Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version 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. New Living Translation Let the king appoint agents in each province to bring these beautiful young women into the royal harem at the fortress of Susa. Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the harem, will see that they are all given beauty treatments. English Standard Version 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. Berean Standard Bible and let the king appoint commissioners in each province of his kingdom to assemble all the beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the women, and let them be given beauty treatments. King James Bible 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 chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them: New King James Version and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather all the beautiful young virgins to Shushan the citadel, into the women’s quarters, under the custody of Hegai the king’s eunuch, custodian of the women. And let beauty preparations be given them. New American Standard Bible And may the king appoint overseers in all the provinces of his kingdom, and have them bring 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 to them. NASB 1995 “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. NASB 1977 “And let the king appoint overseers in all the provinces of his kingdom that they may gather every beautiful young virgin to Susa the capital, to the harem, into the custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who was in charge of the women; and let their cosmetics be given them. Legacy Standard Bible And let the king appoint overseers in all the provinces of his kingdom that they may gather every young virgin, beautiful in appearance, to the citadel of Susa, to the harem, into the hand of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who keeps charge of the women; and let their cosmetics be given to them. Amplified Bible Let the king appoint administrators in all the provinces of his kingdom, and have them gather all the beautiful young virgins to the citadel in Susa, into the harem, under the custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let their beauty preparations be given to them. Christian Standard Bible Let the king appoint commissioners in each province of his kingdom, so that they may gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem at the fortress of Susa. Put them under the supervision of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, keeper of the women, and give them the required beauty treatments. Holman Christian Standard Bible Let the king appoint commissioners in each province of his kingdom, so that they may assemble all the beautiful young women to the harem at the fortress of Susa. Put them under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women, and give them the required beauty treatments. American Standard Version 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 Hegai the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them; Contemporary English Version You can select officers in every province to bring them to the place where you keep your wives in the capital city of Susa. Put your servant Hegai in charge of them since that is his job. He can see to it that they are given the proper beauty treatments. English Revised Version and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that young virgins unto Shushan the palace, they may gather together all the fair to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hegai the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them: GOD'S WORD® Translation And appoint scouts in all the provinces of your kingdom to gather all the attractive young virgins and bring them to the fortress of Susa, to the women's quarters. There, in the care of the king's eunuch Hegai, the guardian of the women, they will have their beauty treatment. Good News Translation You can appoint officials in every province of the empire and have them bring all these beautiful young women to your harem here in Susa, the capital city. Put them in the care of Hegai, the eunuch who is in charge of your women, and let them be given a beauty treatment. International Standard Version Let the king appoint officials in all the provinces of his kingdom to bring all the beautiful young virgins into the harem in Susa the capital. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women to give them their beauty treatments. Majority Standard Bible and let the king appoint commissioners in each province of his kingdom to assemble all the beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king?s eunuch in charge of the women, and let them be given beauty treatments. NET Bible And let the king appoint officers throughout all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the attractive young women to Susa the citadel, to the harem under the authority of Hegai, the king's eunuch who oversees the women, and let him provide whatever cosmetics they desire. New Heart English Bible Let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the beautiful young virgins to the citadel of Shushan, to the women's house, to the custody of Hegai the king's eunuch, keeper of the women. Let cosmetics be given them; Webster's Bible Translation And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may collect all the fair young virgins to Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, into the custody of Hege the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them: World English Bible Let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the beautiful young virgins to the citadel of Susa, to the women’s house, to the custody of Hegai the king’s eunuch, keeper of the women. Let cosmetics be given them; Literal Translations Literal Standard Versionand the king appoints inspectors in all provinces of his kingdom, and they gather every young woman—virgin, of good appearance—to Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, to the hand of Hegai eunuch of the king, keeper of the women, and to give their purifications, Young's Literal Translation and the king doth appoint inspectors in all provinces of his kingdom, and they gather every young woman -- virgin, of good appearance -- unto Shushan the palace, unto the house of the women, unto the hand of Hege eunuch of the king, keeper of the women, and to give their purifications, Smith's Literal Translation And the king shall appoint overseers in all the provinces of his kingdom, and they shall gather together all the maidens, virgins, good of appearance, to Shushan the fortress, to the house of the women, to the hand of Hegai, the king's eunuch, watching the women; giving their purifications: Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd let some persons be sent through all the provinces to look for beautiful maidens and virgins: and let them bring them to the city of Susan, and put them into the house of the women under the hand of Egeus the eunuch, who is the overseer and keeper of the king's women: and let them receive women's ornaments, and other things necessary for their use. Catholic Public Domain Version New American Bible Let the king appoint emissaries in all the provinces of his realm to gather all beautiful young virgins into the harem in the royal precinct of Susa. Under the care of the royal eunuch Hegai, guardian of the women, let cosmetics be given them. New Revised Standard Version And let the king appoint commissioners in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in the citadel of Susa under custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; let their cosmetic treatments be given them. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd let the king appoint officers in all the provinces, that they may gather together all the beautiful young virgins to the house of the women, to the custody of Hegai the eunuch, keeper of women; and let their things for purification be given them; Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And let the King command all the provinces and let them gather all virgin girls who are beautiful in their appearance to the house of women with Haggi the Eunuch, Keeper of the women, and he will give their adornments. OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917and 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 castle, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hegai the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their ointments be given them; Brenton Septuagint Translation And let the king appoint local governors in all the provinces of his kingdom, and let them select fair and chaste young damsels and bring them to the city Susa, into the women's apartment, and let them be consigned to the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women; and let things for purification and other attendance be given to them. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Seeking Vashti's Successor…2Then the king’s attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king, 3and let the king appoint commissioners in each province of his kingdom to assemble all the beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the women, and let them be given beauty treatments. 4Then let the young woman who pleases the king become queen in place of Vashti.” This suggestion pleased the king, and he acted accordingly.… Cross References Genesis 41:34 Let Pharaoh take action and appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 1 Samuel 8:11-13 He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to serve his own chariots and horses, and to run in front of his chariots. / He will appoint some for himself as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his ground, to reap his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. / And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 1 Kings 1:2-4 So his servants said to him, “Let us search for a young virgin for our lord the king, to attend to him and care for him and lie by his side to keep him warm.” / Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl, and they found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king. / The girl was unsurpassed in beauty; she cared for the king and served him, but he had no relations with her. Daniel 1:3-5 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his court officials, to bring in some Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— / young men without blemish, handsome, gifted in all wisdom, knowledgeable, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace—and to teach them the language and literature of the Chaldeans. / The king assigned them daily provisions of the royal food and wine. They were to be trained for three years, after which they were to enter the king’s service. 1 Kings 10:1-3 Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions. / She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in great abundance, and precious stones. And she came to Solomon and spoke to him all that was on her mind. / And Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for the king to explain. 1 Kings 4:7 Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel to provide food for the king and his household. Each one would arrange provisions for one month of the year, 2 Chronicles 9:1-2 Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon, she came to test him with difficult questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones. And she came to Solomon and spoke with him about all that was on her mind. / And Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for him to explain. 1 Kings 12:31 Jeroboam also built shrines on the high places and appointed from every class of people priests who were not Levites. 2 Chronicles 11:15 And Jeroboam appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat demons and calf idols he had made. 1 Samuel 25:40-42 When his servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they said, “David has sent us to take you as his wife.” / She arose, bowed facedown, and said, “Here is your servant, ready to serve and to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.” / So Abigail hurried and got on a donkey, and attended by five of her maidens, she followed David’s messengers and became his wife. Matthew 22:2-4 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. / He sent his servants to call those he had invited to the banquet, but they refused to come. / Again, he sent other servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ Luke 14:16-17 But Jesus replied, “A certain man prepared a great banquet and invited many guests. / When it was time for the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ Matthew 25:1-13 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. / Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. / The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take along any extra oil. ... Revelation 19:7-9 Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him the glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. / She was given clothing of fine linen, bright and pure.” For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints. / Then the angel told me to write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her / to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, / and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. Treasury of Scripture And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins to Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, to the custody of Hege the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them: in all the provinces. Esther 1:1,2 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces:) … that they may gather. the custody. Esther 2:8 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. Hegai. their things. Esther 2:12-14 Now when every maid's turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women;) … Isaiah 3:18-23 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, … Jump to Previous Appoint Beautiful Chamberlain Citadel Cosmetics Custody Eunuch Fair Gather Hegai House Keeper Kingdom King's Officers Palace Provinces Shushan Susa Together Virgins Women Women's YoungJump to Next Appoint Beautiful Chamberlain Citadel Cosmetics Custody Eunuch Fair Gather Hegai House Keeper Kingdom King's Officers Palace Provinces Shushan Susa Together Virgins Women Women's YoungEsther 2 1. Out of the choice of virgins a queen is to be chosen.5. Mordecai the nursing father of Esther. 8. Esther preferred before the rest. 12. The manner of purification, and going in to the king. 15. Esther, best pleasing the king, is made queen. 21. Mordecai, discovering a treason, is recorded in the chronicles. Let the king appoint commissioners This phrase indicates the authority and organizational structure of the Persian Empire. The king, likely King Xerxes (Ahasuerus), had the power to appoint officials throughout his vast empire. The Hebrew root for "appoint" suggests a deliberate and authoritative action, reflecting the king's absolute rule. Historically, the Persian Empire was known for its efficient administration, with a network of officials ensuring the king's decrees were implemented across diverse regions. in every province of his kingdom to bring all the beautiful young virgins to the citadel of Susa to the harem under the supervision of Hegai the king’s eunuch, custodian of the women And let them be given beauty treatments Persons / Places / Events 1. King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I)The Persian king who ruled over 127 provinces from India to Cush. He is the central figure in the book of Esther, known for his opulent lifestyle and decisive actions. 2. Commissioners Officials appointed by King Ahasuerus to carry out his decree across the provinces. Their role was to gather the young women for the king's harem. 3. Susa (Shushan) The capital city of the Persian Empire where the king's palace was located. It is the setting for much of the book of Esther. 4. Hegai The king’s eunuch in charge of the harem. He was responsible for the care and preparation of the women brought to the palace. 5. The Harem A secluded part of the royal palace where the women lived. It was a place of preparation and waiting for those chosen to be presented to the king. Teaching Points God's Sovereignty in Unlikely CircumstancesEven in a pagan empire, God is at work behind the scenes, orchestrating events for His purposes. Trust in God's sovereignty, even when circumstances seem beyond our control. The Role of Preparation The beauty treatments symbolize preparation. In our spiritual lives, preparation through prayer, study, and obedience is crucial for fulfilling God's purposes. Cultural Context and God's Plan Understanding the cultural context of Esther helps us see how God can use any situation for His glory. We should seek to understand our own cultural context to better serve God's mission. The Value of Inner Beauty While the focus in Esther 2:3 is on physical beauty, Scripture consistently emphasizes the importance of inner beauty and character. Cultivate a heart that reflects God's love and righteousness.(3) The house of the women.--The harem, then as now, a prominent feature in the establishment of an Eastern king. Hege.--Called Hegai in Esther 2:8; a eunuch whose special charge seems to have been the virgins, while another, named Shaashgaz (Esther 2:14), had the custody of the concubines. The whole verse shows, as conclusively as anything could do, in how degrading an aspect Eastern women were, as a whole, viewed. It was reserved for Christianity to indicate the true position of woman, not man's plaything, but the help meet for him, able to aid him in his spiritual and intellectual progress, yielding him intelligent obedience, not slavery. Verse 3. - The house of the women. In an Oriental palace the women's apartments are always distinct from those of the men, and are usually placed in a separate building, which the Greeks called the gynaeceum, and the Jews "the house of the women." At Susa this was a large edifice, and comprised several subdivisions (see ver. 14). Hege, the king's chamberlain. Literally, "the king's eunuch, i.e. one of the royal eunuchs (see Esther 1:10). Keeper of the women. Strictly speaking, Hege seems to have been keeper of the virgins only (see ver. 14); but he may have exercised a certain superintendence over the entire gynaeceum. Their things for purification. See ver. 12. Such a divinity lodged in the Persian king that even pure maidens had to be purified before approaching him! It would have been well if the divinity had been himself less impure.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew and let the kingהַמֶּ֣לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 4428: A king appoint וְיַפְקֵ֨ד (wə·yap̄·qêḏ) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive imperfect Jussive - third person masculine singular Strong's 6485: To visit, to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit commissioners פְּקִידִים֮ (pə·qî·ḏîm) Noun - masculine plural Strong's 6496: Commissioner, deputy, overseer in each בְּכָל־ (bə·ḵāl) Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every province מְדִינ֣וֹת (mə·ḏî·nō·wṯ) Noun - feminine plural construct Strong's 4082: A judgeship, jurisdiction, a district, a region of his kingdom מַלְכוּתוֹ֒ (mal·ḵū·ṯōw) Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular Strong's 4438: Royalty, royal power, reign, kingdom to assemble וְיִקְבְּצ֣וּ (wə·yiq·bə·ṣū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 6908: To gather, collect all כָּל־ (kāl-) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every the beautiful טוֹבַ֨ת (ṭō·w·ḇaṯ) Adjective - feminine singular construct Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good young נַעֲרָֽה־ (na·‘ă·rāh-) Noun - feminine singular Strong's 5291: A girl, maiden women בְ֠תוּלָה (ḇə·ṯū·lāh) Noun - feminine singular Strong's 1330: A virgin, sometimes, a bride into אֶל־ (’el-) Preposition Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to the harem בֵּ֣ית (bêṯ) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 1004: A house at אֶל־ (’el-) Preposition Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to the citadel הַבִּירָה֙ (hab·bî·rāh) Article | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 1002: A castle, palace of Susa. שׁוּשַׁ֤ן (šū·šan) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 7800: Susa -- residence of person kings Let them be placed אֶל־ (’el-) Preposition Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to under the care יַ֥ד (yaḏ) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 3027: A hand of Hegai, הֵגֶ֛א (hê·ḡe) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 1896: Hege -- Hegai the king’s הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 4428: A king eunuch סְרִ֥יס (sə·rîs) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 5631: A eunuch, valet, a minister of state in charge of שֹׁמֵ֣ר (šō·mêr) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 8104: To hedge about, guard, to protect, attend to the women, הַנָּשִׁ֑ים (han·nā·šîm) Article | Noun - feminine plural Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female and give them וְנָת֖וֹן (wə·nā·ṯō·wn) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute Strong's 5414: To give, put, set the required beauty treatments. תַּמְרוּקֵיהֶֽן׃ (tam·rū·qê·hen) Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine plural Strong's 8562: A scouring, soap, perfumery for, the bath, a detergent Links Esther 2:3 NIVEsther 2:3 NLT Esther 2:3 ESV Esther 2:3 NASB Esther 2:3 KJV Esther 2:3 BibleApps.com Esther 2:3 Biblia Paralela Esther 2:3 Chinese Bible Esther 2:3 French Bible Esther 2:3 Catholic Bible OT History: Esther 2:3 Let the king appoint officers in all (Est Esth. 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