructions about (fasting/abstaining from eating food) and being sorrowful. Then copies of that letter were sent to all the Jews who were living in the 127 provinces of the empire.
UModekhayi wathumela izincwadi kubo bonke abangamaJuda ezifundeni ezilikhulu elilamatshumi amabili lesikhombisa embusweni ka-Ahasuweru, amazwi okubafisela ukuthula lokubaqinisa,
ukuba lezinsuku zePhurimi ngezikhathi ezazimisiwe, njengokumemezela kukaModekhayi umJuda leNdlovukazi u-Esta, lanjengalokhu ababeziqalisele khona kanye lezizukulwane zabo mayelana lezikhathi zokuzila lokulila.
32 The letter that Esther wrote about the manner in which they should celebrate the Purim feast was also written in an official record.
Isimemezelo sika-Esta saqinisa imithetho le emayelana lePhurimi, kwalotshwa phansi emibhalweni.

< Esther 9 >