¹بعد هذه الأمور لما خمد غضب الملك احشويروش ذكر وشتي وما عملته وما حتم به عليها.

¹After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus was pacified, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her.

²فقال غلمان الملك الذين يخدمونه ليطلب للملك فتيات عذارى حسنات المنظر

²Then the king’s servants who served him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king.

³وليوكل الملك وكلاء في كل بلاد مملكته ليجمعوا كل الفتيات العذارى الحسنات المنظر الى شوشن القصر الى بيت النساء الى يد هيجاي خصي الملك حارس النساء وليعطين ادهان عطرهنّ‎.

³Let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the beautiful young virgins to the citadel of Susa, to the women’s house, to the custody of Hegai the king’s eunuch, keeper of the women. Let cosmetics be given them;

⁴والفتاة التي تحسن في عيني الملك فلتملك مكان وشتي. فحسن الكلام في عيني الملك فعمل هكذا

⁴and let the maiden who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” The thing pleased the king, and he did so.

⁵كان في شوشن القصر رجل يهودي اسمه مردخاي ابن يائير بن شمعي بن قيس رجل يميني

⁵There was a certain Jew in the citadel of Susa, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite,

⁶قد سبي من اورشليم مع السبي الذي سبي مع يكنيا ملك يهوذا الذي سباه نبوخذنصّر ملك بابل.

⁶who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.

⁷وكان مربّيا لهدسّة اي استير بنت عمه لانه لم يكن لها اب ولا ام. وكانت الفتاة جميلة الصورة وحسنة المنظر وعند موت ابيها وامها اتخذها مردخاي لنفسه ابنة.

⁷He brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter; for she had neither father nor mother. The maiden was fair and beautiful; and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter.

⁸فلما سمع كلام الملك وامره وجمعت فتايات كثيرات الى شوشن القصر الى يد هيجاي أخذت استير الى بيت الملك الى يد هيجاي حارس النساء.

⁸So it happened, when the king’s commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together to the citadel of Susa, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was taken into the king’s house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.

⁹وحسنت الفتاة في عينيه ونالت نعمة بين يديه فبادر بادهان عطرها وانصبتها ليعطيها اياها مع السبع الفتيات المختارات لتعطى لها من بيت الملك ونقلها مع فتاياتها الى احسن مكان في بيت النساء.

⁹The maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness from him. He quickly gave her cosmetics and her portions of food, and the seven choice maidens who were to be given her out of the king’s house. He moved her and her maidens to the best place in the women’s house.

¹⁰ولم تخبر استير عن شعبها وجنسها لان مردخاي اوصاها ان لا تخبر.

¹⁰Esther had not made known her people nor her relatives, because Mordecai had instructed her that she should not make it known.

¹¹وكان مردخاي يتمشى يوما فيوما امام دار بيت النساء ليستعلم عن سلامة استير وعما يصنع بها

¹¹Mordecai walked every day in front of the court of the women’s house, to find out how Esther was doing, and what would become of her.

¹²ولما بلغت نوبة فتاة ففتاة للدخول الى الملك احشويروش بعد ان يكون لها حسب سنة النساء اثنا عشر شهرا لانه هكذا كانت تكمل ايام تعطرهنّ ستة اشهر بزيت المرّ وستة اشهر بالاطياب وادهان تعطر النساء

¹²Each young woman’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after her purification for twelve months (for so were the days of their purification accomplished, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet fragrances and with preparations for beautifying women).

¹³وهكذا كانت كل فتاة تدخل الى الملك. وكل ما قالت عنه أعطي لها للدخول معها من بيت النساء الى بيت الملك.

¹³The young woman then came to the king like this: whatever she desired was given her to go with her out of the women’s house to the king’s house.

¹⁴في المساء دخلت وفي الصباح رجعت الى بيت النساء الثاني الى يد شعشغاز خصي الملك حارس السراري. لم تعد تدخل الى الملك الا اذا سرّ بها الملك ودعيت باسمها

¹⁴In the evening she went, and on the next day she returned into the second women’s house, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch, who kept the concubines. She came in to the king no more, unless the king delighted in her, and she was called by name.

¹⁵ولما بلغت نوبة استير ابنة ابيحائل عم مردخاي الذي اتخذها لنفسه ابنة للدخول الى الملك لم تطلب شيئا الا ما قال عنه هيجاي خصي الملك حارس النساء. وكانت استير تنال نعمة في عيني كل من رآها.

¹⁵Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, came to go in to the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the keeper of the women, advised. Esther obtained favor in the sight of all those who looked at her.

¹⁶وأخذت استير الى الملك احشويروش الى بيت ملكه في الشهر العاشر هو شهر طيبيت في السنة السابعة لملكه.

¹⁶So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus into his royal house in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

¹⁷فاحب الملك استير اكثر من جميع النساء ووجدت نعمة واحسانا قدامه اكثر من جميع العذارى فوضع تاج الملك على راسها وملّكها مكان وشتي.

¹⁷The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she obtained favor and kindness in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown on her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.

¹⁸وعمل الملك وليمة عظيمة لجميع رؤسائه وعبيده وليمة استير. وعمل راحة للبلاد واعطى عطايا حسب كرم الملك.

¹⁸Then the king made a great feast for all his princes and his servants, even Esther’s feast; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces, and gave gifts according to the king’s bounty.

¹⁹ولما جمعت العذارى ثانية كان مردخاي جالسا بباب الملك.

¹⁹When the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting in the king’s gate.

²⁰ولم تكن استير اخبرت عن جنسها وشعبها كما اوصاها مردخاي. وكانت استير تعمل حسب قول مردخاي كما كانت في تربيتها عنده

²⁰Esther had not yet made known her relatives nor her people, as Mordecai had commanded her; for Esther obeyed Mordecai, like she did when she was brought up by him.

²¹في تلك الايام بينما كان مردخاي جالسا في باب الملك غضب بغثان وترش خصيا الملك حارسا الباب وطلبا ان يمدا ايديهما الى الملك احشويروش.

²¹In those days, while Mordecai was sitting in the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, who were doorkeepers, were angry, and sought to lay hands on the King Ahasuerus.

²²فعلم الأمر عند مردخاي فاخبر استير الملكة فاخبرت استير الملك باسم مردخاي.

²²This thing became known to Mordecai, who informed Esther the queen; and Esther informed the king in Mordecai’s name.

²³ففحص عن الامر ووجد فصلبا كلاهما على خشبة وكتب ذلك في سفر اخبار الايام امام الملك

²³When this matter was investigated, and it was found to be so, they were both hanged on a tree; and it was written in the book of the chronicles in the king’s presence.