1After these things, when the fury of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what had been decreed against her.
2Then the king’s young men who served him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king.”
3And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, and let them gather every beautiful young virgin to Susa the citadel, to the house of the women, into the charge of Hegai the king’s eunuch, keeper of the women; and let their cosmetic treatments be given them.
4And let the young woman who is good in the eyes of the king reign in place of Vashti.” And the matter was good in the eyes of the king, and he did so.
5There was a Jewish man in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjamite.
6who had been exiled from Jerusalem with the exiles who were exiled with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had exiled.
7He was bringing up Hadassah — that is, Esther — his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. And the young woman was beautiful in form and good of appearance; and when her father and mother died, Mordecai took her to himself as a daughter.
8And it happened, when the king’s word and his edict were heard, and when many young women were gathered to Susa the citadel into the charge of Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king’s house, into the charge of Hegai, keeper of the women.
9And the young woman was good in his eyes, and she won loyal love before him; and he hastened to give her her cosmetic treatments and her portions, and the seven choice young women to be given her from the king’s house; and he advanced her and her young women to the best part of the house of the women.
10Esther had not disclosed her people or her kindred, for Mordecai had charged her that she should not disclose it.
11And every single day Mordecai would walk about in front of the court of the house of the women, to learn Esther’s welfare and what would be done with her.
12Now when the turn came for each young woman to go in to King Ahasuerus, after she had had done to her, according to the regulation for the women, twelve months — for so were the days of their beautifying completed: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with spices and the cosmetic treatments of the women —
13then in this way the young woman would go in to the king: whatever she asked would be given to her to take with her from the house of the women to the king’s house.
14In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second house of the women, into the charge of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch, keeper of the concubines. She would not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.
15Now when the turn came for Esther daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her to himself as a daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king’s eunuch, keeper of the women, advised. And Esther was one who won favor in the eyes of all who saw her.
16So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, to his royal house, in the tenth month — that is, the month of Tebeth — in the seventh year of his reign.
17And the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won favor and loyal love before him more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.
18Then the king made a great feast for all his officials and his servants — the feast of Esther — and he granted a remission to the provinces and gave gifts with royal liberality.
19And when virgins were gathered a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.
20Esther had not disclosed her kindred or her people, just as Mordecai had charged her; for Esther did what Mordecai said, as when she was under his guardianship.
21In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs from among the keepers of the threshold, became enraged and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.
22But the matter became known to Mordecai, and he disclosed it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in Mordecai’s name.
23The matter was investigated and found to be so, and the two of them were hanged on a tree; and it was written in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.
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