1 Uburake bw’umwami Ahasuwerusi bumaze kugabanuka, yibuka Vashiti n’ivyo yakoze, yibuka n’ingingo yamufatiye. 2 Maze abishikira b’umwami baja inama, bamubwira bati: "Umwami narondererwe inkumi nziza zitigeze ziryamana n’umugabo. 3 Umwami ashireho abantu mu ntara zose zo mu bwami bwiwe bazane abo bigeme bezabeza ku kirimba c’umwami i Suza. Baze babazeze Hegayi, inkone y’umwami, ajejwe abagore; kandi bahabwe ivyo kwitegura mu vyerekeye ubwiza bwabo. 4 Maze umwigeme azohimbara umwami azoce aba umwamikazi asubirire Vashiti." Iyo mpanuro ihimbara umwami, na we arayikurikiza.

5 Kandi ku mugwa w’i Suza hari Umuyuda akomoka mu muryango wa Benyamini, yitwa Moridekayi mwene Yayiro, mwene Shimeyi, mwene Kishi, 6 umuryango wiwe wari waratwawe nk’inyagano na Nebukadineza umwami w’i Babiloni uva i Yerusalemu, ujanwa hamwe na Yehoyakini umwami w’i Buyuda. 7 Uwo Moridekayi yari afise mushikabo yitwa Hadasa, yari yarareze kuko atagira se canke nyina. Uwo mwigeme, yitwa kandi Esiteri, yari mwiza ateye igomwe kuraba, kandi Moridekayi yari yaramutwaye amurera nk’umukobwa wiwe se na nyina bamaze gupfa.

8 Itegeko ry’umwami rimaze kwamamazwa, abigeme benshi bazanwa ku mugwa i Suza babazeza Hegayi. Esiteri na we nyene ajanwa ku kirimba c’i bwami ashikirizwa Hegayi, yari ajejwe iyo nzu y’abigeme. 9 Uwo mwigeme aramuhimbara, bituma amufata neza. Aca yihutira kumutegurira ivyo kwisiga n’ivyokurya bidasanzwe. Amushinga abaguranokazi indwi batoranijwe ku kirimba c’umwami aca amwimurira mu cumba ciza kuruta ibindi vyose vyo muri iyo nzu hamwe na ba bigeme biwe bo kumukorera.

10 Esiteri ntiyigeze avuga ubwoko bwiwe canke kahise k’umuryango wiwe, kuko Moridekayi yari yarabimubujije. 11 Imisi yose yama atembera i ruhande y’urugo rw’iyo nzu y’abigeme kugira ngo amenye uko Esiteri amerewe n’uko ivyiwe vyariko biragenda.

12 Imbere y’uko umwigeme wese aramukirwa kuja aho umwami Ahasuwerusi ari, yategerezwa kumara amezi icumi n’abiri ategurwa kugira ngo ase neza nk’uko vyari vyarashinzwe: amezi atandatu yayamara yisiga amavuta yitwa mirehi, ayandi mezi atandatu akayamara yisiga kandi yimotesha neza. 13 Igihe co kuja kubonana n’umwami kigeze, ico yashaka cose gutwara ava mu nzu y’abigeme aja ku kirimba c’umwami barakimuha. 14 Ku mugoroba yaca agendayo maze mu gitondo akavayo akaja mu yindi nzu y’incoreke yari irongowe na Shayashigazi, inkone y’umwami yari ashinzwe incoreke z’umwami. Ntiyasubira ku mwami kiretse yamuhimbaye maze akamutumako mw’izina.

15 Maze Esiteri wa mwigeme yari yarezwe na Moridekayi, yari umukobwa wa Abihayili sewabo wa Moridekayi, araramukirwa kuja kubonana n’umwami, ntiyagira ico asaba atari ivyo Hegayi, inkone y’umwami yari ajejwe iyo nzu yamubwiye gutwara. Kandi Esiteri yari afise igikundiro ku bamubona bose. 16 Maze ajanwa ku mwami Ahasuwerusi mu kirimba c’i bwami mu kwezi kw’icumi, kwitwa Tebeti, mu mwaka ugira indwi ari ku ngoma.

17 Umwami akunda Esiteri kurusha abandi bagore bose, agira ikiganza ciza kuri we aramuhimbara kurusha ba bigeme bandi bose. Nuko aca amwambika urugori rw’ubwami ku mutwe amugira umwamikazi wiwe asubirira Vashiti. 18 Maze umwami ategura amazimano ahambaye, ku bwa Esiteri, ayategurira abaganwa biwe n’abishikira biwe. Yamamaza ko haba umusi mukuru mu ntara zose kandi atanga ingabire z’i bwami.

19 Igihe ba bigeme bari bakoranye ubugira kabiri, Moridekayi yari yicaye kw’irembo ry’ikirimba c’umwami. 20 Ariko Esiteri yari yarahishije kahise k’umuryango wiwe n’ubwoko bwiwe nk’uko Moridekayi yari yaramubwiye, kandi yashishikaye gukurikiza impanuro za Moridekayi nk’uko yabikora akimureze.

21 Mu gihe Moridekayi yari yicaye kw’irembo ry’i bwami, Bigitana na Tereshi, babiri mu nkone z’umwami bari mu barinda irembo, bararaka maze bagira inama yo kwica umwami Ahasuwerusi. 22 Ariko Moridekayi amenya inama yabo araheza abimenyesha umwamikazi Esiteri, maze na we abishikiriza umwami, mw’izina rya Moridekayi. 23 Bamaze gutohoza neza iyo nkuru basanga ni yo, abo bakuru babiri bamanikwa ku biti. Ivyo vyose bica vyandikirwa imbere y’umwami mu bitabu vy’ibigenda biraba.