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time later, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done, and what had been decreed against her. 2 Then the king’s personal attendants said, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king. 3 Let the king appoint commissioners in each province of his kingdom, so that they may assemble all the beautiful young virgins to the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given them. 4 Then let the young woman who pleases the king will become queen instead of Vashti.” This advice pleased the king, and he did accordingly.
5 Now in the citadel of Susa there was a Jewish man whose name was Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite. 6 He had been carried into exile from Jerusalem along with the other captives when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took Jeconiah king of Judah into exile. 7 Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, that is, Esther, whom he had brought up, because she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely in form and beautiful. When her father and her mother died, Mordecai adopted her as his own daughter.
8 When the king’s command and edict was proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa under Hegai’s care. Esther was also taken to the king’s palace and placed under the care of Hegai, who was in charge of the women. 9 The young woman pleased him and gained his favour, and he immediately provided her with beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven maids selected from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maids to the best place in the harem.
10 Esther did not reveal her nationality or family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her from doing so. 11 Every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.
12 Before every young woman’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments under the harem regulations prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and another six months with perfumes and cosmetics. 13 When the young woman would go to the king, she was given whatever she requested to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. 14 In the evening she would go there, and in the morning she would return to a second harem under the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return the king again unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name.
15 Esther was the daughter of Abihail. Her uncle, Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter. When her turn came to go in to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the women, suggested. And Ester won the approval of everyone who saw her. 16 So Ester was taken to King Ahasuerus to his royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she won his favour and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 Then the king gave a great banquet for all his officials and servants, Esther’s banquet. He also proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts worthy of the king’s bounty.
19 When the virgins were assembled together for a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. 20 But Esther had still not revealed her family background or her nationality, as Mordecai had told her; for Esther obeyed the instructions of Mordecai, as she had always done when he was bringing her up.
21 During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the king’s entrance, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Ahasuerus. 22 When Mordecai learned of the plot, he reported it to Queen Esther, and Esther informed the king on Mordecai’s behalf. 23 When an investigation was made of the plot and it was found to be true, the two officials were hanged on the gallows. This was recorded in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.