2:1 After
these
things,
when
the
anger
of
King
Ahasuerus
had
abated,
he
remembered
Vashti
and
what
she
had
done
and
what
had
been
decreed
against
her.
2:2 Then
the
king's
young
men
who
attended
him
said,
"Let
beautiful
young
virgins
be
sought
out
for
the
king.
2:3 And
let
the
king
appoint
officers
in
all
the
provinces
of
his
kingdom
to
gather
all
the
beautiful
young
virgins
to
the
harem
in
Susa
the
capital,
under
custody
of
Hegai,
the
king's
eunuch,
who
is
in
charge
of
the
women.
Let
their
cosmetics
be
given
them.
2:4 And
let
the
young
woman
who
pleases
the
king
be
queen
instead
of
Vashti."
This
pleased
the
king,
and
he
did
so.
2:5 Now
there
was
a
Jew
in
Susa
the
citadel
whose
name
was
Mordecai,
the
son
of
Jair,
son
of
Shimei,
son
of
Kish,
a
Benjaminite,
2:6 who
had
been
carried
away
from
Jerusalem
among
the
captives
carried
away
with
Jeconiah
king
of
Judah,
whom
Nebuchadnezzar
king
of
Babylon
had
carried
away.
2:7 He
was
bringing
up
Hadassah,
that
is
Esther,
the
daughter
of
his
uncle,
for
she
had
neither
father
nor
mother.
The
young
woman
had
a
beautiful
figure
and
was
lovely
to
look
at,
and
when
her
father
and
her
mother
died,
Mordecai
took
her
as
his
own
daughter.
2:8 So
when
the
king's
order
and
his
edict
were
proclaimed,
and
when
many
young
women
were
gathered
in
Susa
the
citadel
in
custody
of
Hegai,
Esther
also
was
taken
into
the
king's
palace
and
put
in
custody
of
Hegai,
who
had
charge
of
the
women.
2:9 And
the
young
woman
pleased
him
and
won
his
favor.
And
he
quickly
provided
her
with
her
cosmetics
and
her
portion
of
food,
and
with
seven
chosen
young
women
from
the
king's
palace,
and
advanced
her
and
her
young
women
to
the
best
place
in
the
harem.
2:10 Esther
had
not
made
known
her
people
or
kindred,
for
Mordecai
had
commanded
her
not
to
make
it
known.
2:11 And
every
day
Mordecai
walked
in
front
of
the
court
of
the
harem
to
learn
how
Esther
was
and
what
was
happening
to
her.
2:12 Now
when
the
turn
came
for
each
young
woman
to
go
in
to
King
Ahasuerus,
after
being
twelve
months
under
the
regulations
for
the
women,
since
this
was
the
regular
period
of
their
beautifying,
six
months
with
oil
of
myrrh
and
six
months
with
spices
and
ointments
for
women--
2:13 when
the
young
woman
went
in
to
the
king
in
this
way,
she
was
given
whatever
she
desired
to
take
with
her
from
the
harem
to
the
king's
palace.
2:14 In
the
evening
she
would
go
in,
and
in
the
morning
she
would
return
to
the
second
harem
in
custody
of
Shaashgaz,
the
king's
eunuch,
who
was
in
charge
of
the
concubines.
She
would
not
go
in
to
the
king
again,
unless
the
king
delighted
in
her
and
she
was
summoned
by
name.
2:15 When
the
turn
came
for
Esther
the
daughter
of
Abihail
the
uncle
of
Mordecai,
who
had
taken
her
as
his
own
daughter,
to
go
in
to
the
king,
she
asked
for
nothing
except
what
Hegai
the
king's
eunuch,
who
had
charge
of
the
women,
advised.
Now
Esther
was
winning
favor
in
the
eyes
of
all
who
saw
her.
2:16 And
when
Esther
was
taken
to
King
Ahasuerus,
into
his
royal
palace,
in
the
tenth
month,
which
is
the
month
of
Tebeth,
in
the
seventh
year
of
his
reign,
2:17 the
king
loved
Esther
more
than
all
the
women,
and
she
won
grace
and
favor
in
his
sight
more
than
all
the
virgins,
so
that
he
set
the
royal
crown
on
her
head
and
made
her
queen
instead
of
Vashti.
2:18 Then
the
king
gave
a
great
feast
for
all
his
officials
and
servants;
it
was
Esther's
feast.
He
also
granted
a
remission
of
taxes
to
the
provinces
and
gave
gifts
with
royal
generosity.
2:19 Now
when
the
virgins
were
gathered
together
the
second
time,
Mordecai
was
sitting
at
the
king's
gate.
2:20 Esther
had
not
made
known
her
kindred
or
her
people,
as
Mordecai
had
commanded
her,
for
Esther
obeyed
Mordecai
just
as
when
she
was
brought
up
by
him.
2:21 In
those
days,
as
Mordecai
was
sitting
at
the
king's
gate,
Bigthan
and
Teresh,
two
of
the
king's
eunuchs,
who
guarded
the
threshold,
became
angry
and
sought
to
lay
hands
on
King
Ahasuerus.
2:22 And
this
came
to
the
knowledge
of
Mordecai,
and
he
told
it
to
Queen
Esther,
and
Esther
told
the
king
in
the
name
of
Mordecai.
2:23 When
the
affair
was
investigated
and
found
to
be
so,
the
men
were
both
hanged
on
the
gallows.
And
it
was
recorded
in
the
book
of
the
chronicles
in
the
presence
of
the
king.