1
After these things when the
anger of
King Ahasuerus had
subsided, he
remembered Vashti and
what she had
done and
what had been
decreed against her.
vw{rew.v;x]a .$,l,M;h t;m]x .${v.K h,Lea'h ~yir'b.D;h r;x;a ? tea.w h't'f'[ -r,v]a tea.w yiT.v;w -t,a r;k'z ? 'hy,l'[ r;z.gin -r,v]a
2
Then the
king's attendants, who
served him,
said, "Let
beautiful young virgins be
sought for the
king.
.Wv.q;b.y wy't.r'v.m .$,l,M;h -yer][;n .Wr.ma{Y;w ? h,a.r;m tw{bw{j tw{l.Wt.B tw{r'[.n .$,l,M;l
3
"Let the
king appoint overseers in
all 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
Hegai, the
king's eunuch, who is in
charge of the
women; and let their
cosmetics be
given them.
w{t.Wk.l;m tw{nyid.m -l'k.B ~yidyiq.P .$,l,M;h deq.p;y.w ? t;bw{j h'l.Wt.b -h'r][;n -l'K -t,a .Wc.B.qIy.w ? ~yiv'N;h tyeB -l,a h'ryiB;h !;v.Wv -l,a h,a.r;m ? ~yiv'N;h rem{v .$,l,M;h syir.s a,geh d;y -l,a ? !,hyeq.Wr.m;T !w{t'n.w
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.
.${l.miT .$,l,M;h yenye[.B b;jyiT r,v]a h'r][;N;h.w ? .$,l,M;h yenye[.B r'b'D;h b;jyiY;w yiT.v;w t;x;T ? !eK f;[;Y;w
5
Now there was at the
citadel in
Susa a
Jew whose
name was
Mordecai, the
son of
Jair, the
son of
Shimei, the
son of
Kish, a
Benjamite *,
w{m.v.W h'ryiB;h !;v.Wv.B h'y'h yid.Wh.y vyia ? vyiq -n,B yi[.miv -n,B ryia'y !,B y;k\D.r'm ? yinyim.y vyia
6
who had been
taken into
exile from
Jerusalem with the
captives who had been
exiled with
Jeconiah king of
Judah,
whom Nebuchadnezzar the
king of
Babylon had
exiled.
r,v]a h'l{G;h -mi[ ~Iy;l'v.Wryim h'l.g'h r,v]a ? h'l.g,h r,v]a h'd.Wh.y -.k,l,m h'y.n'k.y ~i[ h't.l.g'h ? l,b'B .$,l,m r;Ca,n.d;k.Wb.n
7
He was
bringing up
Hadassah, that is
Esther, 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.
w{d{D -t;B reT.s,a ayih h'S;d]h -t,a !em{a yih.y;w ? r;a{T -t;p.y h'r][;N;h.w ~ea'w b'a H'l !yea yiK ? H'x'q.l H'Mia.w 'hyib'a tw{m.b.W h,a.r;m t;bw{j.w ? t;b.l w{l y;k\D.r'm
8
So it
came about when the
command and
decree of the
king were
heard and
many young ladies were
gathered to the
citadel of
Susa into the
custody of
Hegai, that
Esther was
taken to the
king's palace into the
custody of
Hegai, who was in
charge of the
women.
#eb'Qih.b.W w{t'd.w .$,l,M;h -r;b.D [;m'Vih.B yih.y;w ? d;y -l,a h'ryiB;h !;v.Wv -l,a tw{B;r tw{r'[.n ? d;y -l,a .$,l,M;h tyeB -l,a reT.s,a x;q'LiT;w y'geh ? ~yiv'N;h rem{v y;geh
9
Now the
young lady pleased * him and
found favor with him. So he
quickly provided her with her
cosmetics 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 *.
wy'n'p.l d,s,x a'FiT;w wy'nye[.b h'r][;N;h b;jyiT;w ? tet'l 'h,tw{n'm -t,a.w 'hy,q.Wr.m;T -t,a leh;b.y;w ? H'l -t,t'l tw{yUa.r'h tw{r'[.N;h [;b,v tea.w H'l ? bw{j.l 'hy,tw{r][;n -t,a.w 'h,N;v.y;w .$,l,M;h tyeBim ? ~yiv'N;h tyeB
10
Esther did not
make known her
people or her
kindred, for
Mordecai had
instructed her that she should not
make them
known.
H'T.d;lw{m -t,a.w H'M;[ -t,a reT.s,a h'dyiGih -a{l ? dyiG;t -a{l r,v]a 'hy,l'[ h\Wic y;k\D.r'm yiK
11
Every day Mordecai walked back and forth in
front of the
court of the
harem * to
learn how Esther was and
how she
fared.
yen.pil .$eL;h.tim y;k\D.r'm ~w{y'w ~w{y -l'k.b.W ? reT.s,a ~w{l.v -t,a t;[;d'l ~yiv'N;h -tyeB r;c]x ? H'B h,f'[eY -h;m.W
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 -
.$,l,M;h -l,a(for aw{b'l h'r][;n.w h'r][;n r{T ;[yiG;h.b.W ? ~yen.v ~yiv'N;h t'd.K H'l tw{y/h #eQim vw{rew.v;x]a ? !,hyeq.Wr.m yem.y .Wa.l.mIy !eK yiK v,d{x r'f'[ ? ~yim'f.B;B ~yiv'd\x h'Viv.w r{M;h !,m,v.B ~yiv'd\x h'Viv ? ~yiv'N;h yeq.Wr.m;t.b.W
13
the
young lady would
go in to the
king in
this way:
anything that she
desired was
given her to
take with her from the
harem * to the
king's palace.
r,v]a -l'K tea .$,l,M;h -l,a h'a'B h'r][;N;h h,z'b.W ? ~yiv'N;h tyeBim H'Mi[ aw{b'l H'l !et'NIy r;ma{T ? .$,l,M;h tyeB -d;[
14
In the
evening she would
go in and in the
morning she would
return to the
second harem *, to the
custody of
Shaashgaz, the
king's eunuch who was in
charge of the
concubines. She would not
again go in to the
king unless * the
king delighted in her and she was
summoned by
name.
tyeB -l,a h'b'v ayih r,q{B;b.W h'a'b ayih b,r,['B ? .$,l,M;h syir.s z;g.v][;v d;y -l,a yinev ~yiv'N;h ? .$,l,M;h -l,a dw{[ aw{b't -a{l ~yiv.g;lyiP;h rem{v ? ~ev.b h'a.r.qin.w .$,l,M;h H'B #ep'x -mia yiK
15
Now when the
turn of
Esther, the
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 Hegai, the
king's eunuch who was in
charge of the
women,
advised. And
Esther found favor in the
eyes of
all who
saw her.
y;k\D.r'm d{D lIy;xyib]a -t;B reT.s,a -r{T ;[yiG;h.b.W ? a{l .$,l,M;h -l,a aw{b'l t;b.l w{l -x;q'l r,v]a ? y;geh r;ma{y r,v]a -t,a ~ia yiK r'b'D h'v.qib ? reT.s,a yih.T;w ~yiv'N;h rem{v .$,l,M;h -syir.s ? 'hy,a{r -l'K yenye[.B !ex taef{n
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.
tyeB -l,a vw{rew.v;x]a .$,l,M;h -l,a reT.s,a x;q'LiT;w ? tebej v,d{x -a.Wh yiryif]['h v,d{x;B w{t.Wk.l;m ? w{t.Wk.l;m.l [;b,v -t;n.viB
17
The
king loved Esther more than all the
women, and she
found favor and
kindness with him
more than all the
virgins, so that he
set the
royal crown on her
head and
made her
queen instead of
Vashti.
~yiv'N;h -l'Kim reT.s,a -t,a .$,l,M;h b;h/a,Y;w ? t{l.Wt.B;h -l'Kim wy'n'p.l d,s,x'w !ex -a'FiT;w ? t;x;T 'h,kyil.m;Y;w H'va{r.B t.Wk.l;m -r,t,K ~,f'Y;w ? yiT.v;w
18
Then the
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 according to the
king's bounty.
wy'd'b][;w wy'r'f -l'k.l lw{d'g h,T.vim .$,l,M;h f;[;Y;w ? h'f'[ tw{nyid.M;l h'x'n]h;w reT.s,a heT.vim tea ? .$,l,M;h d;y.K tea.f;m !eTiY;w
19
When the
virgins were
gathered together the
second time, then
Mordecai was
sitting at the
king's gate.
.$,l,M;h -r;[;v.B bev{y y;k\D.r'm.W tyinev tw{l.Wt.B #eb'Qih.b.W
20
Esther had not yet made
known her
kindred or her
people,
even as
Mordecai had
commanded her; for
Esther did what Mordecai told her as she had
done when under his
care.
r,v]a;K H'M;[ -t,a.w H'T.d;lw{m t,d,G;m reT.s,a !yea ? y;k\D.r'm r;m]a;m -t,a.w y'k\D.r'm 'hy,l'[ h\Wic ? w{Tia h'n.m'a.b h't.y'h r,v]a;K h'f{[ reT.s,a
21
In
those days, while
Mordecai was
sitting at the
king's gate,
Bigthan and
Teresh,
two of the
king's officials from those who
guarded the
door,
became angry and
sought to
lay hands on
King Ahasuerus.
.$,l,M;h -r;[;v.B bev{y y;k\D.r'm.W ~eh'h ~yim'Y;B ? yer.m{Vim .$,l,M;h yesyir's -yen.v v,r,t'w !'t.giB @;c'q ? v{rew.v;x]a .$,l,M;B d'y ;x{l.vil .Wv.q;b.y;w @;S;h
22
But the
plot became
known to
Mordecai and he
told Queen Esther, and
Esther informed the
king in
Mordecai's name.
h'K.l;M;h reT.s,a.l deG;Y;w y;k\D.r'm.l r'b'D;h [;d\WiY;w ? y'k\D.r'm ~ev.B .$,l,M;l reT.s,a r,ma{T;w
23
Now when the
plot was
investigated and
found to be so, they were
both hanged on a
gallows; and it was
written in the
Book of the
Chronicles * in the
king's presence.
#e[ -l;[ ~,hyen.v .Wl'TiY;w aec'MiY;w r'b'D;h v;QUb.y;w ? .$,l,M;h yen.pil ~yim'Y;h yer.biD r,pes.B bet'KiY;w