Esther 2:12-22

12 Now when the turn of each young lady came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the end of her twelve * months under the regulations for the women -for the days of their beautification were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and the cosmetics for women -

13 the young lady would go in to the king in this way: anything that she desired was given her to take with her from the harem * to the king's palace.

14 In the evening she would go in and in the morning she would return to the second harem *, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not again go in to the king unless * the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.

15 Now when the turn of Esther, ¹the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his daughter, came to go in to the king, she did not request anything except * what ²Hegai, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the women, advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her.

16 So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus to his royal palace in the tenth month which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

Esther Becomes Queen

17 The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him more than all the virgins, so that ³he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.

18 Then ⁴the king gave a great banquet, Esther's banquet, for all his princes and his servants; he also made a holiday for the provinces and gave gifts ⁵according to the king's bounty.

19 ⁶When the virgins were gathered together the second time, then Mordecai ⁷was sitting at the king's gate.

20 ⁸Esther had not yet made known her kindred or her people, even as Mordecai had commanded her; for Esther did what Mordecai told her as she had done ⁹when under his care.

Mordecai Saves the King

21 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, ¹⁰Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's officials from those who guarded the door, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.

22 But the plot became known to Mordecai and ¹¹he told Queen Esther, and Esther informed the king in Mordecai's name.

Esther 2:12-22 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ESTHER 2

By the advice of the ministers of King Ahasuerus, fair virgins were sought for throughout his dominions, and brought to his chamberlain, the keeper of the women, among whom was Esther, a Jewish virgin, Es 2:1-8, who found favour with the chamberlain, and afterwards with the king, who made her queen instead of Vashti, and a feast on that account, Es 2:9-18. Mordecai, to whom Esther was related, and according to whose advice she acted, sitting in the king's gate, discovered a conspiracy against the king, which he now made known to Esther, Es 2:19-23.

Cross References

• 1. Esther 2:7; Esther 9:29
• 2. Esther 2:3, 8
• 3. Esther 1:11
• 4. Esther 1:3
• 5. Esther 1:7
• 6. Esther 2:3, 4
• 7. Esther 2:21; Esther 3:2
• 8. Esther 2:10
• 9. Esther 2:7
• 10. Esther 6:2
• 11. Esther 6:1, 2

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "said"
• [b]. Lit "hand"
• [c]. Lit "said"
• [d]. Lit "the word of Mordecai"
• [e]. Lit "send a hand against"
• [f]. Lit "matter," so also v 23
• [g]. Lit "told"