The Latin Vulgate VUL
English Standard Version ESV
1 His ita gestis, postquam regis Assueri indignatio deferbuerat, recordatus Vasthi, et quae fecisset, vel quae passa esset:
1 After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her.
2 dixeruntque pueri regis, ac ministri eius: Quaerantur regi puellae virgines ac speciosae,
2 Then the king’s young men who attended him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king.
3 et mittantur qui considerent per universas provincias puellas speciosas et virgines: et adducant eas ad civitatem Susan, et tradant eas in domum feminarum sub manu Egei eunuchi, qui praepositus et custos mulierum regiarum: et accipiant mundum muliebrem, et cetera ad usus necessaria.
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 citadel, under custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women. Let their cosmetics be given them.
4 Et quaecumque inter omnes oculis regis placuerit, ipsa regnet pro Vasthi. Placuit sermo regi: et ita, ut suggesserant, iussit fieri.
4 And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti. ” This pleased the king, and he did so.
5 Erat vir Iudaeus in Susan civitate, vocabulo Mardochaeus filius Iair, filii Semei, filii Cis, de stirpe Iemini,
5 Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite,
6 qui translatus fuerat de Ierusalem eo tempore, quo Iechoniam regem Iuda Nabuchodonosor rex Babylonis transtulerat,
6 who 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 qui fuit nutritius filiae fratris sui Edissae, quae altero nomine vocabatur Esther: et utrumque parentem amiserat: pulchra nimis, et decora facie. Mortuisque patre eius ac matre, Mardochaeus sibi eam adoptavit in filiam.
7 He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the 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 Cumque percrebruisset regis imperium, et iuxta mandatum illius multae pulchrae virgines adducerentur Susan, et Egeo traderentur Eunucho; Esther quoque inter ceteras puellas ei tradita est, ut servaretur in numero feminarum.
8 So when the king’s order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king’s palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women.
9 Quae placuit ei, et invenit gratiam in conspectu illius. Et praecepit eunucho, ut acceleraret mundum muliebrem, et traderet ei partes suas, et septem puellas speciosissimas de domo regis, et tam ipsam, quam pedissequas eius ornaret atque excoleret.
9 And the young woman pleased him and won his favor. And he quickly provided her with 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 Quae noluit indicare ei populum et patriam suam: Mardochaeus enim praeceperat ei, ut de hac re omnino reticeret:
10 Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known.
11 qui deambulabat quotidie ante vestibulum domus, in qua electae virgines servabantur, curam agens salutis Esther, et scire volens quid ei accideret.
11 And every day Mordecai walked in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her.
12 Cum autem venisset tempus singularum per ordinem puellarum, ut intrarent ad regem, expletis omnibus, quae ad cultum muliebrem pertinebant, mensis duodecimus vertebatur: ita dumtaxat, ut sex mensibus oleo ungerentur myrrhino, et aliis sex quibusdam pigmentis et aromatibus uterentur.
12 Now when the turn came for each young woman to go in to King Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments for women—
13 Ingredientesque ad regem, quidquid postulassent ad ornatum pertinens, accipiebant: et ut eis placuerat, compositae de triclinio feminarum ad regis cubiculum transibant.
13 when the young woman went in to the king in this way, she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace.
14 Et quae intraverat vespere, egrediebatur mane, atque inde in secundas aedes deducebatur, quae sub manu Susagazi eunuchi erant, qui concubinis regis praesidebat: nec habebat potestatem ad regem ultra redeundi, nisi voluisset rex, et eam venire iussisset ex nomine.
14 In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second harem in custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch, who was in charge of the concubines. She would not go in to the king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.
15 Evoluto autem tempore per ordinem, instabat dies, quo Esther filia Abihail fratris Mardochaei, quam sibi adoptaverat in filiam, deberet intrare ad regem. Quae non quaesivit muliebrem cultum, sed quaecumque voluit Egeus eunuchus custos virginum, haec ei ad ornatum dedit. Erat enim formosa valde, et incredibili pulchritudine, omnium oculis gratiosa et amabilis videbatur.
15 When the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king’s eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her.
16 Ducta itaque ad cubiculum regis Assueri mense decimo, qui vocatur Tebeth, septimo anno regni eius.
16 And when Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign,
17 Et adamavit eam rex plus quam omnes mulieres, habuitque gratiam et misericordiam coram eo super omnes mulieres, et posuit diadema regni in capite eius, fecitque eam regnare in loco Vasthi.
17 the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
18 Et iussit convivium praeparari permagnificum cunctis principibus, et servis suis pro coniunctione, et nuptiis Esther. Et dedit requiem universis provinciis, ac dona largitus iuxta magnificentiam principalem.
18 Then the king gave a great feast for all his officials and servants; it was Esther’s feast. He also granted a remission of taxes to the provinces and gave gifts with royal generosity.
19 Cumque secundo quaererentur virgines et congregarentur, Mardochaeus manebat ad ianuam regis:
19 Now when the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.
20 necdum prodiderat Esther patriam, et populum suum, iuxta mandatum eius. Quidquid enim ille praecipiebat, observabat Esther: et ita cuncta faciebat ut eo tempore solita erat, quo eam parvulam nutriebat.
20 Esther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had commanded her, for Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him.
21 Eo igitur tempore, quo Mardochaeus ad regis ianuam morabatur, irati sunt Bagathan, et Thares duo eunuchi regis, qui ianitores erant, et in primo palatii limine praesidebant: volueruntque insurgere in regem, et occidere eum.
21 In those days, as Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.
22 Quod Mardochaeum non latuit, statimque nunciavit reginae Esther: et illa regi ex nomine Mardochaei, qui ad se rem detulerat.
22 And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai, and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai.
23 Quaesitum est, et inventum: et appensus uterque eorum in patibulo. Mandatumque historiis, et annalibus traditum coram rege.
23 When the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025