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
Christian Standard Bible
Haman’s Plan to Kill the Jews
3 After all this took place, King Ahasuerus honored Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite.(A) He promoted him in rank and gave him a higher position than all the other officials.(B) 2 The entire royal staff at the King’s Gate(C) bowed down and paid homage to Haman, because the king had commanded this to be done for him. But Mordecai would not bow down or pay homage.(D) 3 The members of the royal staff at the King’s Gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king’s command?” 4 When they had warned him day after day(E) and he still would not listen to them, they told Haman in order to see if Mordecai’s actions would be tolerated, since he had told them he was a Jew.
5 When Haman saw that Mordecai was not bowing down or paying him homage, he was filled with rage.(F) 6 And when he learned of Mordecai’s ethnic identity, it seemed repugnant to Haman to do away with[a] Mordecai alone. He planned to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews,(G) throughout Ahasuerus’s kingdom.(H)
7 In the first month, the month of Nisan, in King Ahasuerus’s twelfth year,(I) the pur—that is, the lot—was cast before Haman for each day in each month, and it fell on the twelfth month,(J) the month Adar.(K) 8 Then Haman informed King Ahasuerus, “There is one ethnic group, scattered throughout the peoples in every province of your kingdom,(L) keeping themselves separate. Their laws are different from everyone else’s and they do not obey the king’s laws.(M) It is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them.(N) 9 If the king approves, let an order be drawn up authorizing their destruction, and I will pay 375 tons of silver to[b] the officials for deposit in the royal treasury.”(O)
10 The king removed his signet ring(P) from his hand and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.(Q) 11 Then the king told Haman, “The money and people are given to you to do with as you see fit.”
12 The royal scribes were summoned(R) on the thirteenth day of the first month, and the order was written exactly as Haman commanded. It was intended for the royal satraps,(S) the governors of each of the provinces, and the officials of each ethnic group and written for each province in its own script and to each ethnic group in its own language.(T) It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus(U) and sealed with the royal signet ring.(V) 13 Letters were sent by couriers(W) to each of the royal provinces telling the officials to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jewish people—young and old, women and children—and plunder their possessions on a single day,(X) the thirteenth day of Adar, the twelfth month.[c]
14 A copy of the text, issued as law throughout every province, was distributed to all the peoples so that they might get ready for that day. 15 The couriers left, spurred on by royal command, and the law was issued in the fortress of Susa.(Y) The king and Haman sat down to drink, while the city of Susa was in confusion.(Z)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.