1 WYC Therfor whanne these thingis weren doon, aftir that the indignacioun of kyng Assuerus was coold, he bithouyte of Vasthi, and what thingis sche hadde do, ethir what thingis sche suffride. 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 WYC And the children and the mynystris of the kyng seiden to `the kyng, Damyselis, virgyns `and faire, be souyt to the kyng; and `men ben sent, BSB BSB: Then the king’s attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king,
3 WYC that schulen biholde bi alle prouinces damesels faire and virgyns; and brynge thei hem to the citee Susa, and bitake thei in to the hows of wymmen, vndur the hond of Egei, the onest seruaunt and chast, which is the souereyn and kepere of the kyngis wymmen; and take the damesels ournement of wymmen, and other thingis nedeful to vsis. 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 WYC And which euer damesele among alle plesith the iyen of the kyng, regne sche for Vasti. The word pleside the kyng; and he comaundide to be don so, as thei counceliden. 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.
5 WYC Forsothe a man, a Jew, was in the citee Susa, Mardoche bi name, the sone of Jair, sone of Semei, sone of Cys, of the generacioun of Gemyny; 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 WYC that was translatid fro Jerusalem in that tyme, wherynne Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babiloyne, hadde translatid Jechonye, kyng of Juda; 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 WYC which Mardoche was the nurschere of Edissa, the douyter of his brothir, which douytir was clepid Hester bi anothir name, and sche hadde lost bothe fadir and modir; sche was ful fair, and semeli of face; and whanne hir fadir and modir weren deed, Mardoche `purchaside hir in to a douytir to hymsilf. 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 WYC And whanne the comaundement of the kyng was ofte pupplischid, and bi his comaundement many faire virgyns weren brouyt to Susa, and weren bitakun to Egey, the onest seruaunt and chast, also Hester among othere damesels was bytakun to hym, that sche schulde be kept in the noumbre of wymmen. 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 WYC And sche pleside hym, and foond grace in his siyt, that he hastide the ournement of wymmen, and bitook to hir her partis, and seuene the faireste damesels of the kyngis hows; and he ournede and araiede bothe hir and damesels suynge hir feet. 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 WYC And `sche nolde schewe to hym hir puple and hir cuntrei; for Mardoche hadde comaundid to hir, that in al maner sche schulde be stille of this thing. BSB BSB: Esther did not reveal her people or her lineage, because Mordecai had instructed her not to do so.
11 WYC And he walkide ech dai bifor the porche of the dore, in which the chosun virgyns weren kept, and he dide the cure of the helthe of Hester, and wolde wite, what bifelde to hyr. 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 WYC And whanne the tyme of alle damesels bi ordre was comun, that thei schulden entre to the kyng, whanne alle thingis weren fillid that perteyneden to wymmens atire, the tweluethe monethe was turned; so oneli that thei weren anoyntid with oile of `myrte tre bi sixe monethis, and bi othere sixe monethis `thei vsiden summe pymentis and swete-smellynge oynementis. 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 WYC And thei entriden to the kyng, and what euer thing perteynynge to ournement thei axiden, thei token; and thei weren araied as it pleside hem, and passiden fro the chaumbre of wymmen to the kyngis bed. 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 WYC And sche that hadde entrid in the euentid, yede out in the morwetid; and fro thennus thei weren led forth in to the secounde housis, that weren vndur the hond of Sagazi, onest seruaunt and chast, that was gouernour of the kyngis concubyns; and sche hadde not power to go ayen more to the kyng, no but the kyng wolde, `and had comaundid hir to come bi 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 WYC Sotheli whanne the tyme was turned aboute bi ordre, the dai neiyede, wherynne Hester, the douyter of Abiahel, brother of Mardoche, `whom he hadde purchasid in to a douyter to hym silf, ouyte entre to the kyng; and sche axide not wymmenus ournement, but what euer thingis Egei, the onest seruaunt and chast, kepere of virgyns, wolde, he yaf these thingis to hir to ournement; for sche was ful schapli, and of fairnesse that may not liytli be bileuyd, and sche semyde graciouse and amyable to the iyen of alle men. 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 WYC Therfor sche was lad to the bed of kyng Assuerus, in the tenthe monethe, which is clepid Cebeth, in the seuenthe yeer of his rewme. 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.
17 WYC And the kyng feruentli louyde hir more than alle wymmen, and sche hadde grace and mercy bifor hym ouer alle wymmen; and he settide the diademe of rewme `on hir heed, and he made hir to regne in the stide of Vasthi. 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 WYC And he comaundide a ful worschipful feeste to be maad redi to alle hise princes and seruauntis, for the ioynyng togidere and the weddyngis of Hester; and he yaf rest to alle prouynces, and yaf yiftis aftir the worschipful doyng of a prynce. 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 WYC And whanne virgyns weren souyt also the secounde tyme, and weren gaderid togidere, Mardochee dwellide at the yate of the kyng. BSB BSB: When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.
20 WYC Hester hadde not yit schewid hir cuntrei and puple, bi comaundement of hym; for whi what euer thing he comaundide, Hester kepte, and sche dide so alle thingis, as sche was wont in that tyme, in which he nurschide hir a litil child. 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.
21 WYC Therfor in that tyme, wherynne Mardochee dwellide at the `yate of the king, Bagathan and Thares, twei seruauntis of the kyng, weren wrothe, `that weren porteris, and saten in the first threisfold of the paleis; and thei wolden rise ayens the kyng, and sle hym. 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 WYC Which thing was not hid fro Mardochee, and anoon he telde to the queen Hester, and sche to the kyng, bi the name of Mardochee, that hadde teld the thing to hir. BSB BSB: When Mordecai learned of the plot, he reported it to Queen Esther, and she informed the king on Mordecai’s behalf.
23 WYC It was souyt, and it was foundun, and ech of hem was hangid in a iebat; and `it was sent to storyes, and was bitakun to bookis of yeeris, `bifor the kyng. 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.