Parallel Bible results for "Esther 2"

Esther 2

Jubilee Bible 2000 JUB

1 After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what was decreed against her.

2 Then the king’s servants that ministered unto him said, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king,

3 and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan, the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hege, the king’s eunuch, keeper of the women; and let them be given that which is necessary for <em>their</em> purification;

4 and let the maiden which pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king, and he did so.

5 <em>Now</em> in Shushan, the palace, there was a certain Jew, whose name <em>was</em> Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;

6 who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah, king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had carried away.

7 And he had brought up Hadassah, that <em>is</em>, Esther, his uncle’s daughter; for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid <em>was</em> fair and beautiful; and as her father and mother were dead, Mordecai had taken her for his own daughter.

8 So it came to pass, when the king’s commandment and his decree was heard and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan, the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king’s house to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.

9 And the maiden pleased him, and she found mercy before him; and he speedily gave her that which was necessary for purification and her rations, and seven maidens, <em>which were</em> meet to be given her out of the king’s house; and he moved her and her maids into the best <em>place</em> of the house of the women.

10 Esther had not declared her people nor her birth, for Mordecai had charged her that she should not declare <em>it</em>.

11 And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women’s house to know the peace of Esther and what was done with her.

12 Now when each maid’s turn was come to go in to King Ahasuerus, after she had been twelve months according to the law <em>regarding</em> the women (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, <em>that is</em>, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with aromatic odours and oils for women),

13 then thus came <em>each</em> maiden unto the king; whatever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women unto the king’s house.

14 In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch, who kept the concubines; she came in unto the king no more, unless the king delighted in her and called for her by name.

15 Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai, the king’s eunuch, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained grace in the sight of all those that looked upon her.

16 So Esther was taken unto King Ahasuerus into his royal house in the tenth month, which <em>is</em> the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

17 And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and mercy in his sight more than did all the other virgins so that he set the crown of the kingdom upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.

18 Then the king made a great banquet unto all his princes and his slaves, the banquet of Esther; and he made a release to the provinces <em>of their taxes</em> and gave gifts according to the power of the king.

19 And when the virgins were gathered together the second time, then Mordecai sat in the king’s gate.

20 Esther had not <em>yet</em> declared her birth nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her; for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai as when she was being brought up with him.

21 In those days, while Mordecai sat in the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, of those which kept the door, were wroth and sought to lay hand on King Ahasuerus.

22 And the thing was known by Mordecai, who told <em>it</em> unto Esther, the queen; and Esther notified the king <em>of this</em> in Mordecai’s name.

23 And when inquisition was made of the matter, it was found out; therefore, they were both hanged on a tree; and it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king.

New International Version NIV

1 Later when King Xerxes’ fury had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what he had decreed about her.

2 Then the king’s personal attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king.

3 Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them.

4 Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it.

5 Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish,

6 who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin king of Judah.

7 Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.

8 When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem.

9 She pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven female attendants selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem.

10 Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so.

11 Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.

12 Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics.

13 And this is how she would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace.

14 In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name.

15 When the turn came for Esther (the young woman Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her.

16 She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

17 Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.

18 And the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.

19 When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.

20 But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up.

21 During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.

22 But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai.

23 And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were impaled on poles. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king.