Esther 2

¹ After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus was pacified, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what had been decreed against her. ² Then the king’s servants who attended him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king; ³ and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, to gather all the beautiful young women to Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, under the custody of Hegai the king’s eunuch, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them. ⁴ And let the maiden who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This pleased the king, and he did so.

⁵ Now there was a certain Jew in Shushan the palace, whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite; ⁶ who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. ⁷ He brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter; for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was fair and beautiful; and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter.

⁸ So it happened, when the king’s command and decree was heard, and many young women were gathered to Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was taken also to the king’s palace, to the custody of Hegai the king’s eunuch, keeper of the women. ⁹ The young woman pleased him, and she obtained his favor; so he speedily gave her things for purification, with her food. ¹⁰ Esther had not revealed her people nor her kindred; for Mordecai had charged her that she should not reveal it.

¹¹ And every day Mordecai walked before the court of the women’s house, to know Esther’s welfare, and what was done with her.

¹² Now when every maid’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after she had been twelve months under the law of the women (for thus were the days of their purifications accomplished, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women), ¹³ then thus came every maiden to the king; she came in at night, and in the morning returned to the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch, who kept the concubines; she didn’t return again to the king unless the king delighted in her, and that she were summoned by name.

¹⁴ So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus into his house, in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. ¹⁵ The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.

¹⁶ Then the king made a great feast, the feast of Esther, for all his princes and servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in all his provinces, and gave gifts according to the bounty of the king.

¹⁷ And the maiden Esther was taken to the king Ahasuerus, and she obtained favor in his sight, and his mercy was toward her; and he set the throne of the king over her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti. ¹⁸ Now the king held a feast, the feast of Esther, for all his princes and servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in all his provinces, and gave gifts according to the bounty of the king.

¹⁹ When Mordecai learned all that had been done, he wrote it in a book.

²⁰ And Mordecai sat at the king’s gate.