以斯帖記 3
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
哈曼圖謀滅絕猶太人
3 後來，亞哈隨魯王擢升亞甲人哈米大他的兒子哈曼，使他的權位高過他所有的同僚。 2 王命令所有在宮門供職的臣僕都要向哈曼跪拜，但末底改不肯跪拜。 3 在宮門供職的臣僕問末底改：「你為何違抗王的命令？」 4 他們天天勸他，他卻不聽。他們便把這件事告訴哈曼，想看看末底改這樣做是否能站得住，因為末底改已告訴他們自己是猶太人。 5 哈曼見末底改不肯向他跪拜，就怒氣填胸。 6 他得知末底改是猶太人後，便不屑於只害末底改一人，而是要剷除亞哈隨魯王國內所有的猶太人，即末底改的同胞。
7 亞哈隨魯王十二年一月，即尼散月，有人在哈曼面前抽普珥，也就是抽籤，來決定哪月哪日下手，結果抽中十二月，即亞達月。
8 哈曼對亞哈隨魯王說：「有一個民族散居在王境內各省的眾民族中，他們的律例與各族的律例不同，他們不遵守王的律例，所以容忍他們對王不利。 9 王若願意，就請降旨消滅他們。我願捐三百四十五噸銀子交給管理國事的人，納入王的庫房。」 10 於是，王摘下手上的戒指，交給猶太人的仇敵——亞甲人哈米大他的兒子哈曼， 11 對他說：「這些銀子歸你，這個民族也交給你，隨你處置。」
12 一月十三日，王的書記被召來，他們以亞哈隨魯王的名義，照哈曼的吩咐，用各省的文字和各族的語言寫諭旨，用王的戒指蓋印，送交各總督、各省省長和各族首領。 13 諭旨由信差送到王的各省，限令在一天之內，即十二月，也就是亞達月十三日，把猶太人的男女老少全部剷除、殺光、滅盡，並奪取他們的財物。 14 諭旨的抄本作為法令頒佈到各省，通知各族為那天做好準備。 15 信差奉王的命令急忙上路，諭旨也在書珊城裡頒佈了。王和哈曼坐下飲酒，書珊城一片慌亂。
Esther 3
New Century Version
Haman Plans to Destroy the Jewish People
3 After these things happened, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite. He gave him a new rank that was higher than all the important men. 2 All the royal officers at the king’s gate would bow down and kneel before Haman, as the king had ordered. But Mordecai would not bow down or show him honor.
3 Then the royal officers at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why don’t you obey the king’s command?” 4 And they said this to him every day. When he did not listen to them, they told Haman about it. They wanted to see if Haman would accept Mordecai’s behavior because Mordecai had told them he was Jewish.
5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down to him or honor him, he became very angry. 6 He thought of himself as too important to try to kill only Mordecai. He had been told who the people of Mordecai were, so he looked for a way to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, in all of Xerxes’ kingdom.
7 It was in the first month of the twelfth year of King Xerxes’ rule—the month of Nisan. Pur (that is, the lot) was thrown before Haman to choose a day and a month. So the twelfth month, the month of Adar, was chosen.
8 Then Haman said to King Xerxes, “There is a certain group of people scattered among the other people in all the states of your kingdom. Their customs are different from those of all the other people, and they do not obey the king’s laws. It is not right for you to allow them to continue living in your kingdom. 9 If it pleases the king, let an order be given to destroy those people. Then I will pay seven hundred fifty thousand pounds of silver to those who do the king’s business, and they will put it into the royal treasury.”
10 So the king took his signet ring off and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jewish people. 11 Then the king said to Haman, “The money and the people are yours. Do with them as you please.”
12 On the thirteenth day of the first month, the royal secretaries were called, and they wrote out all of Haman’s orders. They wrote to the king’s governors and to the captains of the soldiers in each state and to the important men of each group of people. The orders were written in the writing of each state and in the language of each people. They were written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with his signet ring. 13 Letters were sent by messengers to all the king’s empire ordering them to destroy, kill, and completely wipe out all the Jewish people. That meant young and old, women and little children, too. It was to happen on a single day—the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which was Adar. And they could take everything the Jewish people owned. 14 A copy of the order was given out as a law in every state so all the people would be ready for that day.
15 The messengers set out, hurried by the king’s command, as soon as the order was given in the palace at Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was in confusion.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
