1Emveni kwalokho lapho ulaka lwenkosi u-Arithahishashithi selubohlile, yayingasakhathezekile ngalokho uVashithi ayekwenzile, nalokho inkosi eyayikumemezele, nangokuthi yayimchithe kanjani. 2Zase zithi izinceku zenkosi: “Makutholelwe inkosi izintombi ezinhle nezibukekayo. 3Inkosi mayimise izikhulu ezifundeni zonke zombuso wayo, zona ziyakukhetha izintombi ezinhle ezisengamatshitshi, zizilethe ekomkhulu eShushani. Zizinikele esandleni senduna yenkosi ebhekene nabesifazane, futhi izintombi zinikwe izinto zazo zokuziqhola. 4Intombi enhle futhi ethokozisa inkosi, mayibe yindlovukazi esikhundleni sikaVashithi.”
Kwaba kuhle lokho emehlweni enkosi, yase yenze njalo. 5Kwakukhona umuntu womJuda eShushani endlini yenkosi ogama lakhe linguMoridekhayi kaJayire, kaShimeyi kaKhishi wakwaBhenjamini, 6owayethunjiwe eJerusalema kanye nabathunjwa bakwaJuda abathunjwa nguNebukhadinezari inkosi yaseBhabhiloni. 7Wayenengane, indodakazi kayisekazi u-Aminadaba, igama layo kungu-Esteri. Sebefile abazali bakhe uMoridekhayi wamthatha u-Esteri wazikhulisela yena njengowayengahle abe ngumkakhe. U-Esteri wayemuhle kakhulu.
8Kwathi lapho izwi lenkosi nesimemezelo sekuzwakele, nalapho izintombi eziningi sezibuthene eShushani endlini yenkosi, ngaphansi kwesandla sikaGayi umgcini wabesifazane, u-Esteri naye wangeniswa khona lapho. 9U-Esteri wamhlaba umxhwele uGayi futhi wafumana umusa kuye; washesha wamnika izinto zokuziqhola, nesabelo sakhe sokudla, kanye nezintombi eziyisikhombisa ezazikhethelwe isigodlo; wabaphatha ngomusa o-Esteri kanye nezintombi ezazikhethelwe yena. 10Kepha u-Esteri wayengakhulumanga ngabantu bakubo nangezwe lakubo, ngokuba uMoridekhayi wayemyalile ukuba angasho lutho.
11UMoridekhayi wayehamba zonke izinsuku phambi kwegceke lendlu yabesifazane ukuba abone ukuthi kuyakwenziwa njani ngo-Esteri. 12Lezi zintombi zazinikezwe isikhathi esizinyanga ezili-12 ngaphambi kokuba zivele phambi kwenkosi. Ngalesi sikhathi ziyapheleliswa izinsuku zokuziqhola nokuzenza bahle kwezintombi, kuba zinyanga eziyisithupha zisazigcoba ngamafutha emure kanye nezinyanga eziyisithupha ziziqhola ngamakha nezinto zokuqhola zabesifazane. 13Emveni kwalokho zingeniswa enkosini, zinikelwa kumuntu okhethiwe, yena-ke ayithathe ngayinye lapho kubuthene khona izintombi ayingenise esigodlweni senkosi. 14Kuthi ebusuku ingene, ekuseni ibuyele endlini yesibili yabesifazane, lapho uGayi umgcini wabesifazane ephethe khona, ingaphinde ingene enkosini ngaphandle kokuba inkosi iyibize ngegama.
15Lapho sesiphelelisiwe isikhathi sokuba u-Esteri indodakazi ka-Aminadaba uyisekazi kaMoridekhayi, angene enkosini, akafunanga lutho kuphela lokho okushiwo nguGayi induna yabesifazane. U-Esteri wathandeka emehlweni abo bonke abambonayo. 16U-Esteri wangeniswa ku-Arithahishashithi ngenyanga ye-12, okwakuyinyanga ka-Adari, ngomnyaka wesikhombisa wokubusa kwenkosi. 17Inkosi yamthanda u-Esteri phezu kwabo bonke abesifazane, wafumana umusa nesihe emehlweni ayo kunazo zonke izintombi, inkosi yamfaka umqhele wobukhosi.
17aUMoridekhayi wakhuleka kuSimakade eyincenga ukuba ikhumbule yonke imisebenzi yayo. Wathi:
17b“Wena Nkosi,
uyiNkosi phezu kwakho konke,
ngokuba konke kusemandleni akho
futhi akekho ongaphikisana nawe
uma kuyintando yakho
ukumhlenga u-Israyeli,
17cngokuba wenzile izulu nomhlaba
nakho konke okumangalisayo
ngaphansi kwezulu.
UyiNkosi yakho konke
futhi akekho ongaphikisana nawe, Nkosi.
17dWena Nkosi wazi konke,
uyazi ukuthi kwakungengenxa
yokuba nginenkani
noma ngiziphakamisa
noma ngifuna udumo
ukuba ngenze lokhu,
ngenqabe ukukhothamela uHamani
ozithwele kangaka,
ngokuba ngangingamqabula
ngisho izinyawo
ukuze ngihlenge u-Israyeli!
17eKepha ngakwenza lokhu
ukuze ngingaphakamisi
udumo lomuntu
phezu kodumo lukaNkulunkulu,
anginakukhothamela
omunye umuntu
ngaphandle kwakho,
wena oyiNkosi yami,
futhi anginakuzenza
lezi zinto ngempakamo.
17fManje-ke Nkosi Nkulunkulu,
Nkulunkulu ka-Abhrahama,
sindisa abantu bakho,
ngokuba basibhekile
ukubona sibhujiswa,
futhi bafisa ukuqeda
ifa eselokhu laba ngelakho
kusukela kwasekuqaleni.
17gUngasiyekeli isabelo sakho,
owazihlengela sona
ezweni iGibhithe.
17hWuzwe umkhuleko wami,
ube nomusa efeni lakho,
uphendule ukulila kwethu
kube yidili,
ukuze siphile
sihubele igama lakho
izindumiso Nkosi,
Nkosi ungazibhubhisi
izindebe zalabo abakudumisayo.”
17iWonke u-Israyeli wakhala kakhulu, ngokuba ukufa kwabo kwase kufikile kuphambi kwamehlo abo.
Umkhuleko Ka-Esteri 14
17kIndlovukazi u-Esteri igcwele ukwesaba ukufa yabalekela kuSimakade. Yakhumula ingubo yayo yakwanokusho yagqoka izembatho zosizi nokulila, kwathi esikhundleni samakha enani eliphakeme yahuqa ikhanda layo ngomlotha nangobulongwe, yawuthobisa ngokupheleleyo umzimba wayo eyayithanda kakhulu ukuwuhlobisa, yayekela izinwele zayo zaba mahlikihliki. Yakhuleka eNkosini uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, yathi:
17l“Nkosi yami,
Wena wedwa uyiNkosi yethu.
Ngisize mina engizithola
ngingedwa ngingenamsizi
ngaphandle kwakho,
ngokuba ingozi yami
isesandleni sami.
17mSelokhu ngazalwa
ngizwile esizweni sakithi
ukuthi nguwe Nkosi
owathatha u-Israyeli
phakathi kwezizwe,
okhokho bethu phakathi
kokhokho bazo,
ukuba babe yifa lakho
ingunaphakade,
nokuthi wabenzela
konke owawubethembise khona.
17nManje sonile phambi kwakho,
waze wasinikela ezitheni zethu
ngokuba sadumisa onkulunkulu bazo.
Wena Nkosi ulungile!
17o“Kepha bona abe
nelisiwe noma sisebugqilini obunje
futhi sebenze isivumelwano
nonkulunkulu babo
ukuze bacime lokho
umlomo wakho okugcobile,
nokuchitha ifa lakho,
bathulise imilomo
yalabo abakudumisayo
baqede udumo lwendlu yakho,
neminikelo yokushiswa
e-althare lakho,
17pukuba bavule imilomo yezizwe
ngendumiso eyize yezithombe
nokuba ziphakamise inkosi ezokufa.
17qWena Nkosi ungayiyekeli intonga
uyiyekele kokungasho lutho,
ungabavumeli bathokoze
ngokuwa kwethu,
kodwa aguqule amacebo abo
abhekane nabo,
yenza isibonelo ngalowo
okunguyena oqale lokhu.
17rKhumbula Nkosi,
uzibonakalise ngalesi sikhathi
sokuhlupheka kwethu,
ungiphe isibindi,
Nkosi Yamakhosi
noNgqongqoshe wemibuso yonke!
17sNgiphe ubuciko bokukhuluma
emlonyeni wami
ngiphambi kwengonyama,
uphendule inhliziyo yayo
ukuba izonde lo muntu olwa nathi,
ukuze ashabalaliswe
yena nalabo abamsekelayo.
17tKepha sikhulule ngesandla sakho,
ungisize nami engingenamsizi
ngaphandle kwakho Nkosi.
17u“Wena wazi zonke izinto,
uyazi ukuthi ngiyaluzonda
udumo lwababi
futhi ngiyawuzonda umbhede
wabangasokile
nowanoma yimuphi ongowezizwe.
17wWena uyakwazi engikudingayo,
ukuthi ngiyaluzonda uphawu
lwesikhundla sami esiphakeme,
oluhlala ekhanda lami
ngezinsuku engivela ngazo
emphakathini.
Ngilwenyanya njengengubo engcolile
futhi angilugqoki ngezinsuku
lapho ngiziphumulele.
17xIncekukazi yakho ayizange
idle etafuleni likaHamani,
bengingakayi emicimbini yenkosi
noma ngiphuze iwayini.
17yIncekukazi yakho ayikaze
ibe nokuthokoza
selokhu yangeniswa esigodlweni
kuze kube manje,
ngaphandle kokuthokoza kuwe,
Wena Nkosi Nkulunkulu ka-Abhrahama.
17zWena Nkosi, Wena omandla akho
aphezu konke,
yizwa izwi lophelelwa yithemba,
bese usisindisa ezandleni zababi.
Ngikhulule nami ovalweni lwami.”
18Inkosi yenza idili elikhulu, yenzela zonke izikhulu zayo, nezinceku zayo, izinsuku eziyisikhombisa igubha umkhosi womshado wayo no-Esteri, bonke abangaphansi kwayo besulelwa intela. 19Ngaleso sikhathi, uMoridekhayi wayesebenza egcekeni lenkosi. 20U-Esteri wayengakalandi lutho ngezihlobo zakhe, nangabantu bakubo, njengalokho uMoridekhayi ayemyalile; kodwa wayemelwe esabe uNkulunkulu futhi agcine imithetho yakhe, njengoba ayenza esenaye. Ngakho-ke u-Esteri kayiguqulanga indlela ayekade ephila ngayo. 21Abathenwa ababili ababengabaqaphi abakhulu benkosi bathukutheliswa inqubekela phambili kaMoridekhayi, ngakho-ke benza icebo lokubulala inkosi u-Arithahishashithi. 22Leyo ndaba yaziwa nguMoridekhayi, wayitshela u-Esteri indlovukazi; u-Esteri wayisho enkosini egameni likaMoridekhayi. 23Lapho iphenywa le ndaba, kwafunyanwa ukuthi injalo, baphanyekwa emthini bobabili laba bathenwa; kwalotshwa encwadini yezindaba zemihla ngemihla phambi kwenkosi eyayihlala emtapeni wezincwadi, ngokulunga okwabonakaliswa nguMoridekhayi.
