22AND HE SENT OUT DOCUMENTS TO ALL [THE] PROVINCES OF THE KING TO PROVINCE AND PROVINCE ACCORDING TO WRITING ITS AND TO PEOPLE AND PEOPLE ACCORDING TO LANGUAGE ITS TO BE EVERY MAN RULER IN OWN HOUSEHOLD HIS AND SPEAKING ACCORDING TO [THE] LANGUAGE OF PEOPLE HIS 22He sent letters to all the provinces of the kingdom, to each province in its own script and to each people in their own language, proclaiming*NoteCloseLiterally proclaiming in the language of his own people that every man should be master of his own household.
1AFTER THE THINGS <THE> THESE WHEN SUBSIDED [THE] ANGER OF THE KING AHASUERUS HE REMEMBERED <OBJ.> VASHTI AND <OBJ.> [THAT] WHICH SHE HAD DONE AND <OBJ.> [THAT] WHICH IT HAD BEEN DECREED ON HER Seeking Vashti’s Successor 1Some 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.
2AND THEY SAID [THE] YOUNG MEN OF THE KING [WHO WERE] SERVING HIM LET PEOPLE SEEK FOR THE KING YOUNG WOMEN VIRGINS GOOD OF APPEARANCE 2Then the king’s attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king,
3AND LET HIM APPOINT THE KING APPOINTEES IN ALL [THE] PROVINCES OF KINGDOM HIS AND LET THEM GATHER <OBJ.> EVERY GIRL VIRGIN GOOD OF APPEARANCE TO SUSA THE CITADEL TO [THE] HOUSE OF THE WOMEN INTO [THE] HAND OF HEGAI [THE] EUNUCH OF THE KING [THE] KEEPER OF THE WOMEN AND LET HIM GIVE RUBBINGS THEIR 3and 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.
4AND THE YOUNG WOMAN WHO SHE WILL BE GOOD IN [THE] EYES OF THE KING SHE WILL REIGN IN PLACE OF VASHTI AND IT WAS GOOD THE WORD IN [THE] EYES OF THE KING AND HE DID THUS 4Then let the young woman who pleases the king become queen in place of Vashti.” This suggestion pleased the king, and he acted accordingly.
5A MAN JEWISH HE WAS IN SUSA THE CITADEL AND NAME HIS [WAS] MORDECAI [THE] SON OF JAIR [THE] SON OF SHIMEI [THE] SON OF KISH A MAN A JAMINITE Esther Finds Favor 5Now 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.
6WHO HE HAD BEEN TAKEN INTO EXILE FROM JERUSALEM WITH THE EXILE[S] WHICH IT HAD BEEN TAKEN INTO EXILE WITH JECONIAH [THE] KING OF JUDAH WHOM HE HAD TAKEN INTO EXILE NEBUCHADNEZZAR [THE] KING OF BABYLON 6He had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon among those taken captive with Jeconiah*NoteCloseJeconiah is a variant of Jehoiachin; see 2 Kings 24:12. king of Judah.
7AND HE WAS RAISING <OBJ.> HADASSAH THAT [IS] ESTHER [THE] DAUGHTER OF UNCLE HIS FOR NOT [BELONGED] TO <THE> HER A FATHER AND A MOTHER AND THE YOUNG WOMAN [WAS] BEAUTIFUL OF SHAPE AND GOOD OF APPEARANCE AND AT [THE] DEATH OF FATHER HER AND MOTHER HER HE TOOK HER MORDECAI OF HIM TO A DAUGHTER 7And 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.
8AND IT WAS WHEN WERE HEARD [THE] EDICT OF THE KING AND ORDERS HIS AND WHEN WERE GATHERED YOUNG WOMEN MANY TO SUSA THE CITADEL INTO [THE] HAND OF HEGAI AND SHE WAS TAKEN ESTHER TO [THE] HOUSE OF THE KING INTO [THE] HAND OF HEGAI [THE] KEEPER OF THE WOMEN 8When 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.
9AND SHE WAS GOOD THE YOUNG WOMAN IN VIEW HIS AND SHE BORE FAVOR <TO> BEFORE HIM AND HE HASTENED <OBJ.> RUBBINGS HER AND <OBJ.> PORTIONS HER TO GIVE TO <THE> HER AND <OBJ.> [THE] SEVEN THE SERVANT GIRLS <THE> CHOSEN TO GIVE TO <THE> HER FROM [THE] HOUSE OF THE KING AND HE MOVED HER AND <OBJ.> SERVANT GIRLS HER TO [THE] GOOD [PLACE] OF [THE] HOUSE OF THE WOMEN 9And 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.
10NOT SHE HAD TOLD ESTHER <OBJ.> PEOPLE HER AND <OBJ.> KINDRED HER FOR MORDECAI HE HAD COMMANDED TO HER THAT NOT SHE WILL TELL 10Esther did not reveal her people or her lineage, because Mordecai had instructed her not to do so.
11AND ON EVERY DAY AND DAY MORDECAI [WAS] WALKING BACK AND FORTH TO FRONT OF [THE] COURT OF [THE] HOUSE OF THE WOMEN TO KNOW <OBJ.> [THE] WELFARE OF ESTHER AND WHAT? WAS IT DONE WITH <THE> HER 11And 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.
12AND WHEN ARRIVED [THE] TURN OF A YOUNG WOMAN AND A YOUNG WOMAN TO GO TO THE KING AHASUERUS FROM [THE] END TO BE FOR <THE> HER ACCORDING TO [THE] REGULATION OF THE WOMEN TWO [PLUS] TEN MONTH[S] FOR THUS THEY WERE COMPLETED [THE] DAYS OF RUBBINGS THEIR SIX MONTHS WITH [THE] OIL OF <THE> MYRRH AND SIX MONTHS WITH <THE> BALSAM OIL AND WITH [THE] RUBBINGS OF <THE> WOMEN 12In 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.
13AND IN THIS [WAY] THE YOUNG WOMAN [WAS] GOING INTO THE KING <OBJ.> ALL THAT SHE SAID IT WAS GIVEN TO <THE> HER TO GO WITH HER FROM [THE] HOUSE OF THE WOMEN TO [THE] HOUSE OF THE KING 13When 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.
14IN THE EVENING SHE [WAS] GOING AND IN THE MORNING SHE [WAS] RETURNING TO [THE] HOUSE OF THE WOMEN SECOND IN [THE] HAND OF SHAASHGAZ [THE] EUNUCH OF THE KING [THE] KEEPER OF THE CONCUBINES NOT SHE WENT AGAIN INTO THE KING THAT EXCEPT HE DELIGHTED IN <THE> HER THE KING AND SHE WAS SUMMONED BY NAME 14She would go there in the evening, and in the morning she would return to a second harem*NoteCloseOr to another part of the 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.
15AND WHEN ARRIVED [THE] TURN OF ESTHER [THE] DAUGHTER OF ABIHAIL [THE] UNCLE OF MORDECAI WHOM HE HAD TAKEN OF HIM TO A DAUGHTER TO GO TO THE KING NOT SHE REQUESTED ANYTHING THAT EXCEPT <OBJ.> [THAT] WHICH HE SAID HEGAI [THE] EUNUCH OF THE KING [THE] KEEPER OF THE WOMEN AND SHE WAS ESTHER BEARING FAVOR IN [THE] EYES OF ALL [THOSE WHO] SAW HER 15Now 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.
16AND SHE WAS TAKEN ESTHER TO THE KING AHASUERUS INTO [THE] HOUSE OF ROYALTY HIS IN THE MONTH <THE> TENTH THAT [IS] [THE] MONTH OF TEBETH IN YEAR SEVEN OF REIGN HIS 16She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth,*NoteCloseTebeth is the tenth month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of December and January. in the seventh year of his reign.
17AND HE LOVED THE KING <OBJ.> ESTHER MORE THAN ALL THE WOMEN AND SHE BORE FAVOR AND FAVOR <TO> BEFORE HIM MORE THAN ALL THE VIRGINS AND HE PUT A CROWN OF ROYALTY ON HEAD HER AND HE MADE QUEEN HER IN PLACE OF VASHTI Esther Becomes Queen 17And 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.
18AND HE MADE THE KING A FEAST GREAT FOR ALL OFFICIALS HIS AND SERVANTS HIS <OBJ.> [THE] FEAST OF ESTHER AND A HOLIDAY FOR THE PROVINCES HE MADE AND HE GAVE TRIBUTE ACCORDING TO [THE] HAND OF THE KING 18Then 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.
19AND WHEN WERE GATHERED VIRGINS A SECOND [TIME] AND MORDECAI [WAS] SITTING AT [THE] GATE OF THE KING 19When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.*NoteCloseOr Mordecai had become a palace official
20NOT ESTHER [WAS] TELLING KINDRED HER AND <OBJ.> PEOPLE HER JUST AS HE HAD COMMANDED TO HER MORDECAI AND <OBJ.> [THE] COMMAND OF MORDECAI ESTHER [WAS] DOING JUST AS SHE HAD DONE IN GUARDIANSHIP WITH HIM 20Esther 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.
21IN THE DAYS <THE> THOSE AND MORDECAI [WAS] SITTING AT [THE] GATE OF THE KING HE WAS ANGRY BIGTHAN AND TERESH TWO OF [THE] EUNUCHS OF THE KING FROM [THE] GUARDS OF THE THRESHOLD AND THEY SOUGHT TO STRETCH OUT A HAND ON THE KING AHASUERUS Mordecai Uncovers a Conspiracy 21In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan*NoteCloseBigthan is a variant of Bigthana; see Esther 6:2. and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the entrance, grew angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.
22AND IT WAS MADE KNOWN THE MATTER TO MORDECAI AND HE TOLD TO ESTHER THE QUEEN AND SHE SPOKE ESTHER TO THE KING IN [THE] NAME OF MORDECAI 22When Mordecai learned of the plot, he reported it to Queen Esther, and she informed the king on Mordecai’s behalf.
23AND IT WAS SOUGHT THE MATTER AND IT WAS FOUND AND THEY WERE HANGED [THE] TWO OF THEM ON A GALLOWS AND IT WAS WRITTEN IN [THE] BOOK OF [THE] MATTERS OF THE DAYS <TO> BEFORE THE KING 23After 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*NoteCloseOr the Book of the Annals or the Book of the Historical Events in the presence of the king.