1After these things, when the fury of king Ahasuerus was assuaged, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what was decreed against her.
2And the king's young men, his ministers, said: "Let them seek for the king young women, virgins, good of appearance;
3and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they gather every young woman, a virgin, good of appearance, to Susa the citadel, to the house of the women (ishah), to the hand of Hegai the king's eunuch, keeper of the women (ishah); and let their ointments be given;
4and the young woman who is good in the eyes of the king, let her reign instead of Vashti." And the word was good in the eyes of the king, and he did so.
5There was a man (ish), a Jew, in Susa the citadel, and his name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite man,
6who had been exiled from Jerusalem with the exiles who were exiled with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had exiled.
7And he was bringing up Hadassah — she is Esther — the daughter of his uncle; for she had neither father nor mother; and the young woman was beautiful of form and good of appearance; and at the death of her father and her mother, Mordecai took her to himself for a daughter.
8And it came to pass, when the king's word and his decree (dat) was heard, and when many young women were gathered to Susa the citadel, to the hand of Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king's house, to the hand of Hegai, keeper of the women (ishah).
9And the young woman was good in his eyes, and she lifted up kindness before him; and he hastened her ointments and her portions, to give to her, and the seven young women who were fit to be given to her from the king's house; and he advanced her and her young women to the good of the house of the women (ishah).
10Esther had not told her people and her kindred; for Mordecai had commanded (tzivvah) upon her that she should not tell.
11And on every day Mordecai was walking before the court of the house of the women (ishah), to know the welfare of Esther, and what would be done with her.
12And when the turn of every young woman came to go in to the king Ahasuerus, after there had been to her, according to the decree (dat) of the women (ishah), twelve months — for so were fulfilled the days of their anointing: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with spices and with the ointments of the women (ishah) —
13and in this the young woman came to the king: all that she said was given to her, to go with her from the house of the women (ishah) to the king's house.
14In the evening she came, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women (ishah), to the hand of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch, keeper of the concubines; she came no more to the king, except the king delighted in her and she were called by name.
15And when the turn of Esther — the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her to himself for a daughter — came to go in to the king, she did not seek a thing except what Hegai the king's eunuch, keeper of the women (ishah), said. And Esther was lifting up favor in the eyes of all who saw her.
16And Esther was taken to the king Ahasuerus, to his royal house, in the tenth month — it is the month Tebeth — in the seventh year of his reign.
17And the king loved Esther above all the women (ishah), and she lifted up grace and kindness before him above all the virgins; and he set the royal crown on her head and made her reign instead of Vashti.
18And the king made a great feast for all his princes and his servants — the feast of Esther — and a release to the provinces he made, and he gave gifts according to the hand of the king.
19And when virgins were gathered a second time, and Mordecai sitting in the king's gate —
20Esther had not told her kindred and her people, as Mordecai had commanded (tzivvah) upon her; and the word of Mordecai Esther did, as when she was being brought up with him.
21In those days, while Mordecai was sitting in the king's gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, of the keepers of the threshold, were wroth, and sought to lay a hand on the king Ahasuerus.
22And the thing became known to Mordecai, and he told it to Esther the queen, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai.
23And the thing was sought out and was found, and the two of them were hanged on a tree; and it was written in the book of the words of the days before the king.