Esther 2:1-18

Vashti's Successor Sought

1 After these things ¹when the anger of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and ²what had been decreed against her.

2 Then the king's attendants, who served him, said, "³Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king.

3 "Let the king appoint overseers in ⁴all the provinces of his kingdom that they may gather every beautiful young virgin to the citadel of Susa, to the harem *, into the custody of ⁵Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and ⁶let their cosmetics be given them.

4 "Then let the young lady who pleases * the king be queen in place of Vashti." And the matter pleased * the king, and he did accordingly.

5 Now there was at the citadel in Susa a Jew whose name was ⁷Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite *,

6 ⁸who had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the captives who had been exiled with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had exiled.

7 He was bringing up Hadassah, that is ⁹Esther, his uncle's daughter, for she had no father or mother. Now the young lady was beautiful of form and face, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

Esther Finds Favor

8 So it came about when the command and decree of the king were heard and ¹⁰many young ladies were gathered to the citadel of Susa into the custody of ¹¹Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king's palace into the custody of Hegai, who was in charge of the women.

9 Now the young lady pleased * him and found favor with him. So he quickly provided her with her ¹²cosmetics and food, gave her seven choice maids from the king's palace and transferred her and her maids to the best place in the harem *.

10 ¹³Esther did not make known her people or her kindred, for Mordecai had instructed her that she should not make them known.

11 Every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the court of the harem * to learn how Esther was and how she fared.

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, ¹⁴the 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 ¹⁵Hegai, 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 ¹⁶he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.

18 Then ¹⁷the 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 ¹⁸according to the king's bounty.

Esther 2:1-18 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 7:10
• 2. Esther 1:19, 20
• 3. 1 Kings 1:2
• 4. Esther 1:1, 2
• 5. Esther 2:8, 15
• 6. Esther 2:9, 12
• 7. Esther 3:2
• 8. 2 Kings 24:14, 15; 2 Chronicles 36:10
• 9. Esther 2:15
• 10. Esther 2:3
• 11. Esther 2:3, 15
• 12. Esther 2:3, 12
• 13. Esther 2:20
• 14. Esther 2:7; Esther 9:29
• 15. Esther 2:3, 8
• 16. Esther 1:11
• 17. Esther 1:3
• 18. Esther 1:7

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "good of appearance"
• [b]. Lit "house"
• [c]. Lit "portions"
• [d]. Lit "said"
• [e]. Lit "hand"
• [f]. Lit "said"