Esther 2:1-13 ▼

1 After this, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what had been decreed about her.

2 Then the young men who attended the king suggested, |Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king.

3 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.

4 Then let the young woman who pleases the king rule in place of Vashti.| This advice pleased the king, and he did this.

5 In Susa the capital there was a Jewish man from the tribe of Benjamin, Jair's son Mordecai, who was a descendant of Kish's son Shimei the descendant of Benjamin.

6 He had been taken into captivity from Jerusalem along with the exiles who had been deported with Jeconiah, king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon had taken into exile.

7 Mordecai had raised his cousin Hadassah, or Esther, because she had no father or mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was very attractive. When her mother and father died Mordecai had taken her as his daughter.

8 The king's order and edict was proclaimed, and many young women were brought to Susa the capital under the care of Hegai. Esther was taken to the palace into the care of Hegai, who was in charge of the women.

9 The young woman pleased him and gained his favor. He quickly provided her beauty treatments and gave her portions of food to her. He also assigned her seven suitable young women from the palace and transferred her and her young women to the best place in the harem.

10 Esther did not make known her people or heritage because Mordecai had instructed her not to make it known.

11 Every day Mordecai would walk back and forth in front of the court of the harem to find out about Esther's well-being and what was happening to her.

12 Each young woman's turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus at the end of the twelve month period, at which time she was treated according to the regulations for women. This process completed the period of her beauty treatments—six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and cosmetics for women.

13 After that the young woman would go in to the king, and whatever she asked for would be given to her to take with her from the harem to the palace.