‏ Esther 1

Indlovukazi uVashiti iyala ukulalela inkosi uAhasuwerusi

1Kwasekusithi ngensuku zikaAhasuwerusi a, uAhasuwerusi lo owabusa kusukela eIndiya b kuze kube seEthiyophiya c, izabelo d ezilikhulu lamatshumi amabili lesikhombisa e, 2ngalezonsuku lapho inkosi uAhasuwerusi wahlala esihlalweni sobukhosi sombuso wakhe f esasiseShushani isigodlo g, 3ngomnyaka wesithathu wokubusa kwakhe wenzela iziphathamandla zakhe lenceku zakhe zonke idili h. Amandla ePerisiya leMede, izinduna lababusi bezabelo babephambi kwakhe i, 4lapho etshengisa inotho yenkazimulo yombuso wakhe lobugugu bobuhle bobukhulu bakhe insuku ezinengi, insuku ezilikhulu lamatshumi ayisificaminwembili. 5Kwathi lezonsuku sezigcwalisekile, inkosi yenzela bonke abantu abatholakala eShushani isigodlo idili, kusukela komkhulu kusiya komncinyane, insuku eziyisikhombisa, egumeni lesivande sesigodlo senkosi j. 6Kwakulamalembu amhlophe, amalembu acolekileyo, laluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka, ebotshelwe ngentambo zelembu elicolekileyo kakhulu leziyibubende emasongweni esiliva k lezinsikeni zelitshe le-alibasta*. Imibheda yayingeyegolide lesiliva phezu kwendawo egandelwe ngamatshe abomvu, le-alibasta, lamapharele*, lamnyama l. 7Basebenathisa ngezitsha zegolide, lezitsha zaziyizitsha ezehlukeneyo, lewayini lesikhosini laba linengi njengokwesandla senkosi. 8Lokunatha kwakungokomthetho, kungekho obamba ngamandla; ngoba ngokunjalo inkosi yayilayile kwabakhulu bonke bendlu yayo ukuthi benze njengokufisa komuntu lomuntu. 9UVashiti indlovukazi laye wenzela abesifazana idili endlini yesikhosini inkosi uAhasuwerusi ayelayo.

10Ngosuku lwesikhombisa, inhliziyo yenkosi isithokozile ngewayini m, yathi kuboMehumani, uBhizitha, uHaribona n, uBhigitha, loAbhagitha, uZethari, loKarikasi o, abathenwa abayisikhombisa ababesebenza phambi kwenkosi uAhasuwerusi, 11ukuthi balethe uVashiti indlovukazi phambi kwenkosi elomqhele wesikhosini p, ukutshengisa abantu leziphathamandla ubuhle bakhe, ngoba wayekhangeleka kuhle. 12Kodwa indlovukazi uVashiti yala ukubuya ngelizwi lenkosi elalingesandla sabathenwa. Ngakho inkosi yathukuthela kakhulu, lolaka lwayo lwavutha phakathi kwayo.

13Inkosi yasisithi kwabahlakaniphileyo q ababesazi izikhathi (ngoba lalinjalo ilizwi lenkosi phambi kwabo bonke abaziyo umthetho lesahlulelo r, 14lalabo ababeseduze layo babengoKarishena, uShethari, uAdimatha, uTarshishi, uMeresi, uMarisena, uMemukani s, iziphathamandla eziyisikhombisa zePerisiya leMede t, ezazibona ubuso benkosi, ezazihlala phambili embusweni) u: 15Ngokomthetho kungenziwani ngendlovukazi uVashiti ngenxa yokuthi kayenzanga ilizwi lenkosi uAhasuwerusi ngesandla sabathenwa? 16UMemukani wasesithi phambi kwenkosi leziphathamandla: UVashiti indlovukazi wonile kungeyisikho enkosini kuphela, kodwa lakuziphathamandla zonke lebantwini bonke abasezabelweni zonke zenkosi uAhasuwerusi. 17Ngoba isenzo sendlovukazi sizaphumela kubo bonke abesifazana, kuze kuthi badelele omkabo emehlweni abo, nxa besithi: Inkosi uAhasuwerusi watshela ukuthi kulethwe uVashiti indlovukazi phambi kwayo, kodwa kayizanga. 18Yebo mhlalokho amakhosikazi ePerisiya leMede ezwe isenzo sendlovukazi azakuthi kuzo zonke iziphathamandla zenkosi, kube khona ukudelela lokuthukuthela okwedlulisayo. 19Uba kulungile enkosini kakuphume umthetho wesikhosini kuyo, kakubhalwe emithethweni yamaPerisiya lamaMede v, ongeguqulwe, ukuthi uVashiti kayikungena phambi kwenkosi uAhasuwerusi; inkosi inike-ke ubukhosikazi bakhe komunye onjengaye ongcono kulaye. 20Usuzwakele umthetho wenkosi ezawenza embusweni wayo wonke (ngoba mkhulu) bonke abesifazana bazanika inhlonipho kubomkabo w, kusukela komkhulu kusiya komncinyane x. 21Njalo indaba yayilungile emehlweni enkosi leziphathamandla; inkosi yasisenza njengokwelizwi likaMemukani. 22Yasithumela izincwadi kuzo zonke izabelo zenkosi y, kusabelo lesabelo njengombhalo waso, lakubo abantu labantu njengokolimi lwabo, ukuthi ileyo laleyondoda ibe ngumbusi endlini yayo, ikhulume njengokolimi lwabantu bakibo.

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