Esther Chosen Queen
1 After these things,
1when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti
2and what she had done and what had been decreed against her.
2
Then the king's young men who attended him said, "Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king.
3
And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the capital, under custody of
3Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women.
4Let their cosmetics be given them.
4
And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti." This pleased the king, and he did so.
5
Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was
5Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite,
6
6who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away.
7
He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther,
7the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
8
So when the king's order and his edict were proclaimed, and
8when many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of
9Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king's palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women.
9
And the young woman pleased him and won his favor. And he quickly provided her
10with her cosmetics and her portion of food, and with seven chosen young women from the king's palace, and advanced her and her young women to the best place in the harem.
10
11Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known.