Esther 3

NEW JERUSALEM	SMITH VAN DYKE
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 بعد هذه الأمور عظّم الملك احشويروش هامان بن همداثا الاجاجي ورقّاه وجعل كرسيه فوق جميع الرؤساء الذين معه.
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 فكان كل عبيد الملك الذين بباب الملك يجثون ويسجدون لهامان لانه هكذا اوصى به الملك. واما مردخاي فلم يجث ولم يسجد.
3 'Why do you flout the royal command?' the officials of the Chancel ery asked Mordecai.	3 فقال عبيد الملك الذين بباب الملك لمردخاي لماذا تتعدّى امر الملك.
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 واذ كانوا يكلمونه يوما فيوما ولم يكن يسمع لهم اخبروا هامان ليروا هل يقوم كلام مردخاي لانه اخبرهم بانه يهودي.
5 Haman could see for himself that Mordecai did not bow or prostrate himself in his presence; he becamefuriously angry.	5 ولما رأى هامان ان مردخاي لا يجثو ولا يسجد له امتلأ هامان غضبا.
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 وازدري في عينيه ان يمد يده الى مردخاي وحده لانهم اخبروه عن شعب مردخاي فطلب هامان ان يهلك جميع اليهود الذين في كل مملكة احشويروش شعب مردخاي
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 في الشهر الاول اي شهر نيسان في السنة الثانية عشرة للملك احشويروش كانوا يلقون فورا اي قرعة امام هامان من يوم الى يوم ومن شهر الى شهر الى الثاني عشر اي شهر اذار.
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 فقال هامان للملك احشويروش انه موجود شعب ما متشتت ومتفرق بين الشعوب في كل بلاد مملكتك وسننهم مغايرة لجميع الشعوب وهم لا يعملون سنن الملك فلا يليق بالملك تركهم.
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 فاذا حسن عند الملك فليكتب ان يبادوا وانا ازن عشرة آلاف وزنة من الفضة في ايدي الذين يعملون العمل ليؤتى بها الى خزائن الملك.
10 The king then took his signet ring off his hand and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, thepersecutor of the Jews.	10 فنزع الملك خاتمه من يده واعطاه لهامان بن همداثا الاجاجي عدو اليهود.
11 'Keep the money,' he said, 'and you can have the people too; do what you like with them.'	11 وقال الملك لهامان الفضة قد أعطيت لك والشعب ايضا لتفعل به ما يحسن في عينيك
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 فدعي كتّاب الملك في الشهر الاول في اليوم الثالث عشر منه وكتب حسب كل ما أمر به هامان الى مرازبة الملك والى ولاة بلاد فبلاد والى رؤساء شعب فشعب كل بلاد ككتابتها وكل شعب كلسانه كتب باسم الملك احشويروش وختم بخاتم الملك
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 وأرسلت الكتابات بيد السعاة الى كل بلدان الملك لاهلاك وقتل وابادة جميع اليهود من الغلام الى الشيخ والاطفال والنساء في يوم واحد في الثالث عشر من الشهر الثاني عشر اي شهر اذار وان يسلبوا غنيمتهم.
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 صورة الكتابة المعطاة سنّة في كل البلدان أشهرت بين جميع الشعوب ليكونوا مستعدين لهذا اليوم.
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 فخرج السعاة وأمر الملك يحثّهم وأعطي الامر في شوشن القصر. وجلس الملك وهامان للشرب واما المدينة شوشن فارتبكت