Esther 2

¹ Some time after this, when the king’s wrath had abated, Ahasuerus remembered Vashti, how she had behaved, and the measures taken against her.

² The king’s courtiers-in-waiting said, ‘Let beautiful girls be selected for the king.

³ Let the king appoint commissioners throughout the provinces of his realm to bring all these beautiful young virgins to the citadel of Susa, to the harem under the authority of Hegai the king’s eunuch, custodian of the women. Let him provide them with what they need for their adornment,

⁴ and let the girl who pleases the king take Vashti’s place as queen.’ This advice pleased the king and he acted on it.

⁵ Now in the citadel of Susa there lived a Jew called Mordecai son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin,

⁶ who had been deported from Jerusalem among the captives taken away with Jeconiah king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

⁷ He had brought up Hadassah, otherwise called Esther,[*a] his uncle’s daughter, who had lost both father and mother; the girl had a good figure and a beautiful face, and on the death of her parents Mordecai had adopted her as his daughter.

⁸ Following the promulgation of the king’s edict, a great number of girls were brought to the citadel of Susa where they were entrusted to Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, the custodian of the women.

⁹ The girl pleased him and won his favour. Not only did he quickly provide her with all she needed for her dressing room and her meals, but he gave her seven special maids from the king’s household and transferred her and her maids to the best part of the harem.

¹⁰ Esther did not reveal her race or kindred, since Mordecai had forbidden her to do so.

¹¹ Mordecai walked up and down in front of the courtyard of the harem every day, to learn how Esther was and how she was being treated.

¹² Each girl had to appear in turn before King Ahasuerus, after a delay of twelve months fixed by the regulations for the women; this preparatory period was occupied as follows: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with spices and lotions commonly used for feminine beauty treatment.

¹³ Before going into the king, each girl was allowed to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace whatever she chose.

¹⁴ She went there in the evening, and the following morning returned to another harem entrusted to the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch, custodian of the concubines. She did not go to the king any more, unless he was particularly pleased with her and had her summoned by name.

¹⁵ But when it was the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail whose nephew Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter, to go into the king’s presence, she did not ask for anything beyond what had been assigned her by Hegai, the king’s eunuch, custodian of the women. And Esther soon won the admiration of all who saw her.

¹⁶ She was brought to King Ahasuerus in his royal palace in the tenth month, which is called Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign;

¹⁷ and the king liked Esther better than any of the other women; none of the other girls found so much favour and approval with him. So he set the royal diadem on her head and proclaimed her queen instead of Vashti.

¹⁸ Then the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his administrators and ministers, decreed a holiday for all the provinces and distributed largesse with royal prodigality.

¹⁹ When Esther, like the other girls, had been transferred to the second harem, she had not revealed her kindred or race, in obedience to the orders of Mordecai, whose instructions she continued to follow as when she had been under his care.

²⁰ At this time Mordecai was attached to the Chancellery and two malcontents, Bigthan and Teresh, king’s eunuchs belonging to the Guardians of the Threshold, plotted to assassinate King Ahasuerus.

²² Mordecai came to hear of this and informed Queen Esther, who in turn, on Mordecai’s authority, told the king.

²³ The matter was investigated and proved to be true. The two conspirators were sent to the gallows, and the incident was recorded in the Book of the Chronicles in the presence of the king.