Esther 2

¹After these things , when the wrath of King Ahasuerus was pacified , he remembered Vashti , and what she had done , and what was decreed against her .

²Then the king ’s servants who served him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king .

³Let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom , that they may gather together all the beautiful young virgins to the citadel of Susa , to the women ’s house , to the custody of Hegai the king ’s eunuch , keeper of the women . Let cosmetics be given them ;

⁴and let the maiden who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti .” The thing pleased the king , and he did so .

⁵There was a certain Jew in the citadel of Susa whose name was Mordecai , the son of Jair , the son of Shimei , the son of Kish , a Benjamite ,

⁶who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah , whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away .

⁷He brought up Hadassah , that is , Esther, his uncle ’s daughter ; for she had neither father nor mother. The maiden was fair and beautiful ; and when her father and mother were dead , Mordecai took her for his own daughter .

⁸So , when the king ’s commandment and his decree was heard , and when many maidens were gathered together to the citadel of Susa , to the custody of Hegai , Esther was taken into the king ’s house , to the custody of Hegai , keeper of the women .

⁹The maiden pleased him , and she obtained kindness from him . He quickly gave her cosmetics and her portions of food , and the seven choice maidens who were to be given her out of the king ’s house . He moved her and her maidens to the best place in the women ’s house .

¹⁰Esther had not made known her people nor her relatives , because Mordecai had instructed her that she should not make it known .

¹¹Mordecai walked every day in front of the court of the women’s house , to find out how Esther was doing , and what would become of her .

¹²Each young woman ’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after her purification for twelve months (for so were the days of their purification accomplished , six months with oil of myrrh , and six months with sweet fragrances and with preparations for beautifying women ).

¹³The young woman then came to the king like this : whatever she desired was given her to go with her out of the women ’s house to the king ’s house .

¹⁴In the evening she went , and on the next day she returned into the second women’s house , to the custody of Shaashgaz , the king ’s eunuch , who kept the concubines . She came in to the king no more , unless the king delighted in her , and she was called by name .

¹⁵Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai , who had taken her for his daughter , came to go in to the king , she required nothing but what Hegai the king ’s eunuch , the keeper of the women , advised. Esther obtained favour in the sight of all those who looked at her .

¹⁶So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus into his royal house in the tenth month , which is the month Tebeth , in the seventh year of his reign .

¹⁷The king loved Esther more than all the women , and she obtained favour and kindness in his sight more than all the virgins ; so that he set the royal crown on her head , and made her queen instead of Vashti .

¹⁸Then the king made a great feast for all his princes and his servants , even Esther’s feast ; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces , and gave gifts according to the king ’s bounty .

¹⁹When the virgins were gathered together the second time , Mordecai was sitting in the king ’s gate .

²⁰Esther had not yet made known her relatives nor her people , as Mordecai had commanded her ; for Esther obeyed Mordecai , like she did when she was brought up by him .

²¹In those days , while Mordecai was sitting in the king ’s gate , two of the king ’s eunuchs , Bigthan and Teresh , who were doorkeepers , were angry , and sought to lay hands on the King Ahasuerus.

²²This thing became known to Mordecai , who informed Esther the queen ; and Esther informed the king in Mordecai ’s name .

²³When this matter was investigated , and it was found to be so , they were both hanged on a gallows ; and it was written in the book of the chronicles in the king ’s presence .