ESTHER
(Greek Ol la aka om Esther Cabu)
Six passages of about 105 verses added to the Hebrew text of Esther. The Additions to Esther was apparently the work of a Jewish writer eager to supply a spiritual and universal note that was thought to be lacking in the book. Some scholars assert that the additions were originally written in Greek, while others maintain they were translated from Hebrew or possibly Aramaic. The date cannot be determined with certainty, although 100 bc is generally suggested, which would place them considerably later than the canonical Esther. A summary of the additions is as follows: 1. 11:2–12:6: Mordecai’s dream, including the plot against the king’s life. This passage preceded Esther 1:1. 2. 13:1–7: The edict of Artaxerxes. This addition follows Esther 3:13, where the king is called Ahasuerus. 3. 13:8–14:19: The prayers of Mordecai and Esther. This passage was to be inserted after Esther 4:17. 4. 15:1–16: The king’s anger at Esther’s appearance, and his subsequent change of attitude. This was to be inserted before Esther 5:3, since it is an expansion of Esther 5:1–2. 5. 16:1–24: The edict of Ahasuerus relating to the Jews. This section was to follow 8:12. 6. 10:4–11:1: The interpretation of Mordecai’s dream. This addition follows 10:3. The additions contain discrepancies that make it clear they were never part of the original Esther. These can be seen as follows: 1:19 and 8:8 compare 16:17 2:15–18 compare 14:15 2:16–19 compare 11:3–12:1 2:21–23 and 6:3–4 compare 12:5 3:1 compare 16:10 3:5 compare 12:6 5:4–8 compare 14:7 7:10 compare 16:18 9:20–32 compare 16:22 The Septuagint (Greek translation of the OT) and Old Latin texts contained the additions in the text of Esther at the places indicated. Jerome, a fourth-century Christian scholar, put the additions as an appendix in the Vulgate, his Latin translation of the Bible.
1
Mordekai Loh Mang A Man
Boei Artaxerxes a manghai kum, Nisan hla hnin at nah dongah, Benjamin koca, Kish cadil Shimei capa, Jair kah a ca Mordekailoh mang a man Anih tah Susa khopuei kho aka sa Judah hlang la om. Manghai im ah bi a bi tih hlang len la om bal. Anih he Judah manghai Jekoniah tue vaengah Babylon manghai Nebuchadnezzar loh Jerusalem rhoek te tamna la bat a khuen.
Mang a man vaengah diklai ah ngaihmang nah, pangngawlnah, soeloeknah, khohmuep, rhaek neh lingluei khaw a om pah. Te vaengah tuihnam a len panit thoeng tih khat neh khat ngaeh rhoi hamla hla uh. Te vaengah rhihom la kawk rhoi. Tekah ol loh duengnah ram te tloek ham a vathoh tih ram tom te a huek. Te khohnin tah hmueprhut la om tih khodaeng mingnah, lakuengnah, thae sainah te soekloeknah he diklai ah muep om. Te vaengah Duengnah ram tah boethae loh a tlak thil tih lakueng. Te dongah dalh poci. Te dognah amih tah Pathen a khue uh tih rhennah a bih uh. A pang uh li vaengah sokca pakhat lamloh tui bae hang tih tuiva la poeh. 10 Khomik loh a tue vaengah tah tlayae rhoek te a pom sang tih aka pomsang rhoek te a dolh.
11 Pathen loh metla ol a tloek ham khaw Mordekai loh a hmuh vaengah tah a ih kung lamkah haenghaeng. Te te a poek tih a thuingaihnah a yakming ham hnin at puet kho a poek.
Manghai Ngawn Ham a Taeng
12 Hnin at ah tah Mordekai he manghai im hmai toltung ah, te hmuen aka tawt manghai kah hlueikhu boei Gabatha neh Tharra duem uh. 13 Te vaengah amih rhoi loh ol phatuem la a thui rhoi te velvel a yaak. Hna a kaeng tih a hnatun vaengah tah amih rhoi loh manghai Artaxerxes te ngawn la cai rhoi. 14 Te dongah manghai taengla puen. Manghai loh hlueikhu rhoi te a cae vaengah tah thuem tila a phoe dongah amih rhoi te a ngawn.
15 Manghai loh te te cabu dongah a daek sak. Mordekai te khaw he kawng he a daek. 16 Manghai loh Mordekai te manghai im ah bi a bi sak tih a uepomnah te a thangpom pah.
17 Tedae manghai kah a thangpom Bougean koca Hammedatha capa Haman long tah a pilnam manghai kah hlueikhu rhoi kongah Mordekai te ngawn ham a taeng.
Artaxerxes kah Buhkoknah
18 India ram lamloh Ethiopia duela kum ya neh kum kul kum rhih aka uk Artaxerxes tue vaengah he kah om. 19 Manghai Artaxerxes tah Susak khopuei ah ngol. 20 A manghai nah kum thum dongah tah kho tom kah a hui rhoek, Persia, Median kah boei rhoek, khohmuen kah khoboei rhoek, hamla buhkoknah a saii pah. 21 Te vaengah a ram kah a boei khaw, omthennah khaw khohnin ya sawm rhet khui ah a tueng sak.
22 Tekah khohnin a poeng nen tah manghai loh Susa manghai im kah aka om rhoek manghai dum ah buhkoknah te hnin rhih koep a saii pah. 23 Te vaengah lungbok tung dongah cak hnai a bang tih daidi rhui neh, himbaiyan te a bok, a hing, a thim khaw a yan. Lungphai te khaw a ling a thim a bok, a muem tlip a phaih. A so ah sui neh cak neh ngolnah ham soengca tlip a khueh. 24 Manghai kah a boei neh a tluk la misurtui te sui boengloeng tongah a hlawn tih moeihoeih la a ok sak. 25 Manghai kah olpaek bangla misurtui a kaenah pawh. Yupan la aka cet boeih a hah la ok sak buh taem rhoek te a uen.
26 Te vaengah manghainu Vashti long khaw manghai Artaxerxes im kah a tanu rhoek rhoek ham buhkoknah a saii pah.
Manghainu Vashti kah Olaeknah
27 A hnin rhih dongah tah manghai bi aka bi hlueikhu parhih, Haman, Bazan, Tharra, Boraze, Zatholtha, Abataza, neh Tharaba loh manghai te a palawh uh. 28 Te vaengah manghainu Vashti kah a hlang then te rhaengpuei hmuh ah, a cong a khang hmai ah, mangpa rhoek a tueng mako. Anih te manghai lumuek khuem sak tih manghai mikhmuh ah halo mak a ti. Anih tah a hlang khaw then pai a ti. 29 Tedae manghainu Vashti loh hlueikhu boei rhoek taengah a uen manghai ol te a aek tih cet pawh. Te vaengah ah kah a thintoek te sai.
30 Te dongah a hui rhoek te, “Balae tih Vashti loh he tla kai m'voek, he kah olkah dongah ah saithainah neh laitloeknah he khueh lah,” a ti nah. 31 Te vaengah Persian neh Medes boei khaw, Arkesaeus, Sarsathaeus, Malesear, manghai taengah rhep om. Te phoeiah manghai rhoek la Arkesaeus, Sarsathaeus neh Malesear khaw anih tanegla cet. 32 Te phoeiah, “A taengla hlueikhu boei rhoek ka tueih lalah manghainu Vashti loh manghai ol a ngai pawt dongah metlam ka saii eh,” a ti nah.
33 Te vaengah Muchaeus loh manghai heh boei rhoek te, “Vashti long he manghai bueng pawt tih, manghai kah a boei rhoek khaw, mangpa rhoek khaw a soehsal,” a ti nah. 34 (Anih loh manghainu kah a cal neh manghai metla a thui khaw amih taengah boeih a puen pah.) 35 Manghai Artaxerxes a thui bangla Persia neh Median kah yuu rhoek neh huta rhoek loh boeih a yaak coeng. Anih loh a thui a yaak vaengah a vaa boeih a soehsal uh pawn ni. 36 Te dongah na ngaih koinih manghai olkhueng bangla anih soah laitloek laeh, Medes neh Persian oltloek dongah daek lamtah te phaelh uh boel saeh. Tedaengah ni manghai nu te na mikhmuh a moe pawt eh. Te phoeiah anih lakah aka then te boei ngolhmuen ah tloep khueh. 37 Manghai kah oltloek te ram tom ah hoe sak lamtah huta boeih loh a va te a boei akhaw, a daeng ah khaw hinyah saeh,” a ti nah.
38 He ol he manghai neh a boei rhoek boeih loh a ngaih. Te dongah manghai loh Muchaesu kah a thui bangla a saii. 39 Te dongah manghai loh a ol te ram tom ah a pat. Paeng takuem ah amah ol la boeih a hoe sak. Te dongah imkhui kah takuem kah huta boeih loh a va taengah hinyahnah a tueng sak.