The Jews Destroy Their Enemies
1 The thirteenth day of Adar came, the day on which the royal proclamation was to take effect, the day when the enemies of the Jews were hoping to get them in their power. But instead, the Jews triumphed over them. 2 In the Jewish quarter of every city in the empire the Jews organized to attack anyone who tried to harm them. People everywhere were afraid of them, and no one could stand against them. 3 In fact, all the provincial officials—governors, administrators, and royal representatives—helped the Jews because they were all afraid of Mordecai. 4 It was well-known throughout the empire that Mordecai was now a powerful man in the palace and was growing more powerful. 5 So the Jews could do what they wanted with their enemies. They attacked them with swords and slaughtered them.
6 In Susa, the capital city itself, the Jews killed five hundred people. 7-10 Among them were the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews: Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha. However, there was no looting.
11 That same day the number of people killed in Susa was reported to the king. 12 He then said to Queen Esther, “In Susa alone the Jews have killed five hundred people, including Haman's ten sons. What must they have done out in the provinces! What do you want now? You shall have it. Tell me what else you want, and you shall have it.”
13 Esther answered, “If it please Your Majesty, let the Jews in Susa do again tomorrow what they were allowed to do today. And have the bodies of Haman's ten sons hung from the gallows.” 14 The king ordered this to be done, and the proclamation was issued in Susa. The bodies of Haman's ten sons were publicly displayed. 15 On the fourteenth day of Adar the Jews of Susa got together again and killed three hundred more people in the city. But again, they did no looting.
16 The Jews in the provinces also organized and defended themselves. They rid themselves of their enemies by killing seventy-five thousand people who hated them. But they did no looting. 17 This was on the thirteenth day of Adar. On the next day, the fourteenth, there was no more killing, and they made it a joyful day of feasting. 18 The Jews of Susa, however, made the fifteenth a holiday, since they had slaughtered their enemies on the thirteenth and fourteenth and then stopped on the fifteenth. 19 This is why Jews who live in small towns observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a joyous holiday, a time for feasting and giving gifts of food to one another.
The Festival of Purim
20 Mordecai had these events written down and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, throughout the Persian Empire, 21 telling them to observe the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Adar as holidays every year. 22 These were the days on which the Jews had rid themselves of their enemies; this was a month that had been turned from a time of grief and despair into a time of joy and happiness. They were told to observe these days with feasts and parties, giving gifts of food to one another and to the poor. 23 So the Jews followed Mordecai's instructions, and the celebration became an annual custom.
24 Haman son of Hammedatha—the descendant of Agag and the enemy of the Jewish people—had cast lots (“purim,” they were called) to determine the day for destroying the Jews; he had planned to wipe them out. 25 But Esther went to the king, and the king issued written orders with the result that Haman suffered the fate he had planned for the Jews—he and his sons were hanged from the gallows. 26 That is why the holidays are called Purim. Because of Mordecai's letter and because of all that had happened to them, 27 the Jews made it a rule for themselves, their descendants, and anyone who might become a Jew, that at the proper time each year these two days would be regularly observed according to Mordecai's instructions. 28 It was resolved that every Jewish family of every future generation in every province and every city should remember and observe the days of Purim for all time to come.
29 Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai, also wrote a letter, putting her full authority behind the letter about Purim, which Mordecai had written earlier. 30 The letter was addressed to all the Jews, and copies were sent to all the 127 provinces of the Persian Empire. It wished the Jews peace and security 31 and directed them and their descendants to observe the days of Purim at the proper time, just as they had adopted rules for the observance of fasts and times of mourning. This was commanded by both Mordecai and Queen Esther. 32 Esther's command, confirming the rules for Purim, was written down on a scroll.
Bajuta banokunda zwita zwabo
1 Ndizo mu zhuba le bugumi lina matatu le mwedzi we Ada, ndaulo ne nlayo zwa mambo, zwikabe zwakafanila shingikadziwa, zhuba ileli ndilo zhuba lakabe zwita zwe Bajuta zwigalabgwe kuti zowobe zwikunda Bajuta ndilo, koga likashanduka kube zhuba Bajuta labakabe bowokunda zwita zwabo. 2 Bajuta bakazwikubunganya mu mizi yabo yose imu mituthu yose ya Mambo Ahasurusi kuti ndizo bamukilane na ibabo banoshaka kubagwisa. Kwakabe kusina nthu ungamilana nabo ngobe be njudzi dzimwe bakabe bobatja kunotjenamisa. 3 Kakale makulukota e mituthu yose ne batungamili ne balauli ne makombgwa bakabhatsha Bajuta ngobe bakabe betja Modekayi. 4 Modekayi wakabe abe nkulu mu ng'umba ya mambo ngono tjilumbi tjitje tjikazibgwa mu mituthu yose ngobe simba lile lakabe lipaphidzika tjibaka ne tjibaka. 5 Ndizo Bajuta bakabulaya zwita zwabo zose nge thumo, be babhaya be balobesa, bathama sekwa banoda nge zwita zwabo. 6 Ku nzi nkulu Susa Bajuta bakabulaya balume bali mazana ali mashanu (500). 7-10 Mubali bakabulaya Pashandatha na Dalifoni na Asifatha na Poratha na Adaliya na Aridatha na Pamashita na Arisai na Aridayi na Vayizatha. Bose ibaba bali gumi bakololo ba Hamani nkololo wa Hamedatha tjita tje Bajuta. Koga kutapa iko bakasikukume. 11 Mu zhuba ilelo zwalo, mambo wakabikigwa mbalo ye balume bakabulawa mu nzi nkulu we Susa. 12 Kudwapo mambo kayenda kuna Nfumakadzi Esita ngono kandwa kati, “Mu nzi nkulu Susa, Bajuta babulaya balume bali mazana ali mashanu (500) ne bakololo bali gumi ba Hamani. Ngono dumbu, bathamani mu mimwe mituthu yangu yasala kene! Ngwenu ini tjaunoshaka? Leba koga unowotjipiwa. Ini tjaunokumbila kakale? Naitjo ndowokupa itjo.”
13 Ngono Esita kashandula eti, “Apa kushathisa mambo, ndokumbila kuti Bajuta bamuke bashingikadze nlayo iwoyo wa nasi kakale, bakololo ba Hamani ibaba bali gumi basungiligwe mu thungamakole.” 14 Ndizo mambo kalaula kuti itjetjo tjishingwe. Ngono kukadusiwa ndaulo yakajalo mu Susa ndizo bana ba Hamani bakasungiligwa. 15 Bajuta bakabe bali mu Susa bakazwikubunganyabo mu zhuba le bugumi lina manna mu mwedzi we Ada ngono bakabulaya balume bali mazana ali matatu (300), koga kutapa iko bakasikuthame. 16-17 Mu zhuba le bugumi lina matatu le mwedzi we Ada, Bajuta bamwe bakabe basala mu mituthu mimwe ya mambo bakazwikubunganya kuti bazwigwile basununguke mu zwita zwabo. Bakabulaya zwita zwabo zwili zwiwulu zwili makumi ali kutendeka ana bushanu (75 000), koga kutapa iko bakasikuthame. Kudwapo mu zhuba le bugumi lina manna Bajuta bakanyaluluka ngono bakathama zhuba le nzano we kushatha. 18 Koga Bajuta bakabe bali mu Susa bakakubungana mu zhuba le bugumi lina matatu nele bugumi lina mashanu ngono bakanyaluluka mu zhuba le bugumi lina mashanu, muna ilelo zhuba bakathama nzano we kushatha. 19 Ndizo Bajuta banogala ku makanyi bethama zhuba le bugumi lina manna le mwedzi we Ada zhuba le kushatha, ne le kunyaluluka kakale ili zhuba le kupana zwipo zwakanaka zwe zojiwa.
Nzano we Shatho
20 Modekayi kakwala zwiyitikalo zose izwezwi, kudwapo katumila hwalo ku Bajuta bose bakabe bali mu mituthu yose ya Mambo Ahasurusi bapejo ne bakule, 21 ebabudza kuti bakafanila kuti gole ne gole bathame nzano we shatho mu zhuba le bugumi lina manna (14) ne mu zhuba le bugumi lina mashanu (15) le mwedzi we Ada, 22 iwo mazhuba akati Bajuta bakawana sununguko mu zwita zwabo kakale ili mwedzi wakati zhuba le tjililo likashanduka zhuba le shatho ne mpululu. Bakafanila kuti baathame mazhuba e nzano we shatho, mazhuba ekupa bamwe zwipo zwakanaka zwe zojiwa ne kukobana ne banosheta. 23 Ndizo Bajuta bakathama sekwa bakatanga bethama ne kulondolodza tjimwe ne tjimwe tjabaka kwaligwa ndi Modekayi.
24 Hamani we N'agati nkololo wa Hamedatha, tjita tje Bajuta bose, wakabe alukila Bajuta gwanga ngoposa hakata, kubona tjibaka tjakalingisana kubabulaya ne kubalobesa. 25 Esita wakati ayenda kuna Mambo Ahasurusi kankumbila kuti atjidze bathu babe, mambo wakadusa ndaulo nge nkwalo kuti maano a Hamani mabiibi aakabe alukila Bajuta athamigwe iye ne bakololo babe basungiligwe mu thungamakole. 26 Ngekwe kose kwakakwagwa mu lukwalo gwa Modekayi ne tjakabe tjakabalingisana bakadana mazhuba iyawa beti Purimu , Purimu ili dama lidwa mu dama linoyi Puri, 27 ndizo Bajuta ne zwizekugwana zwabo na bose bakazwishanganya nabo, bakazwimisila kuti banowolondolodza mazhuba iyawa gole ne gole sekwa kwakakwagwa. 28 Mazhuba iyawa akapelela ili kuti akafanila kumbulukigwa kakale alondolodziwe kudwa mu tjizekugwana kunoti ku tjizekugwana, mu nsha mmwe ne mmwe, ne mu ntuthu mmwe ne mmwe ne nzi nkulu mmwe ne mmwe. Kakale mazhuba iyawa e purimu azofanila lengudziwa kene Bajuta bakamisa kualondolodza.
29 Ndizo Nfumakadzi Esita nkololokadzi wa Abihaile na Modekayi we Njuta, kakwala lukwalo nge simba le bufumakadzi esisithila lukwalo gwe bubili gwakabe guleba ngekwe nzano we Purimu. 30 Hwalo dzakatumiligwa Bajuta bose ne ku mituthu ili zana lina makumi mabili ana ali kutendeka ye bushe gwa Ahasurusi, dzibayemulila mbakiso ne mbakililo, 31 ne kuti mazhuba e Purimu alondolodziwe tjibaka tjakabigwa sekwa Modekayi we Njuta ne Nfumakadzi Esita bakalaulila Bajuta, ngono ibo bakazwimisila kupitshila kulondolodza ikoku ku zwizekugwana zwabo koga sekwa bakazwimisila kulondolodza misi yekuzwinyima zojiwa neye tjililo. 32 Ndizo zila dze kulondolodza nzano we Purimu dzakazhadzisiwa ne Nfumakadzi Esita ngono dzikakwagwa pasi.