Esther 3

NEW JERUSALEM	EL LIBRO DEL PUEBLO DE DIOS
1 Shortly afterwards, King Ahasuerus singled out Haman son of Hammedatha, a native of Agag, forpromotion. He raised him in rank, granting him precedence over all his col eagues, the other officers-of-state,	1 Algún tiempo después, el rey Asuero promovió a Amán, hijo de Hamdatá, el agaguita, a la más alta dignidad, asignándole un sitial más elevado que el de todos los demás ministros que estaban con él.
2 and al the royal officials employed at the Chancel ery used to bow low and prostrate themselveswhenever Haman appeared -- such was the king's command. Mordecai refused either to bow or to prostratehimself.	2 Todos los servidores de la puerta real doblaban la rodilla y se postraban ante Amán, porque así lo había ordenado el rey. Pero Mardoqueo no se arrodillaba ni se postraba.
3 'Why do you flout the royal command?' the officials of the Chancel ery asked Mordecai.	3 Entonces los servidores de la puerta real preguntaron a Mardoqueo: «¿Por qué desobedeces la orden del rey?».
4 Day after day they asked him this, but he took no notice of them. In the end they reported the matter toHaman, to see whether Mordecai would persist in his attitude, since he had told them that he was a Jew.	4 Y como todos los días le decían lo mismo, sin que él les hiciera caso, lo denunciaron a Amán, para ver si Mardoqueo hacía valer sus razones, porque les había dicho que él era judío.
5 Haman could see for himself that Mordecai did not bow or prostrate himself in his presence; he becamefuriously angry.	5 Al ver que Mardoqueo no doblaba la rodilla ni se postraba ante él, Amán se enfureció.
6 And, on being told what race Mordecai belonged to, he thought it beneath him merely to get rid ofMordecai, but made up his mind to wipe out all the members of Mordecai's race, the Jews, living in Ahasuerus'entire empire.	6 Pero le pareció demasiado poco castigarlo a él solo: como le habían dicho a qué pueblo pertenecía Mardoqueo, Amán trató de exterminar al pueblo de Mardoqueo, a todos los judíos que había en el imperio de Asuero.
7 In the first month, that is the month of Nisan, of the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, the pur (that is, thelot) was cast in Haman's presence, to determine the day and the month. The lot falling on the twelfth month,which is Adar,	7 El primer mes, que es el mes de Nisán, en el duodécimo año del rey Asuero, se echó el «Pur» –es decir, la suerte– en presencia de Amán, tomando día por día y mes por mes, y la suerte cayó sobre el día trece del duodécimo mes, o sea, el mes de Adar.
8 Haman said to King Ahasuerus, 'There is a certain unassimilated nation scattered among the othernations throughout the provinces of your realm; their laws are different from those of al the other nations, andthe royal laws they ignore; hence it is not in the king's interests to tolerate them.	8 Amán dijo entonces al rey Asuero: «En todas las provincias de tu reino, hay un pueblo particular, disperso entre los otros pueblos y aislado de los demás. Sus leyes son diferentes de las de todo otro pueblo, y ellos no cumplen las leyes reales. Al rey no le conviene tolerarlos.
9 If their destruction be signed, so please the king, I am ready to pay ten thousand talents of silver to theking's receivers, to be credited to the royal treasury.'	9 Si le parece bien, se dará por escrito la orden de eliminarlos. Y yo depositaré diez mil talentos de plata en las manos de los administradores, para que ingresen en el tesoro real».
10 The king then took his signet ring off his hand and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, thepersecutor of the Jews.	10 Entonces el rey se quitó el anillo que llevaba su sello y se lo dio a Amán, el agaguita, el opresor de los judíos.
11 'Keep the money,' he said, 'and you can have the people too; do what you like with them.'	11 Luego le dijo: «El dinero será para ti. En cuanto al pueblo, trátalo como mejor te parezca».
12 The royal scribes were therefore summoned for the thirteenth day of the first month, when they wroteout the orders addressed by Haman to the king's satraps, to the governors ruling each province and to theprincipal officials of each people, to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language. Theedict was signed in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with his ring,	12 Los secretarios del rey fueron convocados el día trece del primer mes. Y tal como lo había ordenado Amán, se redactó un escrito dirigido a los prefectos reales, a los gobernadores de cada una de las provincias y a los jefes de cada pueblo, a cada provincia en su propia escritura y a cada pueblo en su propia lengua. Los escritos estaban redactados en nombre del rey Asuero y sellados con el anillo real.
13 and letters were sent by runners to every province of the realm, ordering the destruction, slaughter andannihilation of al Jews, young and old, including women and children, on the same day -- the thirteenth day ofthe twelfth month, which is Adar -- and the seizing of their possessions. (a) The text of the letter was as fol ows:'The Great King, Ahasuerus, to the governors of the hundred and twenty-seven provinces stretching from Indiato Ethiopia, and to their subordinate district commissioners: (b) 'Being placed in authority over many nations andruling the whole world, I have resolved never to be carried away by the insolence of power, but always to rulewith moderation and clemency, so as to assure for my subjects a life ever free from storms and, offering mykingdom the benefits of civilisation and free transit from end to end, to restore that peace which al men desire.(c) In consultation with our advisers as to how this aim is to be effected, we have been informed by one of them,eminent among us for prudence and wel proved for his unfailing devotion and unshakeable trustworthiness, andin rank second only to our majesty, Haman by name, (d) that there is, mingled among all the tribes of the earth, acertain ill-disposed people, opposed by its laws to every other nation and continually defying the royalordinances, in such a way as to obstruct that form of government assured by us to the general good. (e)'Considering therefore that this people, unique of its kind, is in complete opposition to al humanity from which itdiffers by its outlandish laws, that it is hostile to our interests and that it commits the most heinous crimes, to thepoint of endangering the stability of the realm: (f) 'We command that those persons designated to you in theletters written by Haman, who was appointed to watch over our interests and is a second father to us, be alldestroyed, root and branch, including women and children, by the swords of their enemies, without any pity ormercy, on the fourteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar, of the present year, (g) so that, these past and presentmalcontents being in one day forcibly thrown down to Hades, our government may henceforward enjoy perpetualstability and peace.'	13 Luego los mensajeros llevaron estos documentos a todas las provincias del rey, con la orden de exterminar, matar y eliminar a todos los judíos, jóvenes y viejos, mujeres y niños, y de confiscar sus bienes. Esto debía hacerse en un mismo día, el día trece del duodécimo mes, es decir, el mes de Adar.
14 Copies of this decree, to be promulgated as law in each province, were published to the variouspeoples, so that each might be ready for the day aforementioned.	14 Una copia del escrito sería promulgada con fuerza de ley en cada provincia y comunicada a todos los pueblos, a fin de que estuvieran preparados para aquel día.
15 At the king's command, the runners set out with all speed; the decree was first promulgated in thecitadel of Susa. While the king and Haman gave themselves up to feasting and drinking, consternation reigned inthe city of Susa.	15 De acuerdo con la orden del rey, los mensajeros partieron rápidamente, y el edicto también fue promulgado en la ciudadela de Susa. Mientras el rey y Amán comían y bebían tranquilamente, en la ciudad de Susa reinaba la consternación.