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¹Ke kaloku kwathi ngemihla ka-Ahaswerosi (lo Ahaswerosi ke ubengukumkani, ethabathela eIndiya, wezisa kwaKushi: kumazwe alikhulu elinamanci mabini anesixhenxe),

²ngaloo mihla, xa wayehleli ukumkani uAhaswerosi etroneni yobukumkani bakhe, eseShushan komkhulu,

³ngomnyaka wesithathu wobukumkani bakhe, wabenzela isidlo bonke abathetheli bakhe nabakhonzi bakhe; xa impi yamaPersi neyamaMedi, amawaba nabathetheli bamazwe, bebephambi kwakhe;

⁴akubon’ ukuba ubonisa abantu ubutyebi obuzukileyo bobukumkani bakhe, nesihombo esinqabileyo sobukhulu bakhe imihla emininzi, imihla elikhulu elinamanci asibhozo.

⁵Ekuzalisekeni kwaloo mihla, ukumkani wabenzela isidlo bonke abantu abafumaneka eShushan komkhulu, kwathabathela kwabakhulu, kwesa kwabancinane, imihla yasixhenxe, entendelezweni yomyezo wendlu yokumkani.

⁶Amalengalenga ayengawelinen emhlophe, necikizekileyo, nemsi, ebotshwe ngeentsontelo zelinen ecikizekileyo nemfusa kumakhonkco esilivere, nakwiintsika zemarmore emhlophe; izingqengqelo izezegolide nezesilivere, phezu kombekelelo wamatye aluhlaza, namhlophe, naziiperile, namnyama.

⁷Kwaye kuselwa ngeempahla zegolide, ziziimpahla ngeempahla; ininzi iwayini yakomkhulu ngokwamandla okumkani.

⁸Ukusela kwaye kungokomthetho kungekho unyanzelayo: kuba wenjenjalo ukumkani ukumisela zonke izikhulu zendlu yakhe, ukuba enze elowo nalowo ngokuzithandela kwakhe.

⁹Kananjalo uVashti ukumkanikazi wenzela abafazi isidlo endlwini yakomkhulu, ebiyekakumkani uAhaswerosi.

¹⁰Ngomhla wesixhenxe, xa intliziyo yokumkani yayimnandi yiwayini, wabayalela ooMehuman, noBhizeta, noHarbhona, noBhigeta, noAbhageta, noZetare, noKarkasi, ababusi abasixhenxe abalungiselelayo ebusweni bokumkani, wathi,

¹¹mabamzise uVashti ukumkanikazi phambi kokumkani enonkontsho lobukumkanikazi, ukuba abonise abantu nabathetheli ubuhle bakhe; ngokuba ebeyinzwakazi, imbonakalo yakhe.

¹²Akavumanga ukumkanikazi uVashti ukuza ngelizwi lokumkani ngababusi abo.

¹³Waba noburhalarhume obukhulu ukumkani, bavutha ubushushu bakhe kuye.

¹⁴Wathi ke ukumkani kwizilumko eziwaziyo amaxesha (ngokuba ibisenjiwa njalo into yokumkani phambi kwabo bonke abawaziyo umthetho nesiko; ababekufuphi kuye, ooKarshena, noShetare, noAdemata, noTarshishe, noMeres, noMarsena, noMemukan, abathetheli abasixhenxe bamaPersi namaMedi, ababebubona ubuso bokumkani, ababehlala ezihlalweni zobukhulu ebukumkanini), wathi,

¹⁵Ngokomthetho angenziwa ntoni na ukumkanikazi uVashti, ngenxa yokuba engalenzanga ilizwi lokumkani uAhaswerosi ngababusi?

¹⁶Wathi uMemukan phambi kokumkani nabathetheli, UVashti ukumkanikazi akaphosise kukumkani yedwa; uphosise nakubathetheli bonke, nakwizizwe zonke ezisemazweni onke okumkani uAhaswerosi.

¹⁷Kuba le ndawo yokumkanikazi iya kuphuma, ifikelele kubafazi bonke, adeleke amadoda abo emehlweni abo, xa kuthiwa, Ukumkani uAhaswerosi wathi makeziswe uVashti ukumkanikazi phambi kwakhe, akeza.

¹⁸Kananjalo amakhosikazi asePersi naseMedi ayivayo le nto yokumkanikazi, aya kuyixela kwanamhlanje kubathetheli bonke bokumkani, kwande ke ukudela noburhalarhume.

¹⁹Ukuba kuthe kwalunga kukumkani, makuphume ilizwi lokumkani ebusweni bakhe, libhalwe emithethweni yamaPersi namaMedi, ukuze lingatshitshi, lokuba uVashti angabi seza phambi kokumkani uAhaswerosi, ukumkani abunikele ubukumkanikazi bakhe kuwabo olungileyo kunaye.

²⁰Wothi ke wakuvakala umthetho wokumkani, aya kuwenza ebukumkanini bakhe bonke (ngokuba bukhulu), bonke abafazi bawabeke amadoda abo, kuthabathele kwenkulu, kuse kwencinane.

²¹Ilizwi elo lalunga emehlweni okumkani nabathetheli. Wenza ke ukumkani ngokwelizwi likaMemukan.

²²Wathumela iincwadi emazweni onke kakumkani, kwilizwe ngelizwe, njengokubhala kwalo, kwizizwe ngezizwe ngokweentetho zazo, okokuba amadoda onke alawule ezindlwini zawo, athethe ngentetho yakowawo.