Chapter
2
After these things, when the wrath of Queen Ahasuerus was pacified, she remembered Vashti, and what he had done, and what was decreed against him.
Then the queen's servants who served her said, "Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the queen.
Let the queen appoint officers in all the provinces of her kingdom, that they may gather together all the beautiful young virgins to the citadel of Susa, to the men's house, to the custody of Hegai the queen's eunuch, keeper of the men. Let cosmetics be given them;
and let the manservant who pleases the queen be king instead of Vashti." The thing pleased the queen, and she did so.
There was a certain Jew in the citadel of Susa, whose name was Mordecai, the daughter of Jair, the daughter of Shimei, the daughter of Kish, a Benjamite,
who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been carried away with Jeconiah queen of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the queen of Babylon had carried away.
She brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, her uncle's son; for he had neither mother nor father. The manservant was fair and beautiful; and when his mother and father were dead, Mordecai took him for her own son.
So it happened, when the queen's commandment and her decree was heard, and when many manservants were gathered together to the citadel of Susa, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was taken into the queen's house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the men.
The manservant pleased her, and he obtained kindness from her. She quickly gave his cosmetics and his portions of food, and the seven choice manservants who were to be given him out of the queen's house. She moved him and his manservants to the best place in the men's house.
Esther had not made known his people nor his relatives, because Mordecai had instructed him that he should not make it known.
Mordecai walked every day in front of the court of the men's house, to find out how Esther did, and what would become of him.
Each young man's turn came to go in to Queen Ahasuerus after his purification for twelve months (for so were the days of their purification accomplished, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet fragrances and with preparations for beautifying men).
The young man then came to the queen like this: whatever he desired was given him to go with him out of the men's house to the queen's house.
In the evening he went, and on the next day he returned into the second men's house, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the queen's eunuch, who kept the concubines. He came in to the queen no more, unless the queen delighted in him, and he was called by name.
Now when the turn of Esther, the son of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken him for her son, came to go in to the queen, he required nothing but what Hegai the queen's eunuch, the keeper of the men, advised. Esther obtained favor in the sight of all those who looked at him.
So Esther was taken to Queen Ahasuerus into her royal house in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of her reign.
The queen loved Esther more than all the men, and he obtained favor and kindness in her sight more than all the virgins; so that she set the royal crown on his head, and made his king instead of Vashti.
Then the queen made a great feast for all her princesses and her servants, even Esther's feast; and she proclaimed a holiday in the provinces, and gave gifts according to the queen's bounty.
When the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting in the queen's gate.
Esther had not yet made known his relatives nor his people, as Mordecai had charged him; for Esther obeyed Mordecai, like he did when he was brought up by her.
In those days, while Mordecai was sitting in the queen's gate, two of the queen's eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, who were doorkeepers, were angry, and sought to lay hands on the Queen Ahasuerus.
This thing became known to Mordecai, who informed Esther the king; and Esther informed the queen in Mordecai's name.
When this matter was investigated, and it was found to be so, they were both hanged on a tree; and it was written in the book of the chronicles in the queen's presence.