¹После тога, кад се утиша гнев цара Асвира, он се опомену Астине и шта је учинила и шта је наређено за њу.

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

²И рекоше момци цареви, слуге његове: Да потраже цару младих девојака лепих;

²Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king:

³И нека одреди цар приставе по свим земљама царства свог да скупе све девојке младе и лепе у Сусан град царски у женски двор под руку Игаја дворанина царевог, чувара женског, и нека им се дају потребе за лепоту.

³And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hege the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them:

⁴Па која девојка буде по вољи цару, нека буде царица на Астинино место. И то би по вољи цару, и учини тако.

⁴And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.

⁵Беше у Сусану, царском граду Јудејац по имену Мардохеј, син Јаира сина Симеја сина Кисовог, од племена Венијаминовог,

⁵Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;

⁶Који би одведен у ропство из Јерусалима с робљем које би одведено у ропство с Јехонијом царем Јудиним, ког зароби Навуходоносор, цар вавилонски.

⁶Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.

⁷Он одгајаше Адасу, а то је Јестира, кћи стрица његовог, јер не имаше оца ни матере; а девојка беше лепог стаса и красног лица, и по смрти оца јој и матере узе је Мардохеј за кћер.

⁷And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.

⁸И кад се разгласи реч царева и заповест, и много се девојака скупи у Сусан град царски под руку Игајеву, би и Јестира доведена у двор царев, под руку Игаја чувара женског.

⁸So it came to pass, when the king's commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king's house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.

⁹И девојка му омиле и нађе милост у њега, те јој одмах даде потребе за лепоту и део њен, и седам присталих девојака из царског дома, и намести је с њеним девојкама на најлепше место у женском дому.

⁹And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him; and he speedily gave her her things for purification, with such things as belonged to her, and seven maidens, which were meet to be given her, out of the king's house: and he preferred her and her maids unto the best place of the house of the women.

¹⁰Јестира не каза народ свој ни род свој, јер јој Мардохеј беше забранио да не казује.

¹⁰Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not shew it.

¹¹А Мардохеј ходаше сваки дан испред трема од женског дома да би дознао како је Јестира и шта ће бити од ње.

¹¹And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women's house, to know how Esther did, and what should become of her.

¹²А кад би дошао ред на коју девојку да уђе к цару Асвиру, пошто би јој се чинило по женском закону дванаест месеца (јер толико времена требаше да се улепшавају, шест месеца уљем од смирне, а шест месеца мирисима и другим стварима за лепоту женску),

¹²Now when every maid's turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women;)

¹³Тада би девојка ишла к цару, и шта би год рекла дало би јој се да с тим иде из женске куће у дом царев.

¹³Then thus came every maiden unto the king; whatsoever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women unto the king's house.

¹⁴Увече би ушла, а ујутру би се вратила у другу кућу женску под руку Сазгаза дворанина царевог, чувара иночког; више не би ишла к цару, већ ако би је хтео цар, те би била позвана по имену.

¹⁴In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's chamberlain, which kept the concubines: she came in unto the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and that she were called by name.

¹⁵И тако, кад дође ред на Јестиру, кћер Авихаила стрица Мардохејевог, коју беше узео за кћер, да уђе к цару, она не заиска ништа него шта рече Игај дворанин царев, чувар женски; и Јестира налажаше милост у сваког ко је виђаше.

¹⁵Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her.

¹⁶Тако би Јестира одведена к цару Асвиру у царски двор његов десетог месеца, које је месец Тевет, седме године царовања његовог.

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

¹⁷И цару омиле Јестира мимо све друге жене, и придоби милост и љубав његову мимо све девојке, те јој метну царски венац на главу и учини је царицом на место Астинино.

¹⁷And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.

¹⁸И учини цар велику гозбу свим кнезовима својим и слугама својим ради Јестире, и поклони земљама олакшице, и раздаде дарове како цар може.

¹⁸Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the king.

¹⁹А кад се другом скупљаху девојке, Мардохеј сеђаше на вратима царевим.

¹⁹And when the virgins were gathered together the second time, then Mordecai sat in the king's gate.

²⁰А Јестира не каза свој род ни народ, као што јој беше заповедио Мардохеј, и Јестира чињаше шта јој Мардохеј говораше, као кад се одгајаше код њега.

²⁰Esther had not yet shewed her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him.

²¹У те дане, кад Мардохеј сеђаше на вратима царевим, расрдише се Вихтан и Тарес, два дворанина царева између оних који стражаху на прагу, и гледаху да дигну руке на цара Асвира.

²¹In those days, while Mordecai sat in the king's gate, two of the king's chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those which kept the door, were wroth, and sought to lay hands on the king Ahasuerus.

²²А то дозна Мардохеј и јави царици Јестири, а Јестира каза цару у име Мардохејево.

²²And the thing was known to Mordecai, who told it unto Esther the queen; and Esther certified the king thereof in Mordecai's name.

²³И кад се ствар извиде и нађе, бише обешена она обојица на дрво, и то се записа у књигу дневника пред царем.

²³And when inquisition was made of the matter, it was found out; therefore they were both hanged on a tree: and it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king.