Seeking Vashti’s Successor 1 ULT After these things, when the rage of the king Ahasuerus subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done, and what had been decided concerning her. BSB BSB: Some time later, when the anger of King Xerxes had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done, and what had been decreed against her.
2 ULT And the young men of the king who served him said,“Let them seek for the king young women who are virgins and pleasing of appearance. BSB BSB: Then the king’s attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king,
3 ULT And let the king appoint administrators in all the provinces of his kingdom. Then let them gather every young woman who is a virgin and pleasing of appearance to Susa the citadel, to the house of women into the hand of Hegai(the eunuch of the king who is overseer of the women). Then give their ointments. BSB BSB: and let the king appoint commissioners in each province of his kingdom to assemble all the beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the women, and let them be given beauty treatments.
4 ULT And let the young woman who is pleasing in the eyes of the king become queen instead of Vashti.” And the word was pleasing in the eyes of the king, so he did thus. BSB BSB: Then let the young woman who pleases the king become queen in place of Vashti.” This suggestion pleased the king, and he acted accordingly.
Esther Finds Favor 5 ULT A man, a Jew, was in Susa the citadel, and his name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish(a man, a Benjamite, BSB BSB: Now there was at the citadel of Susa a Jewish man from the tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish.
6 ULT who had been exiled from Jerusalem with the exiles who had been exiled along with Jeconiah, the king of Judah, who Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had exiled). BSB BSB: He had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon among those taken captive with Jeconiah king of Judah.
7 ULT And he was fostering Hadassah(she is Esther), the daughter of his uncle, because there was not for her a father or a mother. Now the young woman was beautiful of form and pleasing of appearance. And at the death of her father and her mother, Mordecai had taken her for him as a daughter. BSB BSB: And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah (that is, Esther), the daughter of his uncle, because she did not have a father or mother. The young woman was lovely in form and appearance, and when her father and mother had died, Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter.
8 ULT And it happened that, when the decree of the king and his law were heard, and when many young women were gathered to Susa the citadel into the hand of Hegai, Esther was taken to the palace of the king, into the hand of Hegai(who was overseer of the women). BSB BSB: When the king’s command and edict had been proclaimed, many young women gathered at the citadel of Susa under the care of Hegai. Esther was also taken to the palace and placed under the care of Hegai, the custodian of the women.
9 ULT And the young woman was pleasing in his eyes, and she lifted kindness before his face. And he quickly gave her ointments, gave her portions of food, and gave her seven young women chosen from the house of the king. And he transferred her and her young women to the best of the house of women. BSB BSB: And the young woman pleased him and obtained his favor, so he quickly provided her with beauty treatments and the special diet. He assigned to her seven select maidservants from the palace and transferred her with them to the best place in the harem.
10 ULT Esther had not declared her people or her ancestry, for Mordecai had laid a charge upon her that she should not tell it. BSB BSB: Esther did not reveal her people or her lineage, because Mordecai had instructed her not to do so.
11 ULT And always, day by day, Mordecai was walking about before the face of the courtyard of the house of women in order to know the peace of Esther and what was being done with her. BSB BSB: And every day Mordecai would walk back and forth in front of the court of the harem to learn about Esther’s welfare and what was happening to her.
12 ULT Now when the turn came for young woman by young woman to go to the king Ahasuerus, it was after her 12 months, according to the law of women. For thus the days of their beautification would be fulfilled: six months by oil of myrrh, then six months by perfumes and by the ointments of women. BSB BSB: In the twelve months before her turn to go to King Xerxes, the harem regulation required each young woman to receive beauty treatments with oil of myrrh for six months, and then with perfumes and cosmetics for another six months.
13 ULT Then at this, the young woman would go to the king. Anything that she said would be given to her, to go with her from the house of women to the house of the king. BSB BSB: 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 ULT In the evening she would go, and in the morning she would return to the second house of women, into the hand of Shaashgaz(the eunuch of the king who was overseer of the concubines). She would not go to the king again unless the king had delighted in her and she was called by name. BSB BSB: She would go there in the evening, and in the morning she would return to a second harem under the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he delighted in her and summoned her by name.
15 ULT Now when the turn of Esther(the daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for him as a daughter) came to go to the king, she did not seek anything except what Hegai(the eunuch of the king who was overseer of the women) said. And Esther was a lifter of favor in the eyes of everyone who saw her. BSB BSB: Now Esther was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle from whom Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter. And when it was her turn to go to the king, she did not ask for anything except what Hegai, the king’s trusted official in charge of the harem, had advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of everyone who saw her.
16 ULT And Esther was taken to the king Ahasuerus, to the palace of his royalty, in the tenth month(which is the month of Tebeth), in year seven of his reign. BSB BSB: She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
Esther Becomes Queen 17 ULT And the king loved Esther more than all the women and she lifted favor and kindness before his face more than all the virgins. And he set a crown of royalty on her head, and he made her queen instead of Vashti. BSB BSB: And the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she found grace and favor in his sight more than all of the other virgins. So he placed the royal crown upon her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.
18 ULT And the king made a great feast for all his officials and his servants, the feast of Esther. And he made a holiday for the provinces, and he gave gifts according to the hand of the king. BSB BSB: Then the king held a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his officials and servants. He proclaimed a tax holiday in the provinces and gave gifts worthy of the king’s bounty.
19 ULT Now when virgins were being gathered a second time, Mordecai was then sitting at the gate of the king. BSB BSB: When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.
20 ULT Esther had not yet declared her ancestry(that is, her people), according to the charge that Mordecai had laid upon her. And Esther continued to do the command of Mordecai according to how she was with him in her fostering. BSB BSB: Esther still had not revealed her lineage or her people, just as Mordecai had instructed. She obeyed Mordecai’s command, as she had done under his care.
Mordecai Uncovers a Conspiracy 21 ULT In those days, when Mordecai was sitting at the gate of the king, Bigthan and Teresh(two eunuchs of the king who were guardians of the doorway) became angry; and they sought to stretch out a hand against the king Ahasuerus. BSB BSB: In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the entrance, grew angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.
22 ULT And the matter was made known to Mordecai, and he declared it to Esther the queen. And Esther spoke to the king in the name of Mordecai. BSB BSB: When Mordecai learned of the plot, he reported it to Queen Esther, and she informed the king on Mordecai’s behalf.
23 ULT And the matter was sought out and was found out, and the two of them were hanged on a pole. And it was written in the book of the events of days before the face of the king. BSB BSB: After the report had been investigated and verified, both officials were hanged on the gallows. And all this was recorded in the Book of the Chronicles in the presence of the king.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.