1 و َحِينَ هَدَأَ غَضَبُ المَلِكُ أحَشْوِيرُوشَ بَعْدَ هَذِهِ الأحداثِ، تَذَكَّرَ وَشتِي وَفِعلَتَها وَحُكمَهُ عَلَيها.

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.

2 ف َقالَ الفِتيانُ الَّذينَ يَخدِمُونَهُ: «لِيُبْحَثْ للمَلِكِ عَنْ فَتَياتٍ عَذارَى جَمِيلاتٍ.

Then the king’s servants who ministered to him said, Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king.

3 و َلِيُعَيِّنِّ المَلِكُ وُكَلاءَ فِي كُلِّ بِلادِ مَملَكَتِهِ، لِكَي يَجمَعُوا العَذارَى الجَمِيلاتِ فِي جَناحِ الحَرِيمِ فِي قَصرِ العاصِمَةِ شُوشَنَ تَحْتَ رِعايَةِ هَيْجايَ خادِمِ المَلِكِ المَسْؤولِ عَنْ شُؤُونِ نِسائِهِ. وَلْتُوفَّرْ لَهُنَّ مَوادُّ التَّجمِيلِ الّلازِمَةُ.

And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the capital in Shushan, to the harem under the custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let their things for purification be given them.

4 و َالفَتاةُ التِي تُعْجِبُ المَلِكَ، تَصِيرُ مَلِكَةً عِوَضاً عَنْ وَشتِيَ.» فَاسْتَحْسَنَ المَلِكُ هَذِهِ الفِكرَةَ وَعَمِلَ بِها.

And let the maiden who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti. This pleased the king, and he did so.

5 و َكانَ هُناكَ رَجُلٌ يَهُودِّيٌّ فِي العاصِمَةِ شُوشَنَ اسْمُهُ مُردَخايُ. وَهُوَ ابْنُ يائِيرَ بْنِ شَمْعَى بْنِ قَيْسٍ، مِنْ قَبِيلَةِ بَنْيامِيْنَ.

There was a certain Jew in the capital in Shushan whose name was Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite,

6 و َقَدْ سُبِيَ مُردَخايُ مِنَ القُدْسِ مَعَ الَّذينَ أُسِروا مَعَ يَكُنيا مَلِكِ يَهُوذا، الذِي سَباهُ نَبُوخَذْناصَّرُ مَلِكُ بابِلَ.

Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives taken away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried into exile.

7 و َكانَ مُرْدَخايُ يُرَبِّي فَتاةً يَتِيمَةَ الأبَوَينِ اسْمُها هَدَسَّةُ – وَتُدْعَى أيضاً أسْتِيرَ – وَهِيَ ابنَةُ عَمِّهِ. كانَتِ الفَتاةُ جَمِيلَةً جِدّاً، وَقَدْ تَبَنّاها مُرْدَخايُ عِندَما ماتَ أبَواها.

He had brought up Hadassah, that is Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The maiden was beautiful and lovely, and when her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

8 ف َلَّما تَمَّ إعلانُ قَرارُ المَلِكِ وَرِسالَتُهُ، وَجُمِعَتْ فَتَياتٌ كَثِيراتٌ فِي قَصْرِ العاصِمَةِ شُوشَنَ تَحْتَ رِعايَةِ هَيْجايَ، أُخِذَت أسْتِيرُ أيْضاً إلَى قَصرِ المَلِكِ تَحْتَ رِعايَةِ هَيجايَ المَسْؤولِ عَنْ شُؤُونِ النِّساءِ.

So when the king’s command and his decree were proclaimed and when many maidens were gathered in Shushan the capital under the custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken to the king’s house into the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.

9 ف َحَظِيَتِ الفَتاةُ بِرَضِى هَيْجايَ وَاسْتِحْسانِهِ. فَسارَعَ بِإعْطائِها مَوادَّ تَجمِيلِها وَحِصَصَها مِنَ الطَّعامِ. وَعَيَّنَ لَها أفضَلَ سَبْعِ مُرافِقاتٍ مِنْ قَصرِ المَلِكِ. ثُمَّ نَقَلَها وَمُرافِقاتِها إلَى أفْضَلِ مَكانٍ فِي جَناحِ الحَرِيمِ.

And the maiden pleased and obtained his favor. And he speedily gave her the things for her purification and her portion of food and the seven chosen maids to be given her from the king’s palace; and he removed her and her maids to the best in the harem.

10 و َلَمْ تَذْكُر أسْتِيرَ شَيئاً عَنْ شَعبِها أوْ نَسَبِها، لأنَّ مُرْدَخايَ قالَ لَها أنْ لا تَفْعَلَ.

Esther had not made known her nationality or her kindred, for Mordecai had charged her not to do so.

11 و َكانَ مُرْدَخايُ يَتَمَشَّى كُلَّ يَومٍ أمامَ ساحَةِ جَناحِ الحَرِيمِ، لِيَعْرِفَ كَيفَ حالُ أسْتِيرَ وَما يَحدُثُ لَها.

And Mordecai '> attendant in the king’s court] walked every day before the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what would become of her.

12 و َكانَ عَلَى كُلِّ فَتاةٍ – قَبلَ أنْ تُعْطَى دَورَها لِلدُّخُولِ إلَى مَحْضَرِ الَمَلِكِ – أنْ تُتِمَّ سَنَةً كامِلَةً تَتَعَطَّرُ فِيها: سِتَّةَ أشْهُرٍ بِزَيْتِ المُرِّ، وَسِتَّةَ أشْهُرٍ بِالعُطُورِ وَمَوادِّ تَجْميلِ النِّساءِ.

Now when the turn of each maiden came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the regulations for the women had been carried out for twelve months—since this was the regular period for their beauty treatments, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with sweet spices and perfumes and the things for the purifying of the women—

13 و َحِيْنَ يَأتِي الوَقْتُ المُعَيَّنُ لِكُلِّ فَتاةٍ للدُّخُولِ إلَى المَلِكِ، لَها أنْ تَأخُذَ مَعَها أيَّ شَئٍ تَطلُبُهُ مِنْ جَناحِ الحَرِيمِ إلَى قَصْرِ المَلِكِ.

Then in this way the maiden came to the king: whatever she desired was given her to take with her from the harem into the king’s palace.

14 ف َتَدخُلُ الفَتاةُ إلَى القَصْرِ مَساءً، وَتَعُودُ صَباحاً إلَى جَناحٍ آخَرَ لِلحَرِيمِ تَحْتَ رِعايَةِ شَعَشْغازَ خادِمِ المَلِكِ المَسْؤولِ عَنْ شُؤُونِ الجَوارِي. وَلا تَعُودُ الفَتاةُ إلَى المَلِكِ ثَانِيَةً إلّا إذا سُرَّ بِها، وَدَعاها بِاسْمِها.

In the evening she went and next day she returned into the second harem in the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She came to the king no more unless the king delighted in her and she was called for by name.

15 و َعِندَما اقتَرَبَ مَوعِدُ أسْتِيرَ لِلدُّخولِ إلَى المَلِكِ – وَهِيَ بِنتُ أبِيَجائِلَ عَمِّ مُرْدَخايَ الذِي تَبَنَّى أسْتِيرَ كابنَةٍ لَهُ – لَمْ تَطلُبَ أيَّ شَئٍ إلا ما أخْبَرَها بِهِ خادِمُ المَلِكِ وَحارِسُ النِّساءِ هَيجايُ. فَنالَتْ أسْتِيرُ استِحْسانَ كُلَّ مَنْ رَآها.

Now when the turn for Esther the daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his own daughter, had come to go in to the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s attendant, the keeper of the women, suggested. And Esther won favor in the sight of all who saw her.

16 و َفِي الشَّهرِ العاشِرِ – شَهْرِ طِيبِيتَ – مِنَ السَّنَةِ السّابِعَةِ مِنْ حُكْمِ المَلِكِ أحَشْوِيرُوشَ، أُخِذَتْ أسْتِيرُ إلَى المَلِكِ أحَشْوِيرُوشَ.

So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus into his royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

17 و َأحَبَّ المَلِكُ أسْتِيرَ أكثَرَ مِنْ جَميعِ النِّساءِ، وَنالَت استِحسانَهُ وَرِضاهُ أكثَرَ مِنْ كُلِّ الفَتَياتِ، فَوَضَعَ التّاجَ المَلَكِيَّ عَلَى رَأسِها وَجَعَلَها مَلِكَةً مَكانَ وَشْتِي.

And the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the maidens, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.

18 و َأقامَ المَلِكُ وَلِيمَةً عَظِيمَةً لِكُلِّ رُؤَسائِهِ وَخُدّامِهِ، سُمِّيَتْ وَلِيمَةُ أسْتِيرَ. وَجَعَلَ المَلِكُ ذَلِكَ اليَومَ إجازَةً لِكُلِّ النّاسِ فِي كُلِّ البِلادِ. وَوَزَّعَ هَدايا بِكَمِيّاتٍ لا يَسْتَطِيعُ تَوزِيعَها إلا المَلِكُ بِكَرَمِهِ. كَشْف مُرْدَخايُ للمُؤامَرَة

Then the king gave a great feast for all his princes and his servants, Esther’s feast; and he gave a holiday to the provinces and gave gifts in keeping with the generosity of the king.

19 و َفِي الوَقتِ الَّذِي كَانَتْ تُجمَعُ فِيهِ الفَتَياتُ ثانِيَةً، كانَ مُرْدَخايَ جالِساً عِنْدَ بَوّابَةِ المَلِكِ كَعادَتِهِ.

And when the maidens were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.

20 أ مّا أسْتِيرُ فَلَمْ تَكشِفْ عَنْ نَسَبِها أوْ عَنْ شَعبِها تَماماً كَما أمَرَها مُرْدَخايُ. فَقَدْ عَمِلَتْ بِحَسَبِ تَعلِيماتِهِ، كَما اعتادَتْ وَهِيَ تَحتَ رِعايَتِهِ.

Now Esther had not yet revealed her nationality or her people, for she obeyed Mordecai’s command to her '> to fear God and execute His commands] just as when she was being brought up by him.

21 ف ِي ذَلِكَ اليَومِ – بَينَما كانَ مُرْدَخايُ جالِساً عِنْدَ بَوّابَةِ المَلِكِ – غَضِبَ بِغْثانُ وَتَرَشُ خادِما المَلِكِ وَحارِسا البَوّابَةِ، وَتَآمَرا عَلَى اغتِيالِ المَلِكِ أحَشْوِيرُوشَ.

In those days, while Mordecai sat at the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, of those who guarded the door, were angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.

22 ف َعَلِمَ مُرْدَخايُ بأمْرِ هَذِهِ المُوآمَرَةِ، وَأخبَرَ المَلِكَةَ أسْتِيرَ. فَنَقَلَتْ للمَلِكِ مَا قالَهُ مُرْدَخايَ.

And this was known to Mordecai, who told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in Mordecai’s name.

23 و َتَمَّ التَحَقُقُ مِنَ الأمرِ، وَثَبُتَتْ صِحَّتُهُ. وَهَكَذا عُلِّقَ هَذانِ الاثنانُ عَلَى خَشَبَةٍ. وَدُوِّنَ هَذا أمامَ المَلِكِ فِي السِّجِلِّ الرَّسمِيِّ لِتارِيخِ المَملَكَةِ.

When it was investigated and found to be true, both men were hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the Book of the Chronicles in the king’s presence.