Esta
2 Ngemuva kwaloko, ngesikhatsi intfukutselo yeNkhosi Ahashiveroshi+ seyehlile, lenkhosi yacabanga ngaloko bekwentiwe nguVashti+ nangesincumo lebesitsetfwe ngaye.+ 2 Tisebenti tenkhosi tabese titsi: “Inkhosi ayifunelwe emantfombatana lamahle latintfombi ntfo. 3 Ayikhetse emancusa kuto tonkhe tifundza tembuso wayo+ kute aletse onkhe emantfombatane lamahle latintfombi ntfo esigodlweni* lesiseShushani,* endlini yalabasikati.* Awamikiswe kuHegayi+ loyinhloko yendlu yalabasikati* nemnakekeli wabo, futsi lamantfombatana awanikwe tintfo tekutimonyonga.* 4 Intfombi letayijabulisa kakhulu inkhosi ngiyo letawuba yinkhosikati esikhundleni saVashti.”+ Lombono wayijabulisa inkhosi futsi nguloko leyakwenta.
5 Esigodlweni* lesiseShushani*+ bekunemJuda lobekutsiwa nguModekhayi,+ abeyindvodzana yaJayire, mkhulu wakhe kunguShimeyi, khokho wakhe kunguKhishi, umBhenjamini,+ 6 futsi abetsetfwe eJerusalema watfunjwa nebantfu lebebatsetfwe neNkhosi Jekhoniya*+ yakaJuda, lebeyitfunjwe yiNkhosi Nebukhadnezari yaseBhabhulona. 7 Modekhayi wakhulisa* Hadasa,* lokungu-Esta lobekayindvodzakati yemnakabobabe waModekhayi,+ ngobe Esta bekete batali. Lentfombi beyime kahle futsi iyinhle. Nakushona batali bayo, Modekhayi wayitsatsa wayenta indvodzakati yakhe. 8 Ngesikhatsi selimenyetelwe livi lenkhosi nemtsetfo wayo, futsi tintfombi letinyenti setiletfwe kuHegayi+ esigodlweni* lesiseShushani,* Esta naye wamikiswa endlini* yenkhosi kuHegayi umnakekeli webantfu labasikati.
9 Hegayi abeyitsandza* lentfombi futsi ajabula ngayo, ngako ngekushesha nje wayilungiselela tintfo tekutimonyonga*+ kanye nekudla lokukhetsiwe, futsi wayikhetsela tincekukati letingu-7 endlini yenkhosi. Waphindze wamikisa yona naletincekukati tayo endzaweni lencono kakhulu endlini yalabasikati.* 10 Esta akazange akhulume ngebantfu bakubo+ nobe ngetihlobo takhe, ngobe Modekhayi+ abemyale kutsi angatjeli muntfu ngabo.+ 11 Onkhe malanga Modekhayi abehambahamba ngasebaleni lendlu yalabasikati* kute abone kutsi Esta uphatseke njani futsi eve nekutsi kwentekani kuye.
12 Intfombi ngayinye beyiba neligema lekuya eNkhosini Ahashiveroshi ngemuva kwekucedza tinyanga letingu-12 tekutimonyonga lebetihlelelwe labasikati. Ngulena indlela lebetenta ngayo kulesikhatsi sekutimonyonga:* betitimonyonga* tinyanga letisitfupha ngemafutsa emure,+ netinyanga letisitfupha ngemafutsa ebhalisamu+ nangalamanye emafutsa ekugcobisa lehlukahlukene. 13 Lentfombi beyisuke seyikulungele kuya enkhosini, futsi beyinikwa nome yini leyicelako nayiphuma endlini yalabasikati* iya endlini yenkhosi. 14 Entsambama beyingena iye enkhosini bese ekuseni iya endlini yesibili yalabasikati,* lebeyibukwe nguShashgazi loyinhloko yendlu yalabasikati*+ nemnakekeli wemaphovela. Lentfombi beyingabuyeli enkhosini ngaphandle nangabe inkhosi ijabule kakhulu ngayo futsi yayibita ngeligama kutsi ite kuyo.+
15 Lase liyefika ligema la-Esta lekutsi aye enkhosini. Esta abeyindvodzakati+ ya-Abihayili longumnakabobabe waModekhayi, futsi wakhuliswa nguModekhayi. Esta akacelanga lutfo ngaphandle kwaloko lokwashiwo nguHegayi loyinhloko yendlu yalabasikati* nemnakekeli wabo. (Kuso sonkhe leso sikhatsi, Esta bekatsandvwa ngibo bonkhe bantfu labebambona.) 16 Ngemnyaka wesi-7 wekubusa kweNkhosi Ahashiveroshi, Esta wayiswa kuyo esigodlweni sayo ngenyanga yesi-10, lokuyinyanga yaThebethi.*+ 17 Inkhosi yatsandza Esta kakhulu kwendlula tonkhe leletinye tintfombi. Yajabula kakhulu ngaye futsi yamtsandza* kunato tonkhe leletinye tintfombi. Ngako yametfwesa umchele* webukhosi enhloko, yamenta inkhosikati+ esikhundleni saVashti.+ 18 Inkhosi yentela tonkhe tindvuna netisebenti tayo lidzili lelikhulu, lokwakulidzili la-Esta. Yabese ikhipha simemetelo sekutsi kukhululwe lababoshiwe* etifundzeni tayo, futsi yephana ngetipho letinyenti, kubonakala kutsi lenkhosi beyinjingile.
19 Ngesikhatsi tintfombi+ tiletfwa kwesibili, Modekhayi abehleli esangweni lenkhosi.* 20 Esta akashongo lutfo ngetihlobo takhe nangebantfu bakubo+ njengobe nje Modekhayi abemyalile; wachubeka enta loko lobekushiwo nguModekhayi, njengobe bekenta nakasamkhulisa.+
21 Ngalawo malanga, ngesikhatsi Modekhayi ahleti esangweni lenkhosi, boBikthani naThereshi, labatiphatsimandla letimbili tenkhosi lebetibogadzi bemnyango wesigodlo, batfukutsela futsi benta lichinga lekubulala* iNkhosi Ahashiveroshi. 22 Modekhayi weva ngalelichinga, futsi ngekushesha watjela iNkhosikati Esta. Esta wabese uchazela inkhosi ngaloku egameni laModekhayi.* 23 Ngako kwaphenyisiswa ngalendzaba futsi kwagcine kutfolakele kutsi iliciniso. Lamadvodza lamabili abese alengiswa elugodvweni; futsi konkhe loku kwabhalwa embikwenkhosi, encwadzini yemlandvo wangaleso sikhatsi.+