< Esther 2 >

1 After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus was pacified, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her.
Thuutha ũcio rĩrĩa marakara ma Mũthamaki Ahasuerusu maahoorerire, akĩririkana Vashiti na ũrĩa eekĩte, o na ũrĩa aamũtuĩrĩire eekwo.
2 Then the king’s servants who served him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king.
Hĩndĩ ĩyo ndungata iria ciatungatagĩra mũthamaki we mwene ikiuga atĩrĩ, “Mũthamaki nĩacarĩrio airĩtu gathirange ethĩ na ciĩrorerwa.
3 Let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the beautiful young virgins to the citadel of Susa, to the women’s house, to the custody of Hegai the king’s eunuch, keeper of the women. Let cosmetics be given them;
Mũthamaki nĩathuure anene mabũrũri-inĩ mothe marĩa aathanaga marehe airĩtu acio othe ciĩrorerwa nyũmba-inĩ ĩrĩa ĩtũũragwo nĩ andũ-a-nja thĩinĩ wa nyũmba ya ũthamaki kũu gĩikaro kĩrĩa kĩirigĩre gĩa Shushani. Nao nĩmamenyagĩrĩrwo nĩ Hegai, ndungata ĩrĩa hakũre ya mũthamaki ĩrĩa yarũgamagĩrĩra andũ-a-nja acio; ningĩ maheo indo cia gwĩthakaria nacio.
4 and let the maiden who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” The thing pleased the king, and he did so.
Thuutha ũcio mũirĩtu ũrĩa ũgaakenia mũthamaki nĩagatuĩka mũtumia wa mũthamaki ithenya rĩa Vashiti.” Mataaro macio magĩkenia mũthamaki, nake akĩmarũmĩrĩra.
5 There was a certain Jew in the citadel of Susa whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite,
Na rĩrĩ, thĩinĩ wa nyũmba ya ũthamaki kũu gĩikaro kĩrĩa kĩirigĩre gĩa Shushani, nĩ kwarĩ na Mũyahudi wa mũhĩrĩga wa Benjamini wetagwo Moridekai mũrũ wa Jairũ, mũrũ wa Shimei, mũrũ wa Kishu,
6 who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.
nake aatahĩtwo kuuma Jerusalemu nĩ Nebukadinezaru mũthamaki wa Babuloni, arĩ ũmwe wa andũ arĩa maatahanĩirio na Jekonia, mũthamaki wa Juda.
7 He brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter; for she had neither father nor mother. The maiden was fair and beautiful; and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter.
Moridekai aarĩ na mwarĩ wa ithe mũnini wetagwo Hadasa, ũrĩa aarerete tondũ ndaarĩ na ithe kana nyina. Mũirĩtu ũcio, ũrĩa ningĩ wetagwo Esiteri, aarĩ kĩĩrorerwa mwĩrĩ na ũthiũ akĩonwo, nake Moridekai akĩmuoya akĩmũrera o ta mwarĩ thuutha wa ithe na nyina gũkua.
8 So, when the king’s commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together to the citadel of Susa, to the custody of Hegai, Esther was taken into the king’s house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.
Rĩrĩa watho ũcio wa mũthamaki wanĩrĩirwo-rĩ, airĩtu aingĩ nĩmarehirwo thĩinĩ wa nyũmba ya ũthamaki kũu gĩikaro kĩrĩa kĩirigĩre gĩa Shushani, na maamenyagĩrĩrwo nĩ Hegai. Esiteri o nake nĩatwarirwo kũu nyũmba ĩyo ya mũthamaki na akĩĩhokerwo Hegai, ũrĩa warũgamĩrĩire nyũmba ĩrĩa yatũũragwo nĩ andũ-a-nja.
9 The maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness from him. He quickly gave her cosmetics and her portions of food, and the seven choice maidens who were to be given her out of the king’s house. He moved her and her maidens to the best place in the women’s house.
Mũirĩtu ũcio nĩamũkenirie na akĩendeka nĩwe. O hĩndĩ ĩyo akĩmũhe indo cia gwĩthakaria nacio o na akĩmũhe irio cia mwanya. Ningĩ akĩmũhe ndungata mũgwanja cia airĩtu, arĩa maathuurĩtwo kuuma nyũmba-inĩ ya mũthamaki na akĩmũthaamia marĩ hamwe na ndungata icio ciake cia airĩtu akĩmũtwara handũ harĩa hega mũno kũu nyũmba-inĩ ĩyo yatũũragwo nĩ andũ-a-nja.
10 Esther had not made known her people nor her relatives, because Mordecai had instructed her that she should not make it known.
Esiteri ndoimbũrĩte rũrĩrĩ rwake kana kĩhumo kĩa nyũmba yao, tondũ Moridekai nĩamũtaarĩte akamwĩra ndageke ũguo.
11 Mordecai walked every day in front of the court of the women’s house, to find out how Esther was doing, and what would become of her.
O mũthenya Moridekai nĩaceerangaga hau nja ya nyũmba ĩyo yatũũragwo nĩ andũ-a-nja, nĩguo amenye ũrĩa Esiteri aikaraga, na ũrĩa aathiiaga na mbere.
12 Each young woman’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after her purification for twelve months (for so were the days of their purification accomplished, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet fragrances and with preparations for beautifying women).
Mbere ya o mũirĩtu kũgĩa na mweke wa gũthiĩ kũrĩ Mũthamaki Ahasuerusu, aaniinaga mĩeri ikũmi na ĩĩrĩ ya gwĩthakaria ĩrĩa yaathanĩtwo ĩikaragwo nĩ airĩtu acio, ĩtandatũ ya kwĩhaka maguta ma manemane, na ĩtandatũ ya kwĩhaka maguta manungi wega na indo ingĩ cia kwĩhaka.
13 The young woman then came to the king like this: whatever she desired was given her to go with her out of the women’s house to the king’s house.
O mũirĩtu aarĩ athiĩ harĩ mũthamaki ta ũũ: Nĩaheagwo kĩndũ kĩrĩa gĩothe angĩendire gwĩkuuĩra kuuma nyũmba ĩyo yatũũragwo nĩ andũ-a-nja gĩa gũthiĩ nakĩo nyũmba-inĩ ya mũthamaki.
14 In the evening she went, and on the next day she returned into the second women’s house, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch, who kept the concubines. She came in to the king no more, unless the king delighted in her, and she was called by name.
Hwaĩ-inĩ aathiiaga agatoonya kuo, na rũciinĩ agacooka mwena ũngĩ wa nyũmba ĩyo yatũũragwo nĩ andũ-a-nja, nakuo kũu akamenyagĩrĩrwo nĩ Shaashagazu, ndungata ĩrĩa yarĩ hakũre ya mũthamaki, ĩrĩa yehokeirwo thuriya cia mũthamaki. Ndangĩacookire rĩngĩ kũrĩ mũthamaki tiga o mũthamaki akenirio nĩwe amũtũmanĩre na rĩĩtwa rĩake.
15 Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, came to go in to the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the keeper of the women, advised. Esther obtained favour in the sight of all those who looked at her.
Ihinda rĩa Esiteri rĩakinya (mũirĩtu ũrĩa Moridekai aarerete taarĩ mwarĩ, ũrĩa warĩ mwarĩ wa ithe mũkũrũ Abihaili) rĩa gũthiĩ kũrĩ mũthamaki, ndaigana gwĩtia kĩndũ o nakĩ, tiga o kĩrĩa Hegai ndungata ĩyo yarĩ hakũre ya mũthamaki, mũrori wa nyũmba ĩyo yatũũragwo nĩ andũ-a-nja, aamwĩrire akuue. Nake Esiteri nĩetĩkĩrĩkaga nĩ mũndũ o wothe wamuonaga.
16 So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus into his royal house in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
Nake Esiteri agĩtwarwo kũrĩ Mũthamaki Ahasuerusu kũu nyũmba-inĩ ya ũthamaki mweri-inĩ wa ikũmi, mweri wa Tebethu, mwaka-inĩ wa mũgwanja wa wathani wake.
17 The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she obtained favour and kindness in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown on her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.
Na rĩrĩ, mũthamaki nĩaguucĩrĩirio nĩ Esiteri gũkĩra andũ-a-nja acio angĩ othe, nake agĩĩtĩkĩrĩka nĩwe gũkĩra airĩtu acio angĩ gathirange othe. Nĩ ũndũ ũcio akĩoya tanji ya ũnene, akĩmwĩkĩra mũtwe, akĩmũtua mũtumia wa mũthamaki ithenya rĩa Vashiti.
18 Then the king made a great feast for all his princes and his servants, even Esther’s feast; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces, and gave gifts according to the king’s bounty.
Nake mũthamaki akĩrugithia iruga inene mũno, iruga rĩa Esiteri, agĩĩta andũ ake othe arĩa maarĩ igweta na anene. Mabũrũri-inĩ mothe mũthamaki akĩanĩrĩra thigũkũ na akĩheana iheo kũringana na ũtaana wa ũthamaki.
19 When the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting in the king’s gate.
Rĩrĩa airĩtu acio gathirange moonganirio ihinda rĩa keerĩ, Moridekai aikarĩte hau kĩhingo-inĩ kĩa mũciĩ wa mũthamaki.
20 Esther had not yet made known her relatives nor her people, as Mordecai had commanded her; for Esther obeyed Mordecai, like she did when she was brought up by him.
No Esiteri ndoimbũrĩte kĩhumo kĩa nyũmba yao kana kĩa rũrĩrĩ rwake, o ta ũrĩa Moridekai aamũtaarĩte, nĩgũkorwo aathiire na mbere kũrũmĩrĩra mataaro ma Moridekai o ta ũrĩa ekaga rĩrĩa aareragwo nĩwe.
21 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting in the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, who were doorkeepers, were angry, and sought to lay hands on the King Ahasuerus.
Ihinda rĩu Moridekai aikaraga kĩhingo-inĩ kĩa mũciĩ wa mũthamaki, Bigithana na Tereshu, anene eerĩ arĩa meehokeirwo kũrũgamĩrĩra kĩhingo kĩa nyũmba ya mũthamaki, nĩmarakarire, na makĩgĩa na ndundu ya kũũraga Mũthamaki Ahasuerusu.
22 This thing became known to Mordecai, who informed Esther the queen; and Esther informed the king in Mordecai’s name.
Nowe Moridekai akĩmenya ũhoro wa ndundu ĩyo na akĩĩra Esiteri, mũtumia ũcio wa mũthamaki, nake Esiteri akĩĩra mũthamaki ũhoro ũcio, na akiuga nĩ Moridekai ũmwĩrĩte.
23 When this matter was investigated, and it was found to be so, they were both hanged on a gallows; and it was written in the book of the chronicles in the king’s presence.
Na rĩrĩa ũhoro ũcio watuĩririo na ũkĩoneka atĩ warĩ wa ma, anene acio eerĩ magĩcuurio mũtĩ igũrũ. Ũhoro ũcio wothe nĩwandĩkĩirwo hau mbere ya mũthamaki ibuku-inĩ rĩa maũndũ marĩa meekĩkĩte ihinda rĩu.

< Esther 2 >