Esther 9
1 igitur duodecimi mensis quem adar vocari ante iam diximus tertiadecima die quando cunctis Iudaeis interfectio parabatur et hostes eorum inhiabant sanguini versa vice Iudaei superiores esse coeperunt et se de adversariis vindicare
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.
2 congregatique sunt per singulas civitates oppida et loca ut extenderent manum contra inimicos et persecutores suos nullusque ausus est resistere eo quod omnes populos magnitudinis eorum formido penetrarat
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].
3 nam et provinciarum iudices duces et procuratores omnisque dignitas quae singulis locis et operibus praeerat extollebant Iudaeos timore Mardochei
All the governors and [other] officials and important people in all the provinces helped the Jews, because they were afraid of Mordecai.
4 quem principem esse palatii et plurimum posse cognoverant fama quoque nominis eius crescebat cotidie et per cunctorum ora volitabat
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.
5 itaque percusserunt Iudaei inimicos suos plaga magna et occiderunt eos reddentes eis quod sibi paraverant facere
[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.
6 in tantum ut etiam in Susis quingentos viros interficerent et decem extra filios Aman Agagitae hostis Iudaeorum quorum ista sunt nomina
[Just] in Susa alone, the capital city, they killed 500 people.
7 Pharsandatha et Delphon et Esphata
Among those whom they killed were the ten sons of Haman. [Their names were] Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,
8 et Phorata et Adalia et Aridatha
Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
9 et Ephermesta et Arisai et Aridai et Vaizatha
Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha.
10 quos cum occidissent praedas de substantiis eorum agere noluerunt
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.
11 statimque numerus eorum qui occisi erant in Susis ad regem relatus est
[At the end of] that day someone reported to the king the number of people whom the Jews killed in Susa.
12 qui dixit reginae in urbe Susis interfecere Iudaei quingentos viros et alios decem filios Aman quantam putas eos exercere caedem in universis provinciis quid ultra postulas et quid vis ut fieri iubeam
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.”
13 cui illa respondit si regi placet detur potestas Iudaeis ut sicut hodie fecerunt in Susis sic et cras faciant et decem filii Aman in patibulis suspendantur
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.”
14 praecepitque rex ut ita fieret statimque in Susis pependit edictum et decem Aman filii suspensi sunt
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.
15 congregatis Iudaeis quartadecima adar mensis die interfecti sunt in Susis trecenti viri nec eorum ab illis direpta substantia est
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.
16 sed et per omnes provincias quae dicioni regis subiacebant pro animabus suis stetere Iudaei interfectis hostibus ac persecutoribus suis in tantum ut septuaginta quinque milia occisorum implerentur et nullus de substantiis eorum quicquam contingeret
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.
17 dies autem tertiusdecimus mensis adar unus apud omnes interfectionis fuit et quartodecimo die caedere desierunt quem constituerunt esse sollemnem ut in eo omni deinceps tempore vacarent epulis gaudio atque conviviis
That occurred on March 7th, and on the following day they rested and celebrated.
18 at hii qui in urbe Susis caedem exercuerant tertiodecimo et quartodecimo eiusdem mensis die in caede versati sunt quintodecimo autem die percutere desierunt et idcirco eandem diem constituere sollemnem epularum atque laetitiae
After the Jews in Susa gathered together [and killed their enemies] on March 7th and 8th, they rested and celebrated on March 9th.
19 hii vero Iudaei qui in oppidis non muratis ac villis morabantur quartumdecimum diem mensis adar conviviorum et gaudii decreverunt ita ut exultent in eo et mittant sibi mutuo partes epularum et ciborum
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.
20 scripsit itaque Mardocheus omnia haec et litteris conprehensa misit ad Iudaeos qui in omnibus regis provinciis morabantur tam in vicino positis quam procul
Mordecai wrote down all the things that had happened. Then he sent letters to the Jews who lived throughout the empire of King Xerxes.
21 ut quartamdecimam et quintamdecimam diem mensis adar pro festis susciperent et revertente semper anno sollemni honore celebrarent
He told them that every year they should celebrate on the 8th and 9th of March,
22 quia in ipsis diebus se ulti sunt Iudaei de inimicis suis et luctus atque tristitia in hilaritatem gaudiumque conversa sint essentque istae dies epularum atque laetitiae et mitterent sibi invicem ciborum partes et pauperibus munuscula largirentur
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.
23 susceperuntque Iudaei in sollemnem ritum cuncta quae eo tempore facere coeperant et quae Mardocheus litteris facienda mandaverat
So the Jews agreed to do what Mordecai wrote. They agreed to celebrate on those days [every year].
24 Aman enim filius Amadathi stirpis Agag hostis et adversarius Iudaeorum cogitavit contra eos malum ut occideret illos atque deleret et misit phur quod nostra lingua vertitur in sortem
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.
25 et postea ingressa est Hester ad regem obsecrans ut conatus eius litteris regis irriti fierent et malum quod contra Iudaeos cogitaverat reverteretur in caput eius denique et ipsum et filios eius adfixerunt cruci
[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.
26 atque ex illo tempore dies isti appellati sunt Phurim id est Sortium eo quod phur id est sors in urnam missa fuerit et cuncta quae gesta sunt epistulae id est libri huius volumine continentur
[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,
27 quaeque sustinuerint et quae deinceps inmutata sint suscepere Iudaei super se et semen suum et super cunctos qui religioni eorum voluerint copulari ut nulli liceat duos hos dies absque sollemnitate transigere quam scriptura testatur et certa expetunt tempora annis sibi iugiter succedentibus
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.
28 isti sunt dies quos nulla umquam delebit oblivio et per singulas generationes cunctae in toto orbe provinciae celebrabunt nec est ulla civitas in qua dies Phurim id est Sortium non observentur a Iudaeis et ab eorum progenie quae his caerimoniis obligata est
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.
29 scripseruntque Hester regina filia Abiahil et Mardocheus Iudaeus etiam secundam epistulam ut omni studio dies ista sollemnis sanciretur in posterum
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.
30 et miserunt ad omnes Iudaeos qui in centum viginti septem regis Asueri provinciis versabantur ut haberent pacem et susciperent veritatem
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.
31 observantes dies Sortium et suo tempore cum gaudio celebrarent sicut constituerat Mardocheus et Hester et illi observanda susceperant a se et a semine suo ieiunia atque clamores et Sortium dies
32 et omnia quae libri huius qui vocatur Hester historia continentur
The letter that Esther wrote about the manner in which they should celebrate the Purim feast was also written in an official record.
