1
Later when the anger of King Xerxes had subsided, he remembered Vashti and
what she had done and what he had decreed about her.
2
Then the king's personal attendants proposed, "Let a search be made for beautiful
young virgins fir the king.
3
Let the king appoint commisioners in every province of his realm to bring all
these beautiful girls into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed
under the care of Hegai, the king'd eunuch, who is in charge of women; and let
beauty treatments be given to them.
4
Then let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti." This advice
appealed to the king, and he followed it.
5
Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named
Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish,
6
who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,
among those taken captive with Jehoiachin king of Judah.
7
Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she
had neither father nor mother. This girl, who was also known as Esther, was lovely
in form and features, and Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her
father and mother died.
8
When the king's order and edict had been proclaimed, many girls were brought
to citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai, who had charge of the harem.
9
The girl pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with her
beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven maids selected
from the king's palace and moved her and her maids into the best place
in the harem.
10
Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because
Mordecai had forbidden her to do so.
11
Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to
find out how Esther as and what was happening to her.
12
Before a girl's turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete
twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months
with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics.
13
And this is how she would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given to
her to take with her from harem to the king's palace.
14
In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part
of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch who was in charge
of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he was pleased
with her and summoned her by name.
15
When the came for Esther (the girl Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his
uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai,
the king's eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won
the favor of everyone who saw her.
16
She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the
month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17
Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women,
and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins.
So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
18
And the king gave a great banquet, Esther's banquet, for all his nobles and
officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed
gifts with royal liberality.
19
When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at
the king's gate.
20
But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as
Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai's
instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up.
21
During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthana and
Teresh, two of the king's officers who guarded the doorway, became angry
and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.
22
But Mordecai found about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn
reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai.
23
And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials
were hanged on a gallows. All this was recorded in the book of the annals
in the presence of the king.
Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named
Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish,
6
who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,
among those taken captive with Jehoiachin king of Judah.
7
Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she
had neither father nor mother. This girl, who was also known as Esther, was lovely
in form and features, and Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her
father and mother died.
17
Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women,
and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins.
So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
18
And the king gave a great banquet, Esther's banquet, for all his nobles and
officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed
gifts with royal liberality.
21
During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthana and
Teresh, two of the king's officers who guarded the doorway, became angry
and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.
22
But Mordecai found about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn
reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai.
23
And when the report was investigated and found to be true,
the two officials were hanged on a gallows.
All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king.