Esther Becomes Queen
1 After a while, King Xerxes got over being angry. But he kept thinking about what Vashti had done and the law that he had written because of her. 2 Then the king's personal servants said:
Your Majesty, a search must be made to find you some beautiful young women. 3 You can select officers in every province to bring them to the place where you keep your wives in the capital city of Susa. Put your servant Hegai in charge of them since that is his job. He can see to it that they are given the proper beauty treatments. 4 Then let the young woman who pleases you most take Vashti's place as queen.
King Xerxes liked these suggestions, and he followed them.
5 At this time a Jew named Mordecai was living in Susa. His father was Jair, and his grandfather Shimei was the son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. 6 Kish was one of the people that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem, when he took King Jeconiah of Judah to Babylonia.
7 Mordecai had a very beautiful cousin named Esther, whose Hebrew name was Hadassah. He had raised her as his own daughter, after her father and mother died. 8 When the king ordered the search for beautiful women, many were taken to the king's palace in Susa, and Esther was one of them.
Hegai was put in charge of all the women, 9 and from the first day, Esther was his favorite. He began her beauty treatments at once. He also gave her plenty of food and seven special maids from the king's palace, and they had the best rooms.
10 Mordecai had warned Esther not to tell anyone that she was a Jew, and she obeyed him. 11 He was anxious to see how Esther was getting along and to learn what had happened to her. So each day he would walk back and forth in front of the court where the women lived.
12 The young women were given beauty treatments for one whole year. The first six months their skin was rubbed with olive oil and myrrh, and the last six months it was treated with perfumes and cosmetics. Then each of them spent the night alone with King Xerxes. 13 When a young woman went to the king, she could wear whatever clothes or jewelry she chose from the women's living quarters. 14 In the evening she would go to the king, and the following morning she would go to the place where his wives stayed after being with him. There a man named Shaashgaz was in charge of the king's wives. Only the ones the king wanted and asked for by name could go back to the king.
15-16 Xerxes had been king for seven years when Esther's turn came to go to him during Tebeth, the tenth month of the year. Everyone liked Esther. The king's personal servant Hegai was in charge of the women, and Esther trusted Hegai and asked him what she ought to take with her.
17 Xerxes liked Esther more than he did any of the other young women. None of them pleased him as much as she did, and he immediately fell in love with her and crowned her queen in place of Vashti. 18 In honor of Esther he gave a big dinner for his leaders and officials. Then he declared a holiday everywhere in his kingdom and gave expensive gifts.
Mordecai Saves the King's Life
19 When the young women were brought together again, Esther's cousin Mordecai had become a palace official. 20 He had told Esther never to tell anyone that she was a Jew, and she obeyed him, just as she had always done.
21 Bigthana and Teresh were the two men who guarded King Xerxes' rooms, but they got angry with the king and decided to kill him. 22 Mordecai found out about their plans and asked Queen Esther to tell the king what he had found out. 23 King Xerxes learned that Mordecai's report was true, and he had the two men hanged. Then the king had all of this written down in his record book as he watched.
أستير ملكة
1 وبَعدَ حينٍ سكَنَ غضَبُ المَلِكِ أحشويروشَ وتذَكَّرَ وَشْتي وما فعَلَت وما حكَمَ بهِ علَيها، 2 فقالَ لَه نُدَماؤُهُ المُقَرَّبونَ إليهِ: «ليأمُرِ المَلِكُ فيُختارَ لَه فتَياتٌ عذارى حِسانُ المَنظَرِ، 3 وليَقُمْ وُكلاءُ في جميعِ أقاليمِ مَملكتِهِ ليَجمَعوا كُلَّ الفَتَياتِ الحِسانِ المَنظَرِ إلى دارِ النِّساءِ في شُوشَنَ العاصمةِ، تَحتَ سُلطَةِ هَيجايَ خَصيِّ المَلِكِ وحارِسِ النِّساءِ، وليُعْطِهِنَّ لَوازِمَ الزِّينةِ، 4 والفتاةُ الّتي تُعجِبُ المَلِكَ يَستَبدِلُها بوَشْتي». فاستَحسَنَ المَلِكُ هذِهِ المَشورةَ وعَمِلَ بِها.
5 وكانَ في شُوشَنَ العاصمةِ رَجُلٌ يَهوديٌّ اسمُهُ مُرْدخاي بنُ يائيرَ بنِ شَمعي بنِ قيشٍ مِنْ عَشيرةِ بِنيامينَ. 6 وكانَ في جُملَةِ المَسبـيِّينَ مِنْ أورُشليمَ بِمَعيَّةِ يكُنْيا مَلِكِ يَهوذا الّذي سَباهُ نَبوخذنَصَّرُ مَلِكُ بابِلَ. 7 وكانَ مُرَبِّيا لِهَدَّسَه الّتي هي أستيرُ ابنَةُ عَمِّهِ، لأنَّها فقَدَت أباها وأُمَّها. وكانَت رائِعَةَ الجَمالِ، ماتَ أبوها وأُمُّها فتَبَنَّاها مُرْدخاي. 8 فلمَّا أُذيعَ أمرُ المَلِكِ وجُمِعَت فتياتٌ كثيراتٌ إلى شُوشَنَ العاصمةِ تَحتَ سُلطَةِ هَيجايَ حارِسِ النِّساءِ، اختارَ هَيجايُ أستيرَ وأدخَلَها بَيتَ المَلِكِ 9 فأعجَبَتِ الفتاةُ المَلِكَ وحَظيت بِرِضاهُ، فعَجَّلَ بإِعطائِها ما يَلزَمُها مِنَ الزِّينةِ ووَجباتِ الطَّعامِ، وخَصَّها بِسَبعِ فتياتٍ اختارَهُنَّ مِنْ بَيتِ المَلِكِ ونَقَلها معَهُنَّ إلى أحسَنِ مَحَلٍّ في دارِ النِّساءِ. 10 وعمَلا بِوَصيَّةِ مُرْدخاي لم تُخبِرْ أستيرُ شعبَها وأقارِبَها بالأمرِ.
11 وكانَ مُرْدخايُ يتمَشَّى كُلَّ يومٍ أمامَ دارِ النِّساءِ ليَستَعلِمَ عَنْ سلامةِ أستيرَ وما يَحدُثُ لها. 12 وكانَت كُلُّ فَتاةٍ تَدخُلُ في الوقتِ المُعَيَّنِ لها على المَلِكِ أحشويروشَ، وذلِكَ بَعدَ أنْ تَقضيَ اثنَي عشَرَ شهرا في دارِ النِّساءِ بِـحسَبِ التَّقليدِ المُتَّبَعِ، فتـتَعَطَّرُ ستَّةَ أشهرٍ بِزَيتِ المُرِّ وستَّةَ أشهرٍ بأطيابٍ وأدهانٍ خاصةٍ بالنِّساءِ. 13 وحينَ كانَت تَذهبُ مِنْ دارِ النِّساءِ إلى دارِ المَلِكِ يُعطَى لها كُلُّ ما تَطلُبُ. 14 كانَت تَذهبُ في المَساءِ وتَرجِـعُ في الصَّباحِ إلى دارِ النِّساءِ الثَّانيةِ بِــعَهدِ شَعشَغازَ، خَصيِّ المَلِكِ وحارِسِ جَواريهِ، ثُمَّ لا تَعودُ تَدخُلُ على المَلِكِ إلاَّ بإرادةِ المَلِكِ فتُدعَى باسمِها.
15 فلمَّا جاءَ وقتُ دُخولِ أستيرَ على المَلِكِ لم تَطلُبْ شيئا إلاَّ ما قالَهُ هَيجايُ خَصيُّ المَلِكِ وحارِسُ النِّساءِ، لأنَّها كانَت تَنالُ إعجابَ كُلِّ مَنْ رآها. 16 فأُخِذَت أستيرُ إلى المَلِكِ أحشويروشَ في دارِ مُلْكِهِ، في الشَّهرِ العاشِرِ الّذي هوَ شهرُ طيـبيتَ، في السَّنةِ السَّابعةِ مِنْ مُلْكِهِ. 17 فأحَبَّ المَلِكُ أستيرَ على جميعِ النِّساءِ وحَظيَت بِرِضاهُ وعَطْفِهِ أكثَرَ مِنْ جميعِ العذارى، فوضَعَ تاجَ المُلْكِ على رأسِها وجعَلَها مَلِكَةً مكانَ وَشْتي. 18 ثُمَّ عَمِلَ المَلِكُ وليمَةً عظيمةً لِجميعِ رِجالِهِ وأعيانِ مَملكتِهِ تكريما لأستيرَ، وأعلَنَ يومَ راحةٍ في جميعِ الأقاليمِ، وأعطى عَطايا مَلكيَّةً سَخيَّةً.
19 ولمَّا نُقِلَت أستيرُ معَ سائِرِ الفتياتِ إلى دارِ النِّساءِ الثَّانيةِ 20 لم تكُنْ أخبَرَت أحدا مِنْ أقاربِها وشعبِها عمَلا بوَصيَّةِ مُرْدخاي، لأنَّ أستيرَ كانَت تُطيعُ مُرْدخاي كما كانَت في وقتِ تَربـيَتِهِ لها.
21 وفي تِلكَ الأيّامِ، بَينَما كانَ مُرْدخايُ جالسا بِبابِ المَلِكِ نَقِمَ بِــغْثانُ وتَرَشُ، خَصيَّا المَلِكِ وحارِسا البابِ، على المَلِكِ أحشويروشَ وعَزَما على قَتْلِهِ غَدْرا. 22 فعَلِمَ مُرْدخايُ بالأمرِ وأخبَرَ أستيرَ المَلِكةَ وهذِهِ نَقَلَت إلى المَلِكِ ما قالَهُ لها مُرْدخايُ. 23 فأمَرَ المَلِكُ بالبحثِ عَنْ صِحَّةِ الخبَرِ، ولمَّا وجَدَهُ صحيحا عَلَّقَ الرَّجُلينِ كِلَيْهِما على خشَبةٍ، ودُوِّنَ ذلِكَ في كِتابِ أخبارِ الأيّامِ أمامِ المَلِكِ.
