Yudafo Nkonimdi
1Na Adar ɔsram (bɛyɛ Ɔbɛnem) da a ɛto so ason no, wɔde ɔhene no mmara abien no yɛɛ adwuma. Saa da no na Yudafo no atamfo no ani da so sɛ wɔbɛsɛe wɔn, nanso ani danee. 2Yudafo no boaa wɔn ho ano wɔ wɔn nkuropɔn a ɛwɔ ɔhene amantam no mu no nyinaa so, bɔɔ wɔn ho ban de tiaa obiara a ɔpɛ sɛ ɔbɛhaw wɔn no. Nanso obiara antumi ansɔre antia wɔn, efisɛ na obiara suro wɔn. 3Esiane Mordekai ho hu nti, amantam so asafohene nyinaa, mmapɔmma, amradofo ne ɔhene adwumayɛfo nyinaa boaa Yudafo no. 4Efisɛ na wɔama Mordekai panyin wɔ ahemfi hɔ, ama ne din ahyeta amantam no nyinaa mu, bere a na ne tumi nso rekɔ soro.
5Yudafo no kunkum wɔn atamfo, sɛee wɔn wɔ afoa ano. Wokunkum wɔn atamfo, tɔree wɔn ase, na wɔyɛɛ wɔn a wɔtan wɔn no nea wɔpɛ biara. 6Wokunkum nnipa ahannum wɔ Susa aban no mu. 7Wɔsan kunkum Parsandata, Dalfon ne Aspata, 8Porata, Adalia, Aridata, 9Parmasta, Arisai, Aridai ne Waisata 10a, wɔyɛ Hamedata babarima Haman a ɔyɛ Yudafo tamfo no mmabarima du no. Nanso wɔamfa asade biara.
11Bere a wɔbɔɔ ɔhene no amanneɛ a ɛfa nnipa dodow a wokum wɔn wɔ Susa aban mu ho anwummere no, 12ɔma wɔfrɛɛ Ɔhemmea Ɛster, na ɔka kyerɛɛ no se, “Yudafo no akunkum nnipa ahannum wɔ Susa aban mu nko ara ne Haman mmabarima du no. Sɛ wɔayɛ saa wɔ ha de a, ɛno de asɛm bɛn na asi wɔ amantam a aka no mu? Afei, dɛn bio na wohwehwɛ? Wɔde bɛma wo; ka kyerɛ me na mɛyɛ.”
13Na Ɛster kae se, “Ɔhempɔn, sɛ ɛsɔ wʼani a, ma Yudafo a wɔwɔ Susa no kwan na wɔnyɛ nea wɔyɛɛ no nnɛ no bio ɔkyena, na wɔmfa Haman mmabarima du no amu nsensɛn nnua so.”
14Na ɔhene no penee so, na wɔbɔɔ mmara no ho dawuru wɔ Susa. Wɔsan de Haman mmabarima du no amu sensɛn nnua so. 15Na Yudafo a wɔwɔ Susa no boaa wɔn ho ano Adar ɔsram (bɛyɛ Ɔbɛnem) da a ɛto so awotwe, na wɔsan kunkum nnipa ahaasa; na bio, wɔamfa asade biara.
16Saa bere no na Yudafo nkae a wɔwɔ Ɔhene no amantam mu nyinaa aboa wɔn ho ano, rebɔ wɔn nkwa ho ban. Wokum wɔn atamfo no mpem aduɔson anum, nam so nyaa ɔhome fii wɔn atamfo nsam. Nanso wɔamfa asade biara. 17Saa ara na wɔyɛɛ wɔ Adar ɔsram no (bɛyɛ Ɔbɛnem) da a ɛto so ason no wɔ amantam no nyinaa mu. Ade kyee no, wɔhomee, didii, gyee wɔn ani wɔ wɔn nkonimdi no ho.
18Nanso Yudafo a wɔwɔ Susa no toaa so kunkum wɔn atamfo no da a ɛto so abien no nso, na wɔhomee ne nnansa so de didii, gyee wɔn ani. 19Enti ebesi nnɛ yi, Yudafo a wɔtete nkuraa a wɔntoo afasu mfaa ho no di saa afirihyia dapɔnna yi. Wodi afoofi saa awɔwbere da yi mu, sɛpɛw wɔn ho, de akyɛde mema wɔn ho wɔn ho.
Purim Afahyɛ
20Mordekai kyerɛw saa nsɛm a esisii yi nyinaa, na wɔde nkrataa kɔmaa Yudafo a wɔbɛn ne wɔn a wɔwɔ akyiri wɔ ɔhene no amantam nyinaa mu, 21hyɛɛ wɔn nkuran sɛ, wonni afirihyia afahyɛ yi wɔ saa nnaanu no mu. 22Ɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn se wɔnhyɛ saa nna no ho fa a adidi ne ɔnom ka ho, na wɔmma wɔn ho wɔn ho ne ahiafo akyɛde. Eyi bɛma Yudafo no akae bere a wonyaa ogye fii wɔn atamfo nsam, wɔn awerɛhow dan anigye, na wɔn su bɛyɛɛ ahosɛpɛw no.
23Enti Yudafo no faa Mordekai adwenkyerɛ no, fii afirihyia amanne no ase. 24Efisɛ na Haman a ɔyɛ Agagni Hamedata babarima, a ɔyɛ Yudafo tamfo no apam sɛ ɔbɛyam wɔn, asɛe wɔn saa da no ne ɔsram a ɔnam ntontobɔ so nyae no. (Na wɔfrɛ saa ntonto no Purim). 25Nanso Ɛster baa ɔhene anim no, ɔhyɛɛ mmara, nam so maa Haman adwemmɔne no bɔɔ ne ti so, na wɔsɛn no ne ne mmabarima wɔ nnua so. 26(Ɛno nti na wɔfrɛ saa afahyɛ no Purim no, efisɛ ɛyɛ tete kasa a ne nkyerɛase ne ntontobɔ.) Esiane Mordekai krataa no ne osuahu a wɔanya no nti, 27Yudafo a wɔwɔ ahemman no mu no nyinaa penee so sɛ, wɔbɛhyɛ saa amanne no ho fa, na wɔama wɔn awo ntoatoaso ne wɔn a wɔbɛyɛ Yudafo no nyinaa abɛhyɛ bi. Wɔn nyinaa gye too mu sɛ, saa nnaanu a wɔayi ato hɔ sɛ wɔnhyɛ fa no wɔ afe biara mu no, wɔremma ɛmpa wɔn ti so da. 28Wɔbɛkae saa nna yi wɔ awo ntoatoaso nyinaa mu na ɛsɛ sɛ abusua biara a ɛwɔ amantam ne nkuropɔn wɔ ahemman no mu no di. Wɔrennyae saa nna yi di wɔ Yudafo mu, na nsɛm a esii no nso wɔn asefo werɛ remfi da.
29Na Ɔhemmea Ɛster, Abihail babea no ne Yudani Mordekai kyerɛw krataa foforo a wɔde ɔhemmea no tumi kɛse foaa krataa no so de hyɛɛ Purim afahyɛ no mu den. 30Ɛno akyi no, wɔsoma ma wɔde nkrataa a wɔde bɛma asomdwoe ne bammɔ aba, kɔɔ Yudafo a wɔwɔ amantam ɔha ne aduonu ason no a ɛwɔ Ahasweros ahemman mu no nyinaa so. 31Saa nkrataa yi ma Purim Afahyɛ a ɛyɛ afirihyiade a wodi no nnɛ yi ara no timii. Yudani Mordekai ne Ɔhemmea Ɛster na wɔhyɛɛ mmara no. (Nnipa no yɛɛ wɔn adwene sɛ wɔbɛhyɛ saa fa yi, sɛnea wɔasi no gyinae ama wɔn ho ne wɔn asefo no, de ama mmuadadi ne agyaadwotwa mmere no atim.) 32Enti Ɛster mmara no sii Purim ho nhyehyɛe so dua, na wɔkyerɛw ne nyinaa guu nhoma mu.
1The king’s order had to be carried out on the 13th day of the 12th month. That was the month of Adar. On that day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to win the battle over them. But now everything had changed. The Jews had gained the advantage over those who hated them. 2The Jews gathered together in their cities. They gathered in all the territories King Xerxes ruled over. They came together to attack those who were trying to destroy them. No one could stand up against them. The people from all the other nations were afraid of them. 3All the nobles in the territories helped the Jews. So did the royal officials, the governors and the king’s officers. That’s because they were so afraid of Mordecai. 4He was well known in the palace. His fame spread all through the territories. So he became more and more important.
5The Jews struck down with swords all their enemies. They killed them and destroyed them. They did what they pleased to those who hated them. 6The Jews killed 500 men. They destroyed them in the fort of Susa. 7They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha. 10They were the ten sons of Haman. He was the son of Hammedatha. Haman had been the enemy of the Jews. They didn’t take anything that belonged to their enemies.
11A report was brought to the king that same day. He was told how many men had been killed in the fort of Susa. 12He said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed 500 men. They destroyed them in the fort of Susa. They also killed the ten sons of Haman there. What have they done in the rest of my territories? Now what do you want? I’ll give it to you. What do you want me to do for you? I’ll do that too.”
13“If it pleases you,” Esther answered, “let the Jews in Susa carry out today’s order tomorrow also. Stick poles through the dead bodies of Haman’s ten sons. Set them up where everyone can see them.”
14So the king commanded that it be done. An order was sent out in Susa. And the king’s men did to the bodies of Haman’s sons everything they were told to do. 15The Jews in Susa came together on the 14th day of the month of Adar. They put 300 men to death in Susa. But they didn’t take anything that belonged to those men.
16During that time, the rest of the Jews also gathered together. They lived in the king’s territories. They came together to fight for their lives. They didn’t want their enemies to bother them anymore. They wanted to get some peace and rest. So they killed 75,000 of their enemies. But they didn’t take anything that belonged to them. 17It happened on the 13th of Adar. On the 14th day they rested. They made it a day to celebrate with great joy. And they enjoyed good food.
18But the Jews in Susa had gathered together on the 13th and 14th. Then on the 15th they rested. They made it a day to celebrate with great joy. And they enjoyed good food.
19That’s why Jews who live out in the villages celebrate on the 14th of Adar. They celebrate that day with great joy. And they enjoy good food. They also give presents to each other on that day.
Purim Is Celebrated
20Mordecai wrote down these events. He sent letters to all the Jews all through the territories of King Xerxes. It didn’t matter whether the Jews lived nearby or far away. 21Mordecai told them to celebrate the 14th and 15th days of the month of Adar. He wanted them to do it every year. 22Mordecai told the Jews to celebrate the time when they got rest from their enemies. That was the month when their sadness was turned into joy. It was when their weeping turned into a day for celebrating. He wrote the letters to celebrate those days as times of joy. He wanted the people to enjoy good food. He told them to give presents of food to one another. He also wanted them to give gifts to people who were poor.
23So the Jews agreed to continue the celebrating they had started. They kept doing what Mordecai had written to them. 24Haman was the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite. He had been the enemy of all the Jews. He had planned to destroy them. He had cast the lot to destroy them completely. The lot was called Pur. 25But the king had found out about Haman’s evil plan. So the king had sent out written orders. He had ordered that Haman’s evil plan against the Jews should happen to him instead. The king also commanded that poles be stuck through the dead bodies of Haman and his sons. Then they should be set up where everyone could see them. 26The days the Jews were celebrating were called Purim. Purim comes from the word Pur. Pur means Lot. Now the Jews celebrate these two days every year. They do it because of everything that was written in Mordecai’s letter. They also do it because of what they had seen and what had happened to them. 27So they established it as a regular practice. They decided they would always observe these two days of the year. They would celebrate in the required way. And they would celebrate at the appointed time. They and their children after them would always observe these days. And so would all who join them. 28The days should be remembered and celebrated. They should be remembered by every family for all time to come. They should be celebrated in every territory and in every city. The Jews should never stop celebrating the days of Purim. Their children after them should always remember these days.
29So Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, wrote a second letter. She wrote it together with Mordecai the Jew. They wanted to give their full authority to this second letter about Purim. 30Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 territories of the kingdom of Xerxes. The letters had messages of kindness and hope in them. 31The letters established the days of Purim at their appointed times. They spoke about what Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had ordered the people to do. Everything should be done in keeping with the directions the Jews had set up for themselves and their children after them. The directions applied to their times of fasting and sadness. 32Esther’s order established the rules about Purim. It was written down in the records.
