Esther:Chapter 9

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Esther:Chapter 9

艾斯德爾傳	Esther
¹十二月，「阿達爾」月十三日，是該執行君令和上諭的那一天，也是猶太人的敵人原想殲滅猶太人的日期，卻變成了猶太人制服敵人的日子。	¹When the day came for the order of the king to be carried out - the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar, on which the enemies of the Jews had expected to crush them - the reverse happened, for it was the Jews who got the upper hand over those who sought their harm.
²住在薛西斯王各省各城的猶太人，都聚集起來，動手攻打那些想謀害他們的人，但沒有一個人能敵擋他們，因為所有人民都害怕他們。	²In their towns throughout the provinces of King Ahasuerus, the Jews gathered to strike at those who planned their destruction. But no one dared resist them, for they were feared by all the other nations.
³各省的首長，御史大臣和省長，以及為君王服務的人，都擁護猶太人，因為害怕摩爾德開。	³In fact, all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, governors and the king's administrators supported the Jews out of fear of Mordecai,
⁴的確，摩爾德開在王宮裏已掌大權，聲譽傳遍各省，而摩爾德開的權力越來越大。	⁴who had become more and more powerful and prominent not only in the palace but throughout the provinces.
⁵這樣猶太人就用刀屠殺，消滅了一切敵人，任意對待了仇恨他們的人；	⁵The Jews struck down their enemies, killing them by the sword, doing as they pleased to those who hated them.
⁶只在穌撒禁城，猶太人就殺死了五百人，	⁶In Susa alone, they killed five hundred men.
⁷也殺了帕商大達、達耳豐、阿斯帕達、	⁷They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha
⁸頗辣達、阿達里雅、阿黎大達、	⁸Porathai, Adalia, Aridatha,
⁹帕瑪市達、阿黎賽、阿黎待與耶匝達，	⁹Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha,
¹⁰即哈默大達的兒子，猶太人的仇人哈曼的十個兒子，但沒有下手搶奪財物。	¹⁰the ten sons of Haman, who was Hammedatha's son and enemy of the Jews. But they laid no hand on the spoils.
¹¹當天，君王就知道了在穌撒禁城內殺死的人數。	¹¹That same day the number of the slain in Susa was reported to the king,
¹²王對艾斯德爾后說：「在穌撒禁城內，猶太人已殺死五百人和哈曼的十個兒子，在帝國其他各省內，他們更將做出何事？如今你還請求什麼，我必賜給你；你還要求什麼，我都必履行。」	¹²who in turn told Esther: "The Jews have killed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman in Susa alone. Imagine what more they have done in the rest of my provinces! But you shall again be granted whatever you ask; whatever you request shall be fulfilled."
¹³艾斯德爾答說：「如蒙大王賜恩，請恩准住在穌撒的猶太人，明天也照今天的法律行事，把哈曼的十個兒子懸在刑架上。」	¹³Esther replied, "If it pleases the king, let the Jews in Susa be permitted again tomorrow to carry out today's edict, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged on the gallows."
¹⁴王就下令照辦。於是在穌撒發出了一道諭旨，要把哈曼的十個兒子懸在刑架上。	¹⁴The king then ordered that this be done. The edict was issued in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged.
¹⁵在「阿達爾」月十四日那一天，住在穌撒的猶太人又集合起來，在那裏擊殺了三百人，但沒有下手搶奪財物。	¹⁵On the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, the Jews in Susa gathered again and put to death three hundred men. But again they laid no hand on the spoils.
¹⁶住在君王各省的其他猶太人，也聚集起來保衛自己，擺脫敵人的侵害，把他們的七萬五千仇人殺死，但沒有下手搶奪財物。	¹⁶The other Jews in the king's provinces also assembled to protect themselves and rid themselves of their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of their foes, but did not lay hands on the spoils.
¹⁷這是「阿達爾」月十三日的事；十四日那天，他們安息，舉行慶功的歡宴。	¹⁷This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and the Jews rested on the fourteenth, making it a day of feasting and rejoicing.
¹⁸住在穌撒的猶太人，因為在十三十四日聚集復仇，便於十五日安息，舉行慶功的歡宴。	¹⁸The Jews in Susa, however, assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth and rested on the fifteenth, making this a day of feasting and rejoicing.
¹⁹從此以後，那些住在村莊的猶太鄉民，奉「阿達爾」月十四日為慶日，歡宴慶祝，互送禮物；但居住在城市的猶太人卻以「阿達爾」月十五日為慶日，互送禮物。	¹⁹That is why the rural Jews have a different day of rest and celebration: the fourteenth of the month of Adar on which they send presents to each other.
²⁰摩爾德開於是將這些事記錄下來，並向薛西斯王各省遠近的猶太人頒發文書，	²⁰Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far,
²¹通告他們應每年慶祝「阿達爾」月十四十五兩天，	²¹directing them to celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth of the month of Adar
²²因為這兩天是猶太人徹底擺脫仇敵的日子，而這一月為他們是化憂為喜，化凶為吉的一月，因此該以歡宴慶祝這兩天，互贈禮物，救濟窮困。	²²as the days when the Jews rid themselves of their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into feasting. They were to observe these as days of festivity and rejoicing, days for giving food presents to one another and gifts to the poor.
²³猶太人便把已開始舉行的和摩爾德開給他們規定的事，奉為永遠當守的盛典。	²³The Jews agreed to observe annually this celebration instituted on Mordecai's written order.
²⁴原來，阿加格人哈默大達的兒子哈曼，那全猶太人的仇人曾蓄意加害猶太人，要將他們滅絕，就抽出「普爾」即籤，來擇定剷除殲滅他們的日子。	²⁴For Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite, enemy of the Jews, had plotted to destroy them and had cast the pur or lot for their ruin.
²⁵但是君王一洞悉此事，便下諭令說：「哈曼加害猶太人想出來的陰謀，應加在他自己頭上！」就判處他和他的兒子們懸在刑架上。	²⁵Yet through Esther's intervention, the king ordered in writing that the wicked plan against the Jews should instead be turned against Haman, whom he ordered to be hanged as well as his sons.
²⁶從此，人就援用「普爾」一名，稱這兩天為「普陵節」。依照這文書記載的，和他們有關此事親身看見及經歷的一切，	²⁶These days, therefore, have been called Purim after the word pur. Because of this written order and of what they had seen and experienced,
²⁷猶太人便給自己，給自己的子孫，給一切加入他們集會的人，規定了「每年該照規定依時慶祝這兩天」為不可更改的法律；	²⁷the Jews took upon themselves, their descendants and all who would join them, to celebrate these two days every year without fail, in the manner prescribed and at the time appointed.
²⁸世世代代，家家戶戶，各省各城，應紀念和慶祝這兩天；猶太人決不可廢除這兩天的「普陵節」，他們的子孫也決不可忘掉這慶節。	²⁸Commemorated and celebrated thus, in every family, province and city, through all generations, these days of Purim were never to fall into disuse among the Jews nor into oblivion among their descendants.
²⁹阿彼海耳的女兒艾斯德爾后與猶太人摩爾德開，又以全權再度寫了一道核准「普陵節」的文書。	²⁹Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, along with the Jew Mordecai, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim.
³⁰然後把此文書分發給所有住在薛西斯帝國一百二十七省內的猶太人，以平和誠懇的言詞，	³⁰Letters were sent to all the Jews in the one hundred twenty-seven provinces of Ahasuerus' kingdom, in words conveying goodwill and assurance,
³¹勸他們遵照猶太人摩爾德開對這「普陵節」所規定的，依時舉行。至於禁食和哀歌的吟詠等禮，則可依照他們自己及自己的後代所規定的去行。	³¹enjoining them to observe these days of Purim at the designated time, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had decreed and just as the Jews had prescribed for themselves and their descendants, with respect to their duty of fasting and lamentation.
³²從此，艾斯德爾的命令，便成了「普陵節」的規定，並記載於史冊。	³²Esther's decree fixed these practices of Purim, and it was recorded in the book.

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