< Ester 2 >

1 Kalpasan dagitoy a banbanag, idi bimmaawen ti pungtot ni Ari Ahasuero, nalagipna ni Vasti ken ti inaramidna. Nalagipna met ti maipapan iti bilin nga inaramidna a maibusor kenkuana.
Some time later, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered what Vashti had done and what had been decreed against her.
2 Ket kinuna dagiti agtutubo a lallaki nga agserserbi kenkuana, “Iti biang iti ari, adda koma maaramid a panagbirok kadagiti napipintas a birhen a babbalasang.
Then the king’s servants who waited upon him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king,
3 Mangdutok koma ti ari kadagiti opisial kadagiti amin a probinsia iti pagarianna, a mangummong kadagiti amin a napipintas a birhen a babbalasang idiay harem iti palasio iti Susa. Maipaaywanda koma kenni Hegai, nga opisial ti ari, nga isu iti agay-aywan kadagiti babbai, ket bay-am isuna a mangted kadakuada kadagiti pagpapintas.
and let the king appoint commissioners to all the provinces of his kingdom to gather them all to Susa the royal residence. Let them be brought into the women’s quarters under the custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who has charge of the women. Then give them what is needed to make them beautiful,
4 Ti balasang a makaay-ayo iti ari ti agbalin a reyna a kasukat ni Vasti.” Daytoy a balakad ket nagustoan iti ari, ket inaramidna ngarud daytoy.
and let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” The proposal pleased the king so he put it into action.
5 Adda maysa a Judio iti siudad ti Susa nga agnagan iti Mardokeo a putot a lalaki ni Jair a puto a lalaki ni Simei a puto a lalaki ni Kis, a Benjamita.
In Susa the royal residence lived a Jew named Mordecai. He was son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjamite.
6 Naiyadayo isuna iti Jerusalem ta nairaman isuna kadagiti naitalaw a kas balud a kaduada Jehoiakim nga ari ti Juda, nga intalaw ni Nebucadnesar nga ari ti Babylonia.
(Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem with the exiles who were deported with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon took captive.)
7 Inay-aywananna ni Hadassa, dayta ket ni Ester, a puto a babai ti ulitegna, gapu ta awan ti ama wenno inana. Napintas ti pammagi ti balasang ken makaay-ayo ti langana. Inbilang isuna ni Mardokeo a kas bukodna a putot a babai.
Mordecai had adopted Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, since she had neither father nor mother. The girl was shapely and beautiful; and after her father and mother died, Mordecai raised her as if she was his own daughter.
8 Idi a naipakaammo ti bilin ken linteg ti ari, adu a babbalasang ti naiyeg iti palasio ti Susa. Naipaaywanda kenni Hegai. Naipan met ni Ester iti palasio ti ari ken naipaaywan kenni Hegai, ti mangay-aywan kadagiti babbai.
When the king’s command and decree were known, many girls were gathered together to Susa the capital under the custody of Hegai. Esther was also taken into the king’s palace and placed under the custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women.
9 Naay-ayo ti balasang ni Hegai, ket nagun-odna ti paborna. Dagus nga impaayanna kadagiti pagpapintas ken iti bingayna a taraon. Nangidutok isuna kenkuana kadagiti pito nga adipen a babbai a naggapo iti palasio ti ari, ket inkabilna isuna ken dagiti adipen a babbai iti kasasayaatan a paset iti balay dagiti babbai.
The girl pleased him and gained his favor, so that he quickly gave her the cosmetics she needed to enhance her beauty and her allowance of food and the seven maids selected from the king’s household. He also transferred her and her maids to the best place in the harem.
10 Awan ti siasinoman a nangibagaan ni Ester no siasino dagiti tattao wenno kakabagianna, ta imbilin kenkuana ni Mardokeo a saanna nga ibagbaga.
Esther had not revealed her people nor her family background because Mordecai had ordered her not to.
11 Inaldaw nga agsubli subli ni Mardokeo iti paraangan ti balay dagiti babbai, tapno maamoanna no ania ti mapaspasamak kenni Ester, ken no ania iti mabalin a maaramid kenkuana.
Every day Mordecai would to walk in front of the courtyard of the harem and ask after Esther’s health and what was happening to her.
12 Idi dimteng ti batang ti tunggal babai a mapan kenni Ari Ahasuero—kas panagtulnog kadagiti annuruten para kadagiti babbai, lippasen ti tunggal babai ti sangapulo ket dua a bulan a panagpapintas, innem a bulan nga agusarda iti lana ti mira, ken innem a bulan nga agusarda ti pabanglo ken pagpapintas—
The girls were prepared for meeting King Ahasuerus for twelve months: six months being treated with oil of myrrh and six months with perfumes and cosmetics. After the twelve months,
13 inton mapan ti balasang iti ayan ti ari, maipaay kenkuana aniaman a tarigagayanna manipud iti balay dagiti babbai, nga itugotna iti palasio.
each girl went in to the king. She was allowed to take with her whatever she wished from the women’s quarters,
14 Sumrek isuna iti rabii, ket iti kabigatanna agsubli isuna iti maikadua a balay dagiti babbai, ken iti panangaywan ni Saasgas, ti opisial iti ari, a mangay- aywan kadagiti assawa iti ari. Saan isuna nga agsubli iti ari malaksid no naliwliwa kenkuana ti ari ket paayabanna manen isuna.
and would enter the palace in the evening and return the next morning to another part of the harem under the care of the king’s eunuch Shaashgaz who was in charge of concubines. She would not go to the king again unless he desired her and summoned her by name.
15 Ita dimteng ti tiempo ni Ester (putot a babai ni Abihail, ti uliteg ni Mardokeo, a nangala kenkuana a kas bukodna a putot a babai) a mapan iti ayan ti ari, awan iti aniaman a kiniddawna no di, ti insingasing ni Hegai nga opisial ti ari a mangay-aywan kadagiti babbai. Ita nagun-od ni Ester ti pabor dagiti amin a nakakita kenkuana.
When it was the turn of Esther (the girl adopted by Mordecai, daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go in to the king, she only took with her those things that Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the women, had advised her to take. Esther was liked by all who saw her.
16 Naiyeg ni Ester iti pagtaengan ni Ari Ahasuero iti maikasangapulo a bulan, a bulan ti Tebeth, iti maikapito a tawen iti panagturayna.
Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus in the royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 Inayat ti ari ni Ester a nalablabes ngem kadagiti amin a babbai, ket nagun-od ni Ester ti pabor ken panagayat iti sangoanan ti ari, a nalablabes ngem kadagiti amin a birhen, isu nga inkabil ti ari ti korona ti reyna iti ulo ni Ester ket insaad ti ari ni Ester a reyna a kasukat ni Vasti.
And the king loved her more than all the other women, and she became his favorite and won his affection. He placed the royal diadem on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
18 Nangangay ti ari iti dakkel a padaya para kadagiti amin nga opisial ken kadagiti adipenna, “Padaya ni Ester,” ket impaayna ti tulong kadagiti probinsia manipud kadagiti naibayad a buis. Nangited pay isuna kadagiti sagut a nabuyugan iti kinaimbag.
Then the king gave a great feast to all his officials and courtiers in honor of Esther, and he remitted the taxes of the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.
19 Ita, idi sangsangkamaysa a naummong manen dagiti birhen iti maikadua a tiempo, nakatugaw ni Mardokeo iti ruangan ti palasio ti ari.
All the time the virgins were assembled again, Mordecai was sitting as an offical at the king’s gate.
20 Saan pay nga imbaga ni Ester iti siasinoman iti maipanggep kadagiti kakabagianna wenno tattaona, a kas imbilin ni Mardokeo kenkuana. Intuloyna a tinungpal ti balakad ni Mardokeo, a kas inaramidna idi inaywananna isuna.
Esther had not revealed her people or family background because she still obeyed him as she had when he was bringing her up.
21 Kadagidiay nga al-aldaw, kabayatan nga agtugtugaw ni Mardokeo iti ruangan ti palasio ti ari, dua kadagiti opisyal ti ari ti nakaunget, da Bigtana ken Teres, a mangbanbantay iti ruangan iti ari, ket pinanggepda a dangran ni Ari Ahasuero.
In those days while Mordecai was sitting in the king’s gate, two of the royal court attendants, Bigthan and Teresh, who guarded the entrance of the palace, became enraged and attempted to kill King Ahasuerus.
22 Idi naiparangarang dayta a banag kenni Mardokeo, imbagana kenni Reyna Ester, ket nakisarita ni Ester iti ari babaen iti nagan ni Mardokeo.
But Mordecai learned of the conspiracy and disclosed it to Queen Esther, and she told the king on Mordecai’s behalf.
23 Nasukimat ken napaneknekan ti damag, ket nabitay nga agpada dagiti dua a lallaki. Naisurat ti pasamak Iti Libro Iti Pakasaritaan iti imatang iti ari.
When the affair was investigated and the facts discovered, the conspirators were both hanged on the gallows. The incident was recorded in the presence of the king in the daily record of events.

< Ester 2 >