Esther 9

1 On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the king’s command and edict were to be executed. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but their plan was overturned and the Jews overpowered those who hated them.

1 十二月，即亚达月十三日，是执行王谕旨的日子。那天，犹太人的仇敌原本想辖制他们，却反而被他们辖制。

2 In each of the provinces of King Xerxes, the Jews assembled in their cities to attack those who sought to harm them. No man could withstand them, because the fear of them had fallen upon all peoples.

2 犹太人在亚哈随鲁王的各省各城聚集起来，攻击那些要害他们的人，无人能抵挡他们，因为各族都惧怕他们。

3 And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and the king’s administrators helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai had fallen upon them.

3 各省的官员、总督、省长和为王办事的人因惧怕末底改，就都帮助犹太人。

4 For Mordecai exercised great power in the palace, and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he became more and more powerful.

4 因为末底改已是王宫要员，他的名声传遍各省，权势日盛。

5 The Jews put all their enemies to the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did as they pleased to those who hated them.

5 犹太人用刀击杀所有敌人，任意消灭恨他们的人。

6 In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men,

6 犹太人单在书珊城就杀了五百人。

7 including Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,

7 他们还杀了巴珊大他、达分、亚斯帕他、

8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,

8 坡拉他、亚大利雅、亚利大他、

9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha.

9 帕玛斯他、亚利赛、亚利代和瓦耶撒他。

10 They killed these ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

10 这十人是犹太人的仇敌哈曼的儿子、哈米大他的孙子。但犹太人没有动他们的财物。

11 On that day the number of those killed in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king,

11 当天，王获悉在书珊城被杀的人数，

12 who said to Queen Esther, “In the citadel of Susa the Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men, including Haman’s ten sons. What have they done in the rest of the royal provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be given to you. And what further do you request? It will be fulfilled.”

12 便对以斯帖王后说：“犹太人在书珊城杀了五百人，还杀了哈曼的十个儿子，在其余各省就更不知怎样了！现在你要什么？必赐给你。你还有何要求？必为你成全。”

13 Esther replied, “If it pleases the king, may the Jews in Susa also have tomorrow to carry out today’s edict, and may the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows.”

13 以斯帖回答说：“王若愿意，就请恩准书珊城的犹太人明天仍执行今天的谕旨，并把哈曼十个儿子的尸体吊在木架上。”

14 So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they hanged the ten sons of Haman.

14 王允准了，便在书珊城颁布谕旨，哈曼十个儿子的尸体便被吊了起来。

15 On the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, the Jews in Susa came together again and put to death three hundred men there, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

15 亚达月十四日，书珊城的犹太人再次聚集起来，在城中杀了三百人，但没有动他们的财物。

16 The rest of the Jews in the royal provinces also assembled to defend themselves and rid themselves of their enemies. They killed 75,000 who hated them, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

16 王其他各省的犹太人也都聚集起来自卫，得以脱离仇敌。他们杀了七万五千个仇敌，但没有动他们的财物。

17 This was done on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested, making it a day of feasting and joy.

17 这事发生在亚达月十三日。十四日，犹太人休息，并以此日为设宴欢庆的日子。

18 The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and the fourteenth days of the month. So they rested on the fifteenth day, making it a day of feasting and joy.

18 但书珊城的犹太人在十三、十四日聚集杀敌，十五日才休息，并以此日为设宴欢庆的日子。

19 This is why the rural Jews, who live in the villages, observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting. It is a holiday for sending gifts to one another.

19 因此，住在乡村的犹太人都以亚达月十四日为设宴欢庆的节日，并互赠礼物。

20 Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to all the Jews in all the provinces of King Xerxes, both near and far,

20 末底改把这些事记录下来，写信给亚哈随鲁王国内远近各省的犹太人，

21 to establish among them an annual celebration on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar

21 吩咐他们每年在亚达月十四、十五日守节期，

22 as the days on which the Jews gained rest from their enemies and the month in which their sorrow turned to joy and their mourning into a holiday. He wrote that these were to be days of feasting and joy, of sending gifts to one another and to the poor.

22 设宴欢庆，互赠礼物，周济穷人，以记念犹太人在此月此日得以脱离仇敌，化忧为乐，转悲为喜。

23 So the Jews agreed to continue the custom they had started, as Mordecai had written to them.

23 犹太人接受了末底改写给他们的信，同意每年庆祝这个节日。

24 For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the Pur (that is, the lot) to crush and destroy them.

24 因为犹太人的仇敌亚甲人哈米大他的儿子哈曼曾经阴谋毁灭犹太人，曾经抽普珥，即抽签，要杀戮、灭绝他们。

25 But when it came before the king, he commanded by letter that the wicked scheme which Haman had devised against the Jews should come back upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

25 但王知道这阴谋后，便降旨使哈曼谋害犹太人的恶计落到他自己头上，将他及其众子吊在木架上。

26 Therefore these days are called Purim, from the word Pur. Because of all the instructions in this letter, and because of all they had seen and experienced,

26 他们借用普珥这个词，称这两天为普珥节。犹太人因这信上的一切话，又因所看见、所经历的事，

27 the Jews bound themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should not fail to celebrate these two days at the appointed time each and every year, according to their regulation.

27 就为自己、自己的后代和归属他们的人定下规矩：每年必按时守这两天为节日，永不废弃。

28 These days should be remembered and celebrated by every generation, family, province, and city, so that these days of Purim should not fail to be observed among the Jews, nor should the memory of them fade from their descendants.

28 各省各城、家家户户、世世代代都要记念、遵守这节日，使犹太人永不中断过普珥节，他们的后代也不可忘记。

29 So Queen Esther daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim.

29 亚比孩的女儿以斯帖王后和犹太人末底改以全权写第二封信，嘱咐犹太人守这普珥节，

30 And Mordecai sent letters with words of peace and truth to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Xerxes,

30 用和善、真诚的话写信给亚哈随鲁王国一百二十七省的所有犹太人，

31 in order to confirm these days of Purim at their appointed time, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established them and had committed themselves and their descendants to the times of fasting and lamentation.

31 嘱咐他们照犹太人末底改和以斯帖王后的指示，按他们为自己和后代所规定的，按时守普珥节，禁食哀哭。

32 So Esther’s decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, which were written into the record.

32 以斯帖的命令确定了普珥节，这命令被记载下来。