斯2

以斯帖記-Esther 第 2 章

2:1	這些事以後，亞哈隨魯王的忿怒止息，就想念瓦實提和她所行的，並怎樣降旨辦她。 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.
2:2	於是王的侍臣對王說，不如為王尋找美貌的年少處女。 Then the king's attendants who served him said, Let young virgins, beautiful in appearance, be sought for the king;
2:3	王可以派官員在國中的各省，把一切美貌的年少處女招聚到書珊京城的女院，交在王的太監，那照管女子的希該手下，給她們美容潤身的用品。 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the young virgins, beautiful in appearance, to Susa the capital, to the house of the women and into the custody of Hegai the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let their cosmetics be given to them.
2:4	王所喜愛的少女可以立為王後，代替瓦實提。王以這事為美，就如此行。 And let the young woman who pleases the king become queen in place of Vashti. And the word pleased the king, and he did so.
2:5	在書珊京城有一個猶大人，名叫末底改，是便雅憫人基士的曾孫，示每的孫子，睚珥的兒子； There was a Jew in Susa the capital whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite,
2:6	從前巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒將猶大王耶哥尼雅遷徙去，末底改也在那些與耶哥尼雅一同被擄的人中，從耶路撒冷被遷去。 Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been carried away with Jeconiah the king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.
2:7	末底改撫養他叔叔的女兒哈大沙，就是以斯帖，因為她沒有父母；這女子形貌美麗。她父母死了，末底改就收她為自己的女兒。 And he was foster father to Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter, for she had neither father nor mother; and the young woman was beautiful in form and appearance. And when her father and mother died, Mordecai took her to himself as his daughter.
2:8	王的諭旨和法令傳出，許多少女被招聚到書珊京城，交在希該手下，以斯帖也在這時候被帶進王宮，交在照管女子的希該手下。 So when the king's commandment and his decree were heard, and when many young women were gathered to Susa the capital into the custody of Hegai, Esther was taken to the king's house into the custody of Hegai, who was in charge of the women.
2:9	這少女得希該喜悅，就在他麵前得恩慈。希該急速給她美容潤身的用品，和她所當得的分，又給她所當得、七個從王宮挑選的侍女，並使她和她的侍女搬入女院上好的地方。 And the young woman pleased him, and she obtained kindness in his presence. And he quickly gave her her cosmetics and her portions as well as the seven choice young maids who were to be given her from the king's house. And he transferred her and her young maids to the best place in the house of the women.
2:10	以斯帖未曾將她是那一族、有那些親屬告訴人，因為末底改囑咐她不可叫人知道。 Esther did not make known her people or her kindred, for Mordecai had charged her not to make these known.
2:11	末底改天天在女院前行走，要知道以斯帖平安不平安，並情況如何。 And every day Mordecai walked in front of the court of the house of the women to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her.
2:12	原來女子要先美容潤身，六個月用沒藥油，六個月用香料和女子美容潤身的用品，美容潤身的日期才滿足；每個少女按女子的定例豫備滿十二個月，挨次進去見亞哈隨魯王時， Now when the turn of each young woman came to go in to King Ahasuerus, at the end of the twelve months of her preparation according to the regulation for the women (for the days of their beautification were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and with the women's cosmetics),
2:13	乃是這樣進去見王：從女院到王宮的時候，凡她所要的，都必給她帶去。 The young woman would go in to the king in this way: Anything that she desired was given her to go with her from the house of the women to the house of the king.
2:14	晚上進去，次日早晨回到女子第二院，交在王的太監，那照管妃嬪的沙甲手下。除非王喜愛她，她被題名召見，就不再進去見王。 In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz the king's eunuch, who was in charge of the concubines. She would not go again in to the king unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.
2:15	末底改叔叔亞比孩的女兒，就是末底改收為自己女兒的以斯帖，按次序當進去見王的時候，除了照管女子的太監希該所指定的，她別無所求。凡看見以斯帖的都喜悅她。 Now when the turn of Esther the daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her to himself as his daughter, came to go in to the king, she requested nothing except what Hegai the king's eunuch, who was in charge of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her.
2:16	亞哈隨魯王在位第七年十月，就是提別月，以斯帖被引入王宮見王。 So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus in his royal palace in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
2:17	王愛以斯帖過於愛眾女子；她在王麵前得蒙恩寵與恩慈，比眾處女更甚；王就把後冠戴在她頭上，立她為王後，代替瓦實提。 And the king loved Esther more than all the other women. And she obtained favor and kindness with him more than all the other virgins, so he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.
2:18	王給眾首領和臣仆設擺盛大的筵宴，稱之為以斯帖的筵宴，又向各省行豁免的事，並照王的厚意大頒賞賜。 And the king held a great banquet for all his princes and his servants, Esther's banquet; and he made it a holiday for the provinces and gave gifts according to the king's bounty.
2:19	第二次招聚處女的時候，末底改坐在王門那裏。 And when the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting in the king's gate.
2:20	以斯帖照著末底改所囑咐的，還沒有將她有那些親屬，是那一族告訴人；因為以斯帖遵行末底改所說的，如同受他撫養的時候一樣。 Esther had not yet made known her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had charged her; for Esther did what Mordecai told her, as she had when he was bringing her up.
2:21	當那些日子，末底改坐在王門那裏，王有兩個太監辟探和提列，是守門的，惱恨亞哈隨魯王，想要下手害他。 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting in the king's gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, among those who were in charge of the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.
2:22	這事給末底改知道了，他就告訴王後以斯帖；以斯帖奉末底改的名，報告於王。這事經過究察，果然是實，就把二人掛在木架上； And the thing became known to Mordecai, and he told Esther the queen; and Esther told the king in Mordecai's name.
2:23	這事且在王麵前寫在年代誌上。 And when the matter was investigated and found to be so, the two of them were hanged on the gallows; and it was written in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.

以斯帖記-Esther 第 2 章