| 艾斯德爾傳 |
Esther |
| 1君王和哈曼同來與艾斯德爾王后宴飲。 |
1So the king and Haman went to the banquet with Queen Esther. |
| 2在這第二天的酒興之餘，王又對艾斯德爾說：「艾斯德爾后！你要求什麼，我必給你；不論你要求什麼，即便是半壁江山，也必照辦。」 |
2Again, on this second day, during the drinking of the wine, the king said to Esther, "Whatever you ask, Queen Esther, shall be granted you. Whatever request you make shall be honored, even for half the kingdom." |
| 3艾斯德爾后答說：「大王！如果我獲得你垂青寵愛，如果大王歡喜，請饒我一命，這是我的懇請；也饒我民族一命，這是我的要求， |
3Queen Esther replied: "If I have found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, I ask that my life be spared, and I beg that you spare the lives of my people. |
| 4因為我和我的民族，已被人出賣，快要遭受蹂躪、屠殺、毀滅。若是我們只被人賣為奴婢，那麼我必不開口；但這仇人毫不顧及君王所受的災害。」 |
4For my people and I have been delivered to destruction, slaughter, and extinction. If we were to be sold into slavery I would remain silent, but as it is, the enemy will be unable to compensate for the harm done to the king." |
| 5薛西斯王問艾斯德爾后說：「這人是誰？那心內打算作這事的人在那裏？」 |
5"Who and where," said King Ahasuerus to Queen Esther, "is the man who has dared to do this?" |
| 6艾斯德爾答說：「這仇人和死敵，就是這敗類哈曼。」哈曼立時在君王及王后前，驚惶萬分。 |
6Esther replied, "The enemy oppressing us is this wicked Haman." At this, Haman was seized with dread of the king and queen. |
| 7於是君王勃然大怒，即刻退席，走進了御苑；哈曼遂起來懇求艾斯德爾后饒他一命，因為他看出了君王已決意要將他置於死地。 |
7The king left the banquet in anger and went into the garden of the palace, but Haman stayed to beg Queen Esther for his life, since he saw that the king had decided on his doom. |
| 8王由御苑回到餐廳，哈曼正俯伏在艾斯德爾所坐着的榻旁，王惡聲叱吒說：「在王宮內，當着我的面，居然膽敢存心侮辱王后！」王的話一出口，僕人就蒙起哈曼的臉。 |
8When the king returned from the garden of the palace to the banquet hall, Haman had thrown himself on the couch on which Esther was reclining; and the king exclaimed, "Will he also violate the queen while she is with me in my own house!" Scarcely had the king spoken when the face of Haman was covered over. |
| 9君王座前的一個太監哈波納說：「正巧，在哈曼家裏，有他給那位曾一言造福大王的摩爾德開，豎立的一個五十尺高的刑架。」王說：「將他懸在上面！」 |
9Harbona, one of the eunuchs who attended the king, said, "At the house of Haman stands a gibbet fifty cubits high. Haman prepared it for Mordecai, who gave the report that benefited the king." The king answered, "Hang him on it." |
| 10人們遂把哈曼懸在他自己為摩爾德開所做的刑架上；王的忿怒這纔平息。 |
10So they hanged Haman on the gibbet which he had made ready for Mordecai, and the anger of the king abated. |
