Esther
Chapter 2
1 After this, when King Ahasuerus calmed down, he remembered Vashti, what she did, and the decision made against her.
2 The king’s servants who served him suggested, “Let’s look for beautiful young women for the king.”
3 Let the king choose officials throughout his kingdom to bring all the beautiful young women to the palace in Susa, to the women’s living quarters, under the care of Hegai, the royal eunuch in charge of the women, and provide them with their beauty treatments.
4 Let the young woman who pleases the king become queen instead of Vashti. The king liked this idea and he followed it.
5 In Shushan palace, there lived a Jew named Mordecai, son of Jair, grandson of Shimei, and great-grandson of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin.
6 Who had been taken from Jerusalem as prisoners with King Jeconiah of Judah, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had taken captive.
7 He raised Hadassah, also called Esther, his cousin, because she had no parents. She was lovely and pretty. When her parents died, Mordecai adopted her as his daughter.
8 It happened that when the king’s order was announced, and many young women were brought to the palace of Shushan under the care of Hegai, Esther was also taken to the king’s house and placed under Hegai, who was in charge of the women.
9 The young woman pleased him, and he showed her kindness. He quickly provided her with her purification items, what she needed, and seven maids from the king’s palace. He moved her and her maids to the best place in the women’s quarters.
10 Esther had not revealed her people or family because Mordecai had told her not to tell anyone.
11 Mordecai walked past the women’s quarters every day to find out how Esther was doing and what would happen to her.
12 When it was time for each young woman to go to King Ahasuerus, after she had completed twelve months of beauty treatments according to the customs for the women—six months with myrrh oil and six months with sweet scents and other purification methods—
13 Every girl went to the king, and she was given whatever she wanted to take with her from the women’s house to the king’s house.
14 In the evening, she went, and the next day she went back to the second women’s house, under Shaashgaz’s care, the king’s officer in charge of the concubines. She would not go to the king again unless he enjoyed her company and asked for her by name.
15 When it was Esther’s turn, who was adopted by her cousin Mordecai, to meet the king, she asked for only what Hegai, the royal official in charge of the women, suggested. Everyone who saw Esther liked her.
16 Esther was brought to King Ahasuerus at his royal palace in the tenth month, called Tebeth, in the seventh year of his rule.
17 The king loved Esther more than any other woman, and she found more kindness and approval from him than any other virgin. So he put the royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.
18 The king prepared a large feast for all his leaders and workers, called Esther’s feast; he declared a holiday across the regions and presented presents, as befits a king.
19 When the young women were brought together again, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.
20 Esther had not told anyone about her family or people, because Mordecai told her not to. She followed Mordecai’s orders, just like when she was raised by him.
21 During that time, while Mordecai was at the king’s entrance, two of the king’s officials, Bigthan and Teresh, who guarded the doorway, became angry and wanted to attack King Ahasuerus.
22 Mordecai learned about it and told Queen Esther; then Esther informed the king, mentioning Mordecai.
23 When they investigated, they discovered the truth; so both men were hanged on a tree, and this was recorded in the king’s chronicles.