艾斯德爾傳:Chapter 9

艾斯德爾傳: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 arrived on which the order decreed by the king was to be carried out, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar, on which the enemies of the Jews had expected to become masters of them, the situation was reversed: the Jews became masters of their enemies.
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。	²The Jews mustered in their cities throughout the provinces of King Ahasuerus to attack those who sought to do them harm, and no one could withstand them, but all peoples were seized with a fear of them.
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。	³Moreover, all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, governors, and royal procurators supported the Jews from 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。	⁴for Mordecai was powerful in the royal palace, and the report was spreading through all the provinces that he was continually growing in power.
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 all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them; they did to their enemies as they pleased.
⁶只在穌撒禁城，猶太人就殺死了五百人，	⁶In the stronghold of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed 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 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha,
⁹帕瑪市達、阿黎賽、阿黎待與耶匝達，	⁹ the ten sons of Haman, son of Hammedatha, the foe of the Jews. However, they did not engage in plundering.
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。	¹⁰On the same day, when the number of those killed in the stronghold of Susa was reported to the king,
¹¹當天，君王就知道了在穌撒禁城內殺死的人數。	¹¹he said to Queen Esther: "In the stronghold of Susa the Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men, as well as the ten sons of Haman. What must they have done in the other royal provinces! You shall again be granted whatever you ask, and whatever you request shall be honored."
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。」	¹²So Esther said, "If it pleases your majesty, let the Jews in Susa be permitted again tomorrow to act according to today's decree, and let the ten sons of Haman be hanged on gibbets."
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。」	¹³The king then gave an order to this effect, and the decree was published in Susa. So the ten sons of Haman were hanged,
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。	¹⁴ and the Jews in Susa mustered again on the fourteenth of the month of Adar and killed three hundred men in Susa. However, they did not engage in plundering.
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。	¹⁵ The other Jews, who dwelt in the royal provinces, also mustered and defended themselves, and obtained rest from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of their foes, without engaging in plunder,
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。	¹⁶on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. On the fourteenth of the month they rested, and made it a day of feasting and rejoicing.
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。	¹⁷(The Jews in Susa, however, mustered on the thirteenth and fourteenth of the month. But on the fifteenth they rested, and made 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。	¹⁸That is why the rural Jews, who dwell in villages, celebrate the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of rejoicing and feasting, a holiday on which they send gifts of food to one another.
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。	¹⁹Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to all the Jews, both near and far, in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.
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，	²⁰He ordered them to celebrate every year both the fourteenth and the fifteenth of the month of Adar
²¹通告他們應每年慶祝「阿達爾」月十四十五兩天，	²¹as the days on which the Jews obtained rest from their enemies and as the month which was turned for them from sorrow into joy, from mourning into festivity. They were to observe these days with feasting and gladness, sending food to one another and gifts to the poor.
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。	²²The Jews took upon themselves for the future this observance which they instituted at the written direction of Mordecai.
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。	²³Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the foe of all the Jews, had planned to destroy them and had cast the pur, or lot, for the time of their defeat and destruction.
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。	²⁴Yet, when Esther entered the royal presence, the king ordered in writing that the wicked plan Haman had devised against the Jews should instead be turned against Haman and that he and his sons should be hanged on gibbets.
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。	²⁵And so these days have been named Purim after the word pur. Thus, because of all that was contained in this letter, and because of what they had witnessed and experienced in this affair,
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，	²⁶the Jews established and took upon themselves, their descendants, and all who should join them, the inviolable obligation of celebrating these two days every year in the manner prescribed by this letter, and at the time appointed.
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；	²⁷These days were to be commemorated and kept in every generation, by every clan, in every province, and in every city. These days of Purim were never to fall into disuse among the Jews, nor into oblivion among their descendants.
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。	²⁸ Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail and of Mordecai the Jew, wrote to confirm with full authority this second letter about Purim,
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。	²⁹when Mordecai sent documents concerning peace and security to all the Jews in the hundred and twenty-seven provinces of Ahasuerus' kingdom.
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，	³⁰ Thus were established, for their appointed time, these days of Purim which Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had designated for the Jews, just as they had previously enjoined upon themselves and upon their race the duty of fasting and supplication.
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。	³¹The command of Esther confirmed these prescriptions for Purim and was recorded in the book.
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。	³²