Sateta mambo kwe Nfumakadzi Vashiti
1-2 Yezwi ndizo zwakashingikala mu misi ya Ahasurusi. Ahasurusi ndiye wakabe ebusa kudwa mu ntuthu we Indiya kunoti kuna we Itopiya. Wakabusa mituthu ili zana ling'ompela lina makumi mabili ana ali kutendeka (127) ngono egala mu matizhilo e Susa. 3 Kwakati mu gole le butatu le mbuso uwe, Ahasurusi kathamila makulukota ne hadzasha mabhikwa. Batungamili be ngwa be Pheshiya ne Mediya ne makulukota ne balauli bakabe baliyapobo. 4 Wakatola mazhuba asimashoma, elakidza fumwa isishoma ye mbuso uwe ne gudzo le bushe gugwe, katola mazhuba ali zana ling'ompela lina makumi ali zhanakadzi (180) elakidza zose izwezwi. 5 Kwakati mazhuba iyawa awila, mambo bakathamila bathu bose be Susa, bafumi ne bashayi mabhikwa, wakatola mazhuba ali kutendeka ne kutobedzana, nzano iwoyo wakathamigwa mu nzi umu nnda wa mambo. 6 Nnda iwoyo wakabe wakanakisiwa nge matyila matjena ne ana mmbala ntala gwe gova , akalembeledziwa kakale ana misungwana ye jila lakanaka le bushaba gwakabondelela mu mabuli e phanda dzakathamwa nge siliva ne mabgwe e hwulungwana anopenya ne misungo yakakoshiwa ne jila buya le mibala mitjena ne bushaba gwakabondelela. Kwakabe kuna zwigalo zwe mapobepobe zwakathamwa nge golide ne siliva, zwili mu budzilo gwakanyambiwa gwe mabgwe anoyi pofiri ne hwulungwana dze mibalabala. 7 Nkumbi we zhambi wakabe ung'wigwa mu mapepe akathamwa nge golide, mapepe iyawa kwakabe kusina lakathamwa kufanana ne limwe. Nkumbi we zhambi we bushe wakabe uli njinji ung'wiwa koga ngoda kwa mambo. 8 Mambo bakabe badusa ndaulo kuti mmwe ne mmwe ang'we sekwa anoshaka.
9 Pezhugwi kwa ikoku, Nfumakadzi Vashiti iye kathamila bakadzi bakabe begala mu nzi wa Mambo Ahasurusi mabhikwa.
10 Kwakati mu zhuba le kutendeka le mabhikwa, mambo bakabe bakashatha kukulu be yitiwa nge nkumbi, ngono bakalaula kuti ngomwa dzabo dzili kutendeka, Mehumani na Bizitha na Habona na Bhigitha na Abagitha na Zetha na Khakasi, 11 dzizhise Nfumakadzi Vashiti kubali, azhe akaambala tjiala tje bushe kuti ndizo alakidze makulukota ne bathu bose bubuya gugwe ngobe wakabe ali nkadzi wakanaka kwazo nge mbumbiko. 12 Koga Nfumakadzi Vashiti kalamba kuyenda kuna mambo sekwa kwakabe kwaleba ngomwa idzedzo. Ngono mambo kagwadzamoyo kwazo kazhala bushongola kunotjenamisa.
13 Ngobe kwakabe kuli mu mpanga kuti mambo ashake bhatsho mu batjenjedu muna zwe milayo ne sumikiliso, mambo wakalebeleka ne balume be batjenjedu 14 bakabe bali ibo bapejo naye bakabe balibo Khashena na Shetha na Adimatha na Tashishi na Meresi na Masena na Memukani ne makulukota ali kutendeka e Pheshiya nebe Mediya bakabe bana magalo apezhugwi mu bushe. 15 Mambo bakababhuzwa beti, “Nge nlayo takafanila kuthamani ngekwe Nfumakadzi Vashiti se asashingikadza ndaulo ya Mambo Ahasurusi sekwa abe adwiwa nge ngomwa dza mambo kene?” 16 Ngono Memukani kaleba mbeli kwa mambo ne makulukota eti “Ate ili kuti Nfumakadzi balengudza mambo koga, balengudza makulukota kose ne nge bathu be ntuthu wa Mambo Ahasurusi. 17 Mazwibhato iyawa a Nfumakadzi asakanaka anowozibgwa nge bakadzi bose ngono bakalingila balume babo pasi beti, ‘mambo Ahasurusi bakadwa Nfumakadzi Vashiti kuti azhe ku bali ngono kalamba.’ 18 Kudwa mu zhuba la nasi, bakadzi be makulukota e Mediya ne Pheshiya bakahwa ngekwe mazwibhato e Nfumakadzi Vashiti, banozwibhatabo beijalo bepandukila balume babo ngono kowobe ne kusatetana mu misha kusingapele. 19 Ndizo wali ha kushathisa mambo, thamani kuti kube mu nlayo we bushe wakakwagwa mu milayo ye Pheshiya neye Mediya, ili nlayo usingatjinyilugwe, kuti Vashiti asitongoti alipo kazha mbeli kwa Mambo Ahasurusi, kakale mambo batole mamo awe e bufumakadzi baape nkadzi upoga unoyita panli. 20 Ndizo wali ha nlayo iwoyo waandamisiwa mu bushe gose gwa mambo ndiko bakadzi bose banowoteta balume babo banozwitolela pezhugwi, bafumi ne bashayi ngofanana koga.”
21 Gumbuludzo ileli likashathisa mambo ne makulukota abo, ngono mambo bakathama sekwa kwalebgwa ndi Memukani, 22 ndizo kukatumigwa hwalo ku mituthu yose ye bushe, ntuthu mmwe ne mmwe wakakwaligwa nge nkwalo wawo nenge lulimi gwawo, bezibisiwa kuti nlume mmwe ne mmwe abe she ye nsha uwe.
Queen Vashti Defies King Xerxes
1-2 From his royal throne in Persia's capital city of Susa, King Xerxes ruled 127 provinces, all the way from India to Ethiopia.
3 In the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his officials and administrators. The armies of Persia and Media were present, as well as the governors and noblemen of the provinces. 4 For six whole months he made a show of the riches of the imperial court with all its splendor and majesty.
5 After that, the king gave a banquet for all the people in the capital city of Susa, rich and poor alike. It lasted a whole week and was held in the gardens of the royal palace. 6 The courtyard there was decorated with blue and white cotton curtains, tied by cords of fine purple linen to silver rings on marble columns. Couches made of gold and silver had been placed in the courtyard, which was paved with white marble, red feldspar, shining mother-of-pearl, and blue turquoise. 7 Drinks were served in gold cups, no two of them alike, and the king was generous with the royal wine. 8 There were no limits on the drinks; the king had given orders to the palace servants that everyone could have as much as they wanted.
9 Meanwhile, inside the royal palace Queen Vashti was giving a banquet for the women.
10 On the seventh day of his banquet the king was drinking and feeling happy, so he called in the seven eunuchs who were his personal servants, Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas. 11 He ordered them to bring in Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown. The queen was a beautiful woman, and the king wanted to show off her beauty to the officials and all his guests. 12 But when the servants told Queen Vashti of the king's command, she refused to come. This made the king furious.
13 Now it was the king's custom to ask for expert opinion on questions of law and order, so he called for his advisers, who would know what should be done. 14 Those he most often turned to for advice were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan—seven officials of Persia and Media who held the highest offices in the kingdom. 15 He said to these men, “I, King Xerxes, sent my servants to Queen Vashti with a command, and she refused to obey it! What does the law say that we should do with her?”
16 Then Memucan declared to the king and his officials: “Queen Vashti has insulted not only the king but also his officials—in fact, every man in the empire! 17 Every woman in the empire will start looking down on her husband as soon as she hears what the queen has done. They'll say, ‘King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to come to him, and she refused.’ 18 When the wives of the royal officials of Persia and Media hear about the queen's behavior, they will be telling their husbands about it before the day is out. Wives everywhere will have no respect for their husbands, and husbands will be angry with their wives. 19 If it please Your Majesty, issue a royal proclamation that Vashti may never again appear before the king. Have it written into the laws of Persia and Media, so that it can never be changed. Then give her place as queen to some better woman. 20 When your proclamation is made known all over this huge empire, every woman will treat her husband with proper respect, whether he's rich or poor.”
21 The king and his officials liked this idea, and the king did what Memucan suggested. 22 To each of the royal provinces he sent a message in the language and the system of writing of that province, saying that every husband should be the master of his home and speak with final authority.