Esther 2:1-20
Esther Chosen Queen
1After these things, awhen the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti band what she had done and what had been decreed against her. 2Then the king’s young men who attended him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king. 3And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the citadel, under custody of cHegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women. dLet their cosmetics be given them. 4And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This pleased the king, and he did so.5Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was eMordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 6 fwho had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away. 7He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, gthe daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. 8So when the king’s order and his edict were proclaimed, and hwhen many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of iHegai, Esther also was taken into the king’s palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women. 9And the young woman pleased him and won his favor. And he quickly provided her jwith her cosmetics and her portion of food, and with seven chosen young women from the king’s palace, and advanced her and her young women to the best place in the harem. 10 kEsther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known. 11And every day Mordecai walked in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her.
12Now when the turn came for each young woman to go in to King Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments for women— 13when the young woman went in to the king in this way, she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. 14In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second harem in custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch, who was in charge of the concubines. She would not go in to the king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.
15When the turn came for Esther lthe daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what mHegai the king’s eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her. 16And when Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign, 17the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set nthe royal crown ▼
▼Or headdress
on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18Then the king pgave a great feast for all his officials and servants; it was Esther’s feast. He also granted a remission of taxes to the provinces and gave gifts with royal generosity. Mordecai Discovers a Plot
19Now when the virgins were gathered together qthe second time, Mordecai was sitting rat the king’s gate. 20 sEsther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had commanded her, for Esther obeyed Mordecai just tas when she was brought up by him.
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