以斯帖记 2
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
以斯帖被立为王后
2 这事之后，亚哈随鲁王的怒气平息下来，就想起瓦实提和她的所作所为，并怎样降旨惩罚她的事。 2 王的侍臣说：“让人为王物色一些年轻貌美的处女吧。 3 请王在国中各省委派专使把所有年轻漂亮的处女选入书珊城的女宫，交给管理女子的太监希该，供给她们美容用品。 4 哪个女子讨王欢心，便立她为王后，代替瓦实提。”王觉得这个建议很好，就采纳了。
5 当时，书珊城中有个犹太人，名叫末底改，是便雅悯人基士的曾孙、示每的孙子、雅珥的儿子。 6 巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒曾从耶路撒冷掳走犹大王耶哥尼雅和百姓，末底改也在其中。 7 末底改收养了叔叔的女儿哈大沙，又名以斯帖，把她认作自己的女儿，因为她父母双亡。这女子体态优美，容貌动人。 8 王的谕旨一下，许多年轻的女子被召到书珊城中，交给管理女子的希该照管。以斯帖也被送到王宫中交给希该。 9 希该喜欢以斯帖，就恩待她，急忙给她需用的美容用品和膳食，又从王宫为她挑选七名宫女，让她和她的宫女搬进女宫上好的房屋。 10 以斯帖没有向人透露过自己的种族和身世，因为末底改吩咐她不要透露。 11 末底改天天在女宫的庭院前徘徊，好打听以斯帖的消息，了解她的情况。
12 每个女子依次晋见亚哈随鲁王之前，都要照规矩洁净十二个月：六个月用没药油，六个月用香料和洁身用品。 13 每个女子从女宫到王宫晋见王时，她所要求的一切都要给她。 14 她晚上进去，次日被带到另一个女宫，交给管理妃嫔的太监沙甲。除非王喜欢她，提名召见她，否则她不会再见到王。
15 以斯帖是末底改的叔叔亚比孩的女儿，后来被末底改收养。轮到她晋见王时，除了管理女子的太监希该给她的东西外，她没有别的要求。凡看见她的人都喜欢她。 16 亚哈随鲁王执政第七年十月，即提别月，以斯帖被带进宫中见王。 17 王爱以斯帖胜过爱其他所有的女子，她比其他处女更得王的恩宠。于是，王把后冠戴在她头上，立她为王后，代替瓦实提。 18 王为以斯帖大摆宴席招待文武百官，又宣布各省休假[a]，并厚赐礼物。
末底改救王的性命
19 第二次召集处女时，末底改已坐在宫门供职。 20 以斯帖依照末底改的吩咐，没有向人透露自己的身世和籍贯，因为她像幼年时一样听从末底改的话。
21 一天，末底改正在宫门供职，两个守门的太监辟探和提列恼恨亚哈随鲁王，想要下手害他。 22 末底改知道后，便通知以斯帖王后，以斯帖就以末底改的名义禀告王。 23 查明确有此事后，便把二人吊死在木架上，并将这事当着王的面写入史书。
Footnotes
- 2:18 “休假”或译“免去赋税”。
Esther 2
Lexham English Bible
Esther is Chosen Queen
2 After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. 2 And the king’s servants attending him said, “Let them seek attractive young virgins for the king. 3 Let the king appoint chief officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, and let them gather every attractive young virgin to the harem[a] in the citadel of Susa under the care of[b] Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let him give them their beauty treatment. 4 And let the young woman who is pleasing[c] in the king’s eyes become queen in place of Vashti. The thing was good in the king’s eyes, and he acted accordingly.
5 There was a Jew in the citadel of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 6 who was deported[d] from Jerusalem with the exiles[e] who were deported[f] with Jeconiah[g] the king of Judah, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had deported.[h] 7 He[i] was raising Hadassah, that is Esther, his uncle’s daughter,[j] for she did not have a father or a mother; the young woman had a beautiful figure and was very attractive. When her father and mother died, Mordecai had taken her as his daughter. 8 And it happened, at the proclaiming of the edict of the king and his law, when many young women were being gathered to the citadel of Susa under Hegai’s care,[k] Esther was taken to the king’s palace[l] under the care of[m] Hegai who was in charge of the women. 9 The young woman pleased him[n] and she won favor in his presence, and he quickly provided for her beauty treatment and her portion of food, with seven chosen maids to give to her from the king’s palace,[o] and he advanced her and her maids to the best part of the harem.[p] 10 Esther did not disclose her people and her family because Modecai had charged her that she must not tell. 11 And every day Modecai would walk up and down in front of the courtyard of the harem[q] to learn how Esther was doing.[r]
12 When the turn came for each girl to go to King Ahasuerus, after the end of twelve months of being under the regulations of the women—for the days of their beauty treatments had to be filled, six months with the oil of myrrh and six months with perfumes and women’s cosmetics— 13 in this way, the girl goes to the king and all that she asks is given to her to take[s] with her from the harem[t] to the king’s palace.[u] 14 In the evening she would go and in the morning she would return to the second harem[v] under the care of[w] Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. She would not go back to the king unless the king delighted in her and she was called by name.
15 When the turn came near for Esther daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as a daughter, to go to the king, she did not ask anything except what Hegai the eunuch of the king who was in charge of the women, advised. And Esther carried favor in the eyes of everyone that saw her. 16 Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, to his palace,[x] in the tenth month that is Tebeth in the seventh year of his reign. 17 And the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won his favor and loyalty more than all the virgins, so he put a royal crown[y] on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 And the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his officials and servants. And he granted a tax amnesty[z] to the provinces and he gave gifts with royal liberality.
A Plot Against the King
19 When the virgins were gathered a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the gate of the king. 20 Esther had not made known her family and her people, just as Mordecai had instructed her; for Esther did what Mordecai told her,[aa] just as when she was brought up by him. 21 In those days Mordecai was sitting at the gate of the king. Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs from the keepers of the threshold, became angry and they conspired to assassinate[ab] King Ahasuerus. 22 And the matter became known to Mordecai and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told it to the king in the name of Mordecai. 23 And the matter was investigated and found to be so; and the two of them were hanged on the gallows, and it was written in the scroll of the events of the days before the presence of the king.
Footnotes
- Esther 2:3 Literally “house of the women”
- Esther 2:3 Literally “to the hand of”
- Esther 2:4 Literally “who is good”
- Esther 2:6 Or “exiled”
- Esther 2:6 Hebrew “exile”
- Esther 2:6 Or “exiled”
- Esther 2:6 A variant spelling of “Jehoiachin”
- Esther 2:6 Or “exiled”
- Esther 2:7 That is, Mordecai
- Esther 2:7 That is, his cousin
- Esther 2:8 Literally “to the hand of Hegai”
- Esther 2:8 Literally “house of the king”
- Esther 2:8 Literally “to the hand of”
- Esther 2:9 Literally “the young woman was good in his eyes”
- Esther 2:9 Literally “house of the king”
- Esther 2:9 Literally “house of the women”
- Esther 2:11 Literally “house of the women”
- Esther 2:11 Literally “the peace of Esther and how it does/does with her”
- Esther 2:13 Literally “to go”
- Esther 2:13 Literally “house of the women”
- Esther 2:13 Literally “house of the king”
- Esther 2:14 Literally “second house of the women”
- Esther 2:14 Literally “to the hand of”
- Esther 2:16 Literally “house of the reign” or “house of the kingdom”
- Esther 2:17 Literally “crown of the kingdom”
- Esther 2:18 See HALOT 252–253 s.v.
- Esther 2:20 Literally “did the word of Mordecai”
- Esther 2:21 Literally “to send a hand against”
Chinese Contemporary Bible Copyright © 1979, 2005, 2007, 2011 by Biblica® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software