1   Later, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had died down, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. 2   So the king's attendants said, ‘Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for your majesty; 3   and let your majesty appoint commissioners in all the provinces of your kingdom to bring all these beautiful young virgins into the women's quarters in Susa the capital city. Let them be committed to the care of Hegai, the king's eunuch in charge of the women, and let cosmetics be provided for them; 4   and let the one who is most acceptable to the king become queen in place of Vashti.’ This idea pleased the king and he acted on it.

5   Now there was in Susa the capital city a Jew named Mordecai son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjamite; 6   he had been carried into exile from Jerusalem among those whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah. 7   He had a foster-child Hadassah, that is Esther, his uncle's daughter, who had neither father nor mother. She was a beautiful and charming girl, and after the death of her father and mother Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter. 8   When the king's order and his edict were published, and many girls were brought to Susa the capital city to be committed to the care of Hegai, Esther too was taken to the king's palace to be entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the women. 9   She attracted his notice and

Esther chosen as queen by the Persian king received his special favour: he readily provided her with her cosmetics and her allowance of food, and also with seven picked maids from the king's palace, and he gave her and her maids privileges in the women's quarters.

10   Esther had not disclosed her race or her family, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so. 11   Every day Mordecai passed along by the forecourt of the women's quarters to learn how Esther was faring and what was happening to her.

12   The full period of preparation prescribed for the women was twelve months, six months with oil and myrrh and six months with perfumes and cosmetics. When the period was complete, each girl's turn came to go to King Ahasuerus, 13   and she was allowed to take with her whatever she asked, when she went from the women's quarters to the king's palace. 14   She went into the palace in the evening and returned in the morning to another part of the women's quarters, to be under the care of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch in charge of the concubines. She did not again go to the king unless he expressed a wish for her; then she was summoned by name.

15   When the turn came for Esther, daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai her adoptive father, to go to the king, she asked for nothing to take with her except what was advised by Hegai, the king's eunuch in charge of the women; and Esther charmed all who saw her. 16   When she was taken to King Ahasuerus in the royal palace, in the seventh year of his reign, 17   in the tenth month, that is the month Tebeth, the king loved her more than any of his other women and treated her with greater favour and kindness than the rest of the virgins. He put a royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti. 18   Then the king gave a great banquet for all his officers and courtiers, a banquet in honour of Esther. He also proclaimed a holiday ^note throughout the provinces and distributed gifts worthy of a king.

19    20   Mordecai was in attendance at court; ^note on his instructions Esther had not disclosed her family or her race, she had done what Mordecai told her, as she did when she was his ward. 21   One day when Mordecai was in attendance at court, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, keepers of the threshold, who were disaffected, were plotting to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 22   This became known to Mordecai, who told Queen Esther; and she told the king, mentioning Mordecai by name. 23   The affair was investigated and the report confirmed; the two men were hanged on the gallows. All this was recorded in the royal chronicle in the presence of the king.

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