Seeking Vashti’s Successor

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,

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 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. 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

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— 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 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.

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

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. 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. 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Footnotes:

5 Or Judean; The term is not limited to the ancestral tribe of Judah, but refers more broadly to the exilic/post-exilic people dispersed throughout the Persian Empire
6 Jeconiah is a variant of Jehoiachin; see 2 Kings 24:12.
14 Or to another part of the harem
16 Tebeth is the tenth month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of December and January.
19 Or and Mordecai had become a palace official
21 Bigthan is a variant of Bigthana; see Esther 6:2.
23 Or the Book of the Annals or the Book of the Historical Events or the Book of the Chronicles