Esther 2

Modern

Literal

Seeking Vashti’s Successor

¹Some 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.

¹After these things, at the subsiding of the rage of King Ahasuerus, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her,

²Then the king’s attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king,

²and the young men of the king who ministered to him said, “Let them seek for the king young women, virgins, beautiful of appearance.

³and 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.

³And let the king appoint overseers in all the provinces of his kingdom, and they shall gather every young woman, virgin, beautiful of appearance, to Susa the citadel, to the house of the women, into the hand of Hegai the eunich of the king, the keeper of the women, and to give their cosmetics.

⁴Then let the young woman who pleases the king become queen in place of Vashti.”

This suggestion pleased the king, and he acted accordingly.

⁴And the young woman who is good in the eyes of the king shall be queen in place of Vashti.” And this word was good in the eyes of the king, and he did so.

Esther Finds Favor

⁵Now 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.

⁵There was a man, a Jew, in Susa the citadel—and his name was Mordecai, son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a man of Benjamin—

⁶He had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon among those taken captive with Jeconiah^a king of Judah.

⁶who had been removed from Jerusalem with the exiles who had been removed with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had removed.

⁷And 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 as his own daughter.

⁷And he was supporting Hadassah—she is Esther—daughter of his uncle, for there was not unto her father or mother, and the young woman was lovely of form and beautiful of appearance, and at the death of her father and her mother, Mordecai had taken her to himself for a daughter.

⁸When 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.

⁸And it came to pass, in the hearing of the word of the king and his law, that many young women were gathered to Susa the citadel, into the hand of Hegai, and Esther was taken into the house of the king, into the hand of Hegai, the keeper of the women.

⁹And 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.

⁹And the young woman was good in his eyes, and she lifted up kindness before his face, and he hurried to give her cosmetics, and he gave her portions to her, and seven young women chosen to give to her, from the house of the king, and he changed her and her young women for the good of the house of the women.

¹⁰Esther did not reveal her people or her lineage, because Mordecai had instructed her not to do so.

¹⁰Esther had not declared her people and her kindred, for Mordecai had laid a charge on her that she should not declare it.

¹¹And 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.

¹¹And in every day by day, Mordecai was going about before the face of the court of the house of the women to know the peace of Esther, and what was being done with her.

¹²In 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.

¹²And in the approaching of the turn of young woman by young woman to come in to King Ahasuerus, from the end of her being there, according to the law of the women, two and ten months—for thus were filled the days of their beautification: Six months with the oil of myrrh, and six months with the spices and with the cosmetics of women.

¹³When 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.

¹³And at this the young woman would go to the king. All that she said was given to her, to come with her from the house of the women to the house of the king.

¹⁴She would go there in the evening, and in the morning she would return to a second harem under^a 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.

¹⁴In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second house of the women, into the hand of Shaashgaz the eunuch of the king, keeper of the concubines. She would not come in again to the king, except if the king delighted in her and called for her by name.

¹⁵Now 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.

¹⁵And in the approaching of the turn of Esther daughter of Abihail uncle of Mordecai, whom he had taken to himself for a daughter, to come in to the king, she did not seek a thing except for that which Hegai the eunuch of the king, keeper of the women, had said. And Esther lifted up favor in the eyes of all seeing her.

¹⁶She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth,^a in the seventh year of his reign.

¹⁶And Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into the house of royalty, in the tenth month—it is the month of Tebeth—in the seventh year of his reign.

Esther Becomes Queen

¹⁷And 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.

¹⁷And the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she lifted favor and kindness before his face more than all the virgins. And he set a crown of royalty on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.

¹⁸Then 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.

¹⁸And the king made a great feast for all his officials and servants—the feast of Esther—and he made a time of rest for the provinces, and he gave gifts according to the hand of the king.

¹⁹When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.^a

¹⁹And the virgins were gathered a second time, and Mordecai was sitting at the gate of the king.

²⁰Esther 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.

²⁰Esther was not declaring her kindred and her people, as Mordecai had laid a charge on her, and the command of Mordecai Esther did as when she was in her being brought up by him.

Mordecai Uncovers a Conspiracy

²¹In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan^a and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the entrance, grew angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.

²¹And in those days, Mordecai was sitting at the gate of the king, Bigthan became angry, and Teresh—two of the eunuchs of the king, from the keepers of the threshold—and they sought to stretch out a hand against King Ahasuerus.

²²When Mordecai learned of the plot, he reported it to Queen Esther, and she informed the king on Mordecai’s behalf.

²²And the matter became known to Mordecai, and he declared it to Esther the queen. And Esther spoke to the king in the name of Mordecai.

²³After 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^a of the king.

²³And the matter was sought out and was found, and the two of them were hanged on a tree, and it was written in the Book of the Words of the Days before the face of the king.