UEstere 1 FHB Father's Heart Bible™

1 ¹Kwenzeka oku ngemihla ka-Ahaswerosi—lowo Ahaswerosi walawula ethabathela eIndiya esa kwaKushi, ephethe amazwe alikhulu elinamanci mabini anesixhenxe, ^a a v1 UKushi lalilizwe elalisezantsi kweYiputa, ngasemantla oNayile — malunga neSudan yanamhlanje nelisezantsi laseYiputa. ²ngaloo mihla, xa ukumkani uAhaswerosi wayehleli etroneni yakhe yobukumkani enqabeni yaseSusa, ³ngomnyaka wakhe wesithathu ebungukumkani, wabenzela isidlo bonke abathetheli bakhe nabakhonzi bakhe. Umkhosi wasePersi nowakwaMediya, izinhanha, nabathetheli bamazwe babehlanganisene phambi kwakhe, ⁴iimini ezilikhulu elinamanci asibhozo wabonisa ubutyebi bozuko lobukumkani bakhe, nembeko ebengezelayo yobukhulu bakhe.

⁵Zakuphela ezo mini, ukumkani wabenzela isidlo seentsuku ezisixhenxe bonke ababekho enqabeni yaseSusa, abakhulu nabancinane, entendelezweni yomyezo webhotwe lokumkani. ⁶Amawunduwundu amhlophe omqhaphu namsi abanjwe ngelinen ecikizekileyo nangemitya emfusa, afakwa emakhonkcweni esilivere ezintsikeni zemabhile; iziningxande zegolide nesilivere phezu kokugandaganda okwenziwe ngelitye leporfire, nemabhile, neperile, namatye anemibala. ^b b v6 Iporfire lilitye elilukhuni lokuhomba ebelixatyiswe kakhulu kwelamandulo ngenxa yombala walo omfusa nobomvu onzulu. ⁷Iziselo zazisiswa ngeendebe zegolide, nganye yahlukile kwenye, newayini yobukumkani igalelwa ngesisa ngokomnqweno wokumkani. ⁸Ukusela kwakulandela umthetho othi: makungabikho ukunyanzelwa—ukumkani wamwisela umthetho wonke umphathi wendlu yakhe ukuba anike indoda nganye ngokomnqweno wayo.

Ukumkanikazi uVashti Uyala Ukumkani

⁹Nokumkanikazi uVashti wabenzela abafazi isidlo ebhotweni lobukumkani lika-Ahaswerosi ukumkani.

¹⁰Ngomhla wesixhenxe, yakuba intliziyo yokumkani yamnandi yiwayini, wawisela umthetho ooMehuman, noBhizeta, noHarbhona, noBhigeta, noAbhagata, noZetare, noKarkas, amathenwa asixhenxe awayephambi kuka-Ahaswerosi ukumkani, ¹¹ukuba amzise uVashti ukumkanikazi phambi kokumkani enxibe isithsaba sokumkani, ukuze abonise ubuhle bakhe ezizweni nakubathetheli, kuba ebeyinzwakazi. ¹²Kodwa uVashti ukumkanikazi wala ukuza ngokomthetho kokumkani obethunyelwe ngamathenwa; wavutha kunene ngumsindo, wesuka umsindo wavutha phakathi kwakhe.

¹³Waza ukumkani wathetha namadoda asisilumko ayewazi amaxesha—kuba belisiko lokumkani ukusa nayiphi na indawo phambi kwabo bonke abazaziyo imithetho nezigwebo. ¹⁴Abakufuphi naye: nguKarshena, noShetare, noAdemata, noTarshishe, noMeres, noMarsena, noMemukan—abathetheli abasixhenxe basePersi nowakwaMediya ababebubona ubuso bokumkani, bephezulu kunene ebukumkanini. ¹⁵“Ngokomthetho, yintoni emelwe nguVashti ukumkanikazi ngokuwugqitha umthetho ka-Ahaswerosi ukumkani, obethunyelwe ngamathenwa?”

¹⁶UMemukan wathi kukumkani nakubathetheli: “UVashti ukumkanikazi akonanga ukumkani kuphela, kwanabathetheli bonke, nazo zonke izizwe, kuwo onke amazwe ka-Ahaswerosi ukumkani. ¹⁷Isenzo sokumkanikazi siya kufikelela kubo bonke abafazi, sibenze badele amadoda abo emehlweni abo: ‘Ukumkani uAhaswerosi wabiza uVashti ukumkanikazi, waza akafikanga.’ ¹⁸Namhla amakhosikazi asePersi nawakwaMediya aveyo isenzo sokumkanikazi aya kutsho kwaoko kubo bonke abathetheli bokumkani—kungabikho sipheliso sokudela nomsindo.

¹⁹Ukuba kuyamkholisa ukumkani, makakhuphe ummiselo wokumkani, ubhalwe emithethweni yasePersi neyakwaMediya, ongenakuguqulwa, othi uVashti akasayi kubuya eze phambi kuka-Ahaswerosi ukumkani, aze ukumkani isikhundla sakhe sobukumkanikazi asinike omnye umfazi olungileyo kunaye. ²⁰Xa ummiselo wokumkani uvakele kulo lonke ubukumkani bakhe obukhulu, bonke abafazi baya kuwahlonela amadoda abo, abakhulu nabancinane.”

²¹Lalunga eli cebo emehlweni okumkani nabathetheli, waza ukumkani wenza kanye njengoko wayecebisile uMemukan. ²²Wathumela iincwadi kuwo onke amazwe obukumkani, kwilizwe ngalinye ngombhalo walo, kwisizwe ngasinye ngolwimi lwaso: indoda nganye mayilawule indlu yayo, ithethe ngolwimi lwabakowayo.