After these
things
awhen the anger
of King
Ahasuerus
had subsided
, he remembered
Vashti
and what
she had done
and bwhat
had been decreed
against
her.
Then the king's attendants
, who served
him, said
, " aLet beautiful
young
virgins
be sought
for the king
.
"Let the king appoint
overseers
in aall
the provinces
of his kingdom
that they may gather
every
beautiful
young
virgin
to the citadel
of Susa
, to the harem
, into the custody
of bHegai
, the king's
eunuch
, who is in charge
of the women
; and clet their cosmetics
be given
them.
"Then let the young lady
who
pleases
the king
be queen
in place
of Vashti
." And the matter
pleased
the king
, and he did
accordingly
.
Now there was at the citadel in Susa
a Jew
whose name
was aMordecai
, the son
of Jair
, the son
of Shimei
, the son
of Kish
, a Benjamite
,
awho had been taken
into exile
from Jerusalem
with the captives
who
had been exiled
with Jeconiah
king
of Judah
, whom
Nebuchadnezzar
the king
of Babylon
had exiled
.
He was bringing up Hadassah
, that is aEsther
, his uncle's
daughter
, for she had
no
father
or
mother
. Now the young
lady
was beautiful
of form
and 1face
, and when her father
and her mother
died
, Mordecai
took
her as his own daughter
.
So it came about when the command
and decree
of the king
were heard
and amany
young
ladies
were gathered
to the citadel
of Susa
into the custody
of bHegai
, that Esther
was taken
to the king's
1palace
into the custody
of Hegai
, who was in charge
of the women
.
Now the young lady
pleased
him and found
favor
with him. So he quickly
provided
her with her acosmetics
and 1food
, gave
her seven
choice
maids
from the king's
palace
and transferred
her and her maids
to the best
place in the harem
.
aEsther did not make
known
her people
or her kindred
, for Mordecai
had instructed
her that she should not make
them known
.
Every day
Mordecai
walked
back
and forth in front
of the court
of the harem
to learn
how
Esther
was and how
she fared
.
Now when the turn of each
young
lady
came
to go
in to King
Ahasuerus
, after
the end
of her twelve
months
under the regulations
for the women
--for the days
of their beautification
were completed
as follows
: six
months
with oil
of myrrh
and six
months
with spices
and the cosmetics
for women
--
the young lady
would go
in to the king
in this
way
: anything
that she 1desired
was given
her to take
with her from the harem
to the king's
palace
.
In the evening she would go
in and in the morning
she would return
to the second
harem
, to the 1custody
of Shaashgaz
, the king's
eunuch
who was in charge
of the concubines
. She would not again
go
in to the king
unless
the king
delighted
in her and she was summoned
by name
.
Now when the turn of Esther
, athe daughter
of Abihail
the uncle
of Mordecai
who
had taken
her as his daughter
, came
to go
in to the king
, she did not request
anything
except
what
bHegai
, the king's
eunuch
who was in charge
of the women
, 1advised
. And Esther
found
favor
in the eyes
of all
who saw
her.
So Esther was taken
to King
Ahasuerus
to his royal
palace
in the tenth
month
which
is the month
Tebeth
, in the seventh
year
of his reign
.
The king loved
Esther
more
than
all
the women
, and she found
favor
and kindness
with him more
than
all
the virgins
, so that ahe set
the royal
crown
on her head
and made
her queen
instead
of Vashti
.
Then athe king gave
a great
banquet
, Esther's
banquet
, for all
his princes
and his servants
; he also made
a holiday
for the provinces
and gave
gifts
baccording to the king's
bounty
.
aWhen the virgins were gathered
together the second
time
, then Mordecai
bwas sitting
at the king's
gate
.
aEsther had not yet made known
her kindred
or her people
, even
as Mordecai
had commanded
her; for Esther
did
1what
Mordecai
told
her as she had done
bwhen
under his care
.
In those days
, while Mordecai
was sitting
at the king's
gate
, aBigthan
and Teresh
, two
of the king's
officials
from those who guarded
the door
, became
angry
and sought
to 1lay
hands
on King
Ahasuerus
.
But the 1plot became known
to Mordecai
and ahe told
Queen
Esther
, and Esther
2informed
the king
in Mordecai's
name
.
Now when the plot was investigated
and found
to be so, they were both
hanged
on a 1gallows
; and it was written
in athe Book
of the Chronicles
in the king's
presence
.