Seeking Vashti’s Successor

1After these actes, when the displeasure of king Ahasuerus was nowe alayed, he thought vpon Uasthi, & what she had done, & what was decreed against her. 2Then sayde the kinges seruauntes that ministred vnto hym: Let there be faire young virgins sought for the king, 3And let the king appoynt officers in all the prouinces of his empire, that they should bring together al the faire young virgins vnto Susan the head citie to the womens buylding, vnder the hande of Hegai the kinges chamberlayne that kept the women, to geue them their apparell: 4And that the mayden which pleased the king, should be queene in Uasthis steede. And this pleased the king, and he did so.

Esther Finds Favor

5In the citie of Susan there was a certayne Iewe, whose name was Mardocheus, the sonne of Iair, the sonne of Semei, the sonne of Cis, a man of Iemini, 6Which was caryed away from Hierusalem with the captiuitie, when Iekonia the king of Iuda was led away, whom Nabuchodonosor the king of Babylon caryed thence: 7And he norished Hadassa (that is Esther) his vncles daughter: for he had neither father nor mother, and she was a faire and beautifull mayden, whom Mardocheus (when her father & mother were dead) receaued for his owne daughter.

8So when the kinges commaundement and commission was published, and many maydens were brought together into the citie of Susan vnder the hand of Hegai, Esther was brought also vnto the kinges house vnder the hande of Hegai the keper of the women. 9And the mayden pleased hym, and she founde fauour in his sight: and he caused ornamentes to be geuen her speedyly, and such thinges as belonged to her, and appoynted her seuen comely maydens out of the kinges house, & fauoured both her and her gentlewomen singularly in the house of the women. 10But Esther shewed not her people and her kinred: for Mardocheus had charged her that she shoulde not tell it. 11And Mardocheus walked euery day before the court of the womens house, that he might knowe howe Esther did, and what shoulde become of her.

12And when the appoynted time of euery mayden came that she shoulde go in to the king Ahasuerus, after that she had ben twelue monethes according to the mauer of the women (for so were the dayes of their purification accomplissed, sixe monethes with oyle of mirre, and sixe monethes with sweete odoures, and in the purifiyng of the women: 13And thus went the maydens vnto the king) whatsoeuer she required, that must be geuen her to go with her out of the womens buylding vnto the kinges palace. 14In the euening she went, and on the morowe she returned into the seconde house of the women abyding vnder the hande of Saasgaz the kinges chamberlayne, which kept the concubines: And she came in vnto the king no more, except it pleased the king to haue her, and that she were called by name.

15Nowe when the course came of Esther the daughter of Abihail, the vncle of Mardocheus (which had receaued her as his owne daughter) that she shoulde come in vnto the king, she desired nothing but what Hegai the kinges chamberlayne the keper of the women saide: And Esther found fauour in the sight of all them that loked vpon her. 16And Esther was taken vnto king Ahasuerus into his house royall, in the tenth moneth (which is the moneth Tebeth) in the seuenth yere of his raigne.

Esther Becomes Queen

17And the king loued Esther aboue all the women, and she found grace and fauour in his sight more then all the virgins, so that he set the crowne of the kingdome vpon her head, and made her queene in steede of Uasthi. 18And the king made a great feast vnto all his princes and seruauntes, whiche feast was because of Esther, and caused the prouinces to be in quietnesse, & gaue giftes, as became the royaltie of a king.

19And when the virgins were gathered together the seconde time, Mardocheus sate in the kinges gate. 20And as yet had not Esther shewed her kinred & her people, according as Mardocheus had bidden her: for Esther dyd after the worde of Mardocheus, like as if she had ben yet vnder his gouernaunce.

Mordecai Uncovers a Conspiracy

21At the same time (whyle Mardocheus sate in the kinges gate) two of ye kinges chamberlaynes, Bigthan and Theres, which kept the doore, were wroth, and sought to lay their handes on the king Ahasuerus: 22Whereof also Mardocheus gat knowledge, and tolde it vnto queene Esther, and Esther certified the king therof in Mardocheus name. 23And when inquisition was made, it was founde so, and they were both hanged on tree: and it was written in the Chronicles before the king.