UEstere ISAHLUKO 1 1 Ke kaloku kwathi ngemihla ka-Ahaswerosi (lo nguAhaswerosi obelawula ethabathela eIndiya, wesa kwaKushi, kumaphondo alikhulu elinamanci mabini anesixhenxe); 2 Ngaloo mihla, xa ukumkani uAhaswerosi ehleli etroneni yobukumkani bakhe eShushan komkhulu, 3 Ngomnyaka wesithathu wobukumkani bakhe, wabenzela isidlo abathetheli bakhe nabakhonzi bakhe; amandla amaPersi namaMedi, izidwangube nabathetheli bamazwe, babephambi kwakhe; 4 Akubon' ukuba ubonisa ubutyebi obuzukileyo bobukumkani bakhe, nesihombo esinqabileyo sobungangamela bakhe imihla emininzi, imihla elikhulu elinamanci asibhozo. 5 Ekuzalisekeni kwaloo mihla, ukumkani wabenzela isidlo bonke abantu abafumaneka eShushan komkhulu, kwathabathela kwabakhulu, kwesa kwabancinane, iintsuku zasixhenxe entendelezweni yomyezo wendlu yokumkani; 6 Apho kwakukho amawunduwundu amhlophe, naluhlaza, naluhlaza, ebotshelelwe ngeentsontelo zelinen ecikizekileyo nemfusa kumakhonkco esilivere, neentsika zemarmore emhlophe; 7 Baseza ngeempahla zegolide, enye kwenye, enye kwenye, newayini yasebukhosini yaninzi, ngokwemeko yokumkani. 8 Ukusela kwakungokomthetho; akwabakho unyanzelayo; ngokuba wenjenjalo ukumkani ukumisela bonke abaveleli bendlu yakhe, ukuba benze elowo nalowo ngokuzithandela kwakhe. 9 Kananjalo uVashti ukumkanikazi wenzela abafazi isidlo endlwini yakomkhulu, ebiyekakumkani uAhaswerosi. 10 Ngomhla wesixhenxe, xa intliziyo yokumkani yayimnandi yiwayini, wabawisela umthetho ooMehuman, noBhizeta, noHarbhona, noBhigeta, noAbhageta, noZetare, noKarkas, amathenwa asixhenxe, ababelungiselela phambi kokumkani uAhaswerosi, 11 mabamzise uVashti ukumkanikazi phambi kokumkani enonkontsho lobukumkanikazi, ukuba abonise abantu nabathetheli ubuhle bakhe; 12 Akavuma ukumkanikazi uVashti ukuza ngelizwi lokumkani ngababusi bakhe. Wavutha kunene umsindo wakhe ukumkani, wavutha umsindo wakhe kuye. 13 Wathi ukumkani kwizilumko, ezaziwazi amaxesha (ngokuba linjalo igunya lokumkani kubo bonke ababewazi umthetho nesiko; 14 Yaye ecaleni kwakhe yayinguKarshena, + uShetare, + iAdmata, iTarshishe, iMeres, iMarsena, + noMemukan, iinkosana ezisixhenxe zamaPersi + namaMedi, + ezazibubone ubuso bokumkani, + ezazihleli ngowokuqala ebukumkanini; 15 Ngokomthetho anokuthini na kuVashti ukumkanikazi, ngenxa yokuba engalenzanga ilizwi lokumkani uAhaswerosi ngababusi? 16 Wathi uMemukan phambi kokumkani nabathetheli, UVashti ukumkanikazi akonanga kukumkani yedwa; 17 Kuba le ndawo yokumkanikazi iya kuphuma iphumele kubafazi bonke, adeleke amadoda abo emehlweni abo, xa
kuthiwa, Ukumkani uAhaswerosi wathi makeziswe uVashti ukumkanikazi phambi kwakhe, akeza. 18 Kwangokunjalo ke amakhosikazi asePersi namaMedi aya kuyiva namhla kubathetheli bonke bokumkani, abayivileyo le nto yokumkanikazi. kuya kuvuka ukudela noburhalarhume. 19 Ukuba kuthe kwalunga kukumkani, makuphume ilizwi lokumkani ebusweni bakhe, libhalwe emithethweni yamaPersi namaMedi, ukuze lingatshitshi, lokuba uVashti angabi seza phambi kokumkani uAhaswerosi; Ubukumkani bakhe ukumkani makabunike omnye olungileyo kunaye. 20 Wothi ke wakuvakala umthetho wokumkani, aya kuwenza ebukumkanini bakhe bonke (ngokuba bukhulu), bonke abafazi bawabeke amadoda abo, kuthabathele kwenkulu, kuse kwencinane. 21 Ilizwi elo lalunga emehlweni okumkani nabathetheli. Wenza ke ukumkani ngokwelizwi likaMemukan. 22 Wathumela iincwadi kuwo onke amaphondo kakumkani, kwilizwe ngalinye ngokokubhala kwalo, kwizizwe ngezizwe ngokweentetho zazo, ukuba indoda nganye ibe nokulawula endlwini yayo, yaye ipapashwe ngokwentetho yezizwe ngezizwe. ISAHLUKO 2 1 Emva kwezi zinto, bakudamba ubushushu bokumkani uAhaswerosi, wamkhumbula uVashti, noko abekwenzile, noko bekugqitywe ngaye. 2 Bathi abakhonzi bokumkani ababelungiselela kuye, Ukumkani makafunelwe iintombi eziseziintombi, ezimbonakalo intle. 3 Ukumkani makamise amagosa kuwo onke amaphondo obukumkani bakhe, ukuze bazihlanganisele zonke iintombi eziseziintombi ezinyulu eShushan komkhulu, endlwini yabafazi, elugcinweni lukaHege, ithenwa lokumkani, umgcini wabafazi; mabanikwe izinto zabo zokuhlanjululwa; 4 Ke intombi ethe yalunga phambi kokumkani, mayibe ngukumkanikazi esikhundleni sikaVashti. Lalunga elo zwi emehlweni okumkani; wenjenjalo. 5 Ke kaloku eShushan komkhulu kwakukho indoda engumYuda, egama linguMordekayi, unyana kaYahire, unyana kaShimehi, unyana kaKishe, umBhenjamin; 6 owayethinjwe eYerusalem nabathinjwa ababethinjwe noYekoniya ukumkani wakwaYuda, owathinjwa nguNebhukadenetsare ukumkani waseBhabheli. 7 Yaye ingumondli kaHadasa, oko kukuthi, uEstere, intombi kayisekazi; ngokuba ebengenayise nanina. Intombi leyo yayimile kakuhle, imile kakuhle; awathi ekufeni kukayise nonina uMordekayi wayithabatha yaba yintombi yakhe. 8 Kwathi, ekukuvakaleni kwelizwi lokumkani nomthetho wakhe, ekuhlanganisweni kweentombi ezininzi eShushan komkhulu, phantsi kweliso likaHegayi, waziswa noEstere endlwini yokumkani, elugcinweni lukaHegayi, umgcini wabafazi. 9 Yamkholisa intombi leyo, wayenzela ububele; Wakhawuleza wayinika izinto zayo zokuhlanjululwa, kwaneempahla zayo, neentombi ezisixhenxe, ezivela endlwini yokumkani, ezifanele zinikwe yona; 10 UEstere ubengabaxelanga abantu bakowabo nemizalwane yakhe; kuba uMordekayi wayemwisele umthetho wokuba angabaxeli.