Esther 2

1 And after this the king's anger was pacified, and he no more mentioned Astin, bearing in mind what she had said, and how he had condemned her.

Some time later, when the anger of King Xerxes had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done, and what had been decreed against her.

2 Then the servants of the king said, Let there be sought for the king chaste [and] beautiful young virgins.

Then the king’s attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king,

3 And let the king appoint local governors in all the provinces of his kingdom, and let them select fair [and] chaste young damsels [and bring them] to the city Susa, into the women's apartment, and let them be consigned to the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women; and let things for purification and other attendance be given [to them].

and let the king appoint commissioners in each province of his kingdom to assemble all the beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the women, and let them be given beauty treatments.

4 And let the woman who shall please the king be queen instead of Astin. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.

Then let the young woman who pleases the king become queen in place of Vashti.” This suggestion pleased the king, and he acted accordingly.

5 Now there was a Jew in the city Susa, and his name was Mardochaeus, the [son] of Jairus, [the son] of Semeias, [the son] of Cisaeus, of the tribe of Benjamin;

Now there was at the citadel of Susa a Jewish man from the tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish.

6 who had been brought a prisoner from Jerusalem, which Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon had carried into captivity.

He had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon among those taken captive with Jeconiah king of Judah.

7 And he had a foster child, daughter of Aminadab his father's brother, and her name [was] Esther; and when her parents were dead, he brought her up for a wife for himself: and the damsel was beautiful.

And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah (that is, Esther), the daughter of his uncle, because she did not have a father or mother. The young woman was lovely in form and appearance, and when her father and mother had died, Mordecai had taken her in as his own daughter.

8 And because the king's ordinance was published, many damsels were gathered to the city Susa under the hand of Gai; and Esther was brought to Gai the keeper of the women.

When the king’s command and edict had been proclaimed, many young women gathered at the citadel of Susa under the care of Hegai. Esther was also taken to the palace and placed under the care of Hegai, the custodian of the women.

9 And the damsel pleased him, and she found favour in his sight; and he hasted to give her the things for purification, and her portion, and the seven maidens appointed her out of the palace: and he treated her and her maidens well in the women's apartment.

And the young woman pleased him and obtained his favor, so he quickly provided her with beauty treatments and the special diet. He assigned to her seven select maidservants from the palace and transferred her with them to the best place in the harem.

10 But Esther didn’t reveal her family nor her kindred: for Mardochaeus had charged her not to tell.

Esther did not reveal her people or her lineage, because Mordecai had instructed her not to do so.

11 But Mardochaeus used to walk every day by the women's court, to see what would become of Esther.

And every day Mordecai would walk back and forth in front of the court of the harem to learn about Esther’s welfare and what was happening to her.

12 Now this was the time for a virgin to go into the king, when she should have fulfilled twelve months; for so are the days of purification fulfilled, six months while they are anointing themselves with oil of myrrh, and six months with spices and women's purifications.

In the twelve months before her turn to go to King Xerxes, the harem regulation required each young woman to receive beauty treatments with oil of myrrh for six months, and then with perfumes and cosmetics for another six months.

13 And then [the damsel] goes in to the king; and [the officer] to whoever he shall give the command, will bring her to come in with him from the women's apartment to the king's chamber.

When the young woman would go to the king, she was given whatever she requested to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace.

14 She enters in the evening, and in the morning she departs to the second women's apartment, where Gai the king's chamberlain [is] keeper of the women: and she goes not in to the king again, unless she should be called by name.

She would go there in the evening, and in the morning she would return to a second harem under the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he delighted in her and summoned her by name.

15 And when the time. was fulfilled for Esther the daughter of Aminadab the brother of Mardochaeus' father to go in to the king, she neglected nothing which the chamberlain, the women's keeper, commanded; for Esther found grace in the sight of all that looked upon her.

Now Esther was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle from whom Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter. And when it was her turn to go to the king, she did not ask for anything except what Hegai, the king’s trusted official in charge of the harem, had advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of everyone who saw her.

16 So Esther went in to king Artaxerxes in the twelfth month, which is Adar, in the seventh year of his reign.

She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

17 And the king loved Esther, and she found favour beyond all the [other] virgins: and he put on her the queen's crown.

And the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she found grace and favor in his sight more than all of the other virgins. So he placed the royal crown upon her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.

18 And the king made a banquet for all his friends and great men for seven days, and he highly celebrated the marriage of Esther; and he made a release to those who were under his dominion.

Then the king held a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his officials and servants. He proclaimed a tax holiday in the provinces and gave gifts worthy of the king’s bounty.

19 But Mardochaeus served in the palace.

When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.

20 Now Esther had not revealed her kindred; for so Mardochaeus commanded her, to fear God, and perform his commandments, as when she was with him: and Esther changed not her manner of life.

Esther still had not revealed her lineage or her people, just as Mordecai had instructed. She obeyed Mordecai’s command, as she had done under his care.

21 And two chamberlains of the king, the chiefs of the body-guard, were grieved, because Mardochaeus was promoted; and they sought to kill king Artaxerxes.

In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the entrance, grew angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.

22 And the matter was revealed to Mardochaeus, and he made it known to Esther, and she declared to the king the matter of the conspiracy.

When Mordecai learned of the plot, he reported it to Queen Esther, and she informed the king on Mordecai’s behalf.

23 And the king examined the two chamberlains, and hanged them: and the king gave orders to make a note for a memorial in the royal records of the good offices of Mardochaeus, as a commendation.

After the report had been investigated and verified, both officials were hanged on the gallows. And all this was recorded in the Book of the Chronicles in the presence of the king.