OET interlinear EST 3:13

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

וְ⁠נִשְׁל֨וֹחַ סְפָרִ֜ים

and,they_were_sent letters

You can say this with an active form, and you can say who did the action. For example, you can say, “couriers delivered the letters.”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

בְּ⁠יַ֣ד הָ⁠רָצִים֮

by,the_hand_of of,the_runners

Here, hand could mean two different things: (1) It could literally mean “hand,” meaning that the couriers carried the letters in their hands. Alternate translation: [couriers hand-delivered the documents] (2) “Hand” could also be a metaphor for power, control, or authority, meaning that couriers were the ones who delivered the letters to all the provinces throughout the empire. Alternate translation: [couriers gave the documents directly]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

אֶל־כָּל־מְדִינ֣וֹת הַ⁠מֶּלֶךְ֒

to/towards all/each/any/every provinces_of the=king

Haman did not send the letters to the provinces (the geographical territories) themselves. Rather, he sent them to the officials in every province in the empire. The story is using the word “province” to refer to these officials by something associated with them, the territories they ruled. Your translation should make clear that the letters were sent to people, not places.

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

לְ⁠הַשְׁמִ֡יד לַ⁠הֲרֹ֣ג וּ⁠לְ⁠אַבֵּ֣ד

to,annihilate to,kill and,to,destroy

These words mean the same thing. They are used together to emphasize the completeness of the destruction that is envisioned. You could combine them as UST does and say something like “completely destroy.” (A “doublet” can use more than two words.

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / merism

מִ⁠נַּ֨עַר וְ⁠עַד־זָקֵ֜ן

from,young_man and=unto old

This is a figure of speech that describes all of something by naming two extreme parts of it in order to include everything in between. You could express its meaning as UST does and say something like “every single one of them.” Alternate translation: [including young people and old people]

טַ֤ף וְ⁠נָשִׁים֙

children and,women

Alternate translation: [including the children and the women]

Note 6 topic: translate-numbers

בְּ⁠י֣וֹם אֶחָ֔ד

in/on=day one(ms)

Alternate translation: [on a single day]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

בִּ⁠שְׁלוֹשָׁ֥ה עָשָׂ֛ר

on_[day],thir- ten

Implicitly, this means “the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of that same year.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could say that explicitly.

Note 8 topic: translate-ordinal

בִּ⁠שְׁלוֹשָׁ֥ה עָשָׂ֛ר

on_[day],thir- ten

Alternate translation: [on day thirteen]

Note 9 topic: translate-ordinal

לְ⁠חֹ֥דֶשׁ שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂ֖ר

of,month two ten

Alternate translation: [of month twelve]

Note 10 topic: translate-hebrewmonths

הוּא־חֹ֣דֶשׁ אֲדָ֑ר

he/it month_of Adar

This is the name of the twelfth month of the Hebrew calendar. See how you decided in 2:16 and 3:7 to express dates that the story gives according to the Hebrew calendar.

וּ⁠שְׁלָלָ֖⁠ם לָ⁠בֽוֹז

and,their_of,spoil to,take_as_plunder

This means that the letters also said that those who killed the Jews could take everything that belonged to them.