Est 2 | ABEn | STEP | And after these matters [ 4 was abated 1 the 2 king's 3 rage], and no longer was [ 2 mentioned 1 Vashti], remembering as much as she spoke, and how he condemned her.

‏ Esther 2

CHAPTER 2 The Search for a Queen

1 And after these matters [⁴was abated ¹the ²king's ³rage], and no longer was [²mentioned ¹Vashti], remembering as much as she spoke, and how he condemned her. 2 And [⁵said ¹the ²servants ³of the ⁴king], Let there be sought to the king young women uncorrupted, beautiful in appearance! 3 And [³shall place ¹the ²king] magistrates in all the places of his kingdom, and let them choose young women, virgins, beautiful in appearance to be brought to Shushan the city, into the chamber of the women! And let them be delivered to the eunuch of the king, the keeper of the women! And let there be given to them a beauty treatment, and the remaining care! 4 And the woman who ever should be pleasing to the king shall reign instead of Vashti. And [³pleased ⁴the ⁵king ¹the ²thing], and he did so. 5 And there was a man, a Jew, in Shushan the city. And his name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin; 6 who was a captive from Jerusalem, which [⁵captured ¹Nebuchadnezzar ²the ³king ⁴of Babylon]. 7 And there was to this man a child that he brought up, the daughter of the brother of his father, and her name was Esther. And at the changeover of her parents, he instructed her to himself for a woman. And [³was ¹the ²young woman] good in appearance. 8 And when [⁴was heard ¹the ²king's ³order], [³were gathered together ¹many ²young women] in Shushan the city, by the hand of Hegai; and Esther was led to Hegai the keeper of the women.

Esther Chosen Queen

9 And [³pleased ⁴him ¹the ²young woman], and she found favor before him. And he hastened to give her the beauty treatment, and her portion, and the seven young women being exhibited to her from the royal palace. And he treated her well, and her handmaidens in the chamber of the women. 10 But [²did not ³plainly show ¹Esther] her race, nor her fatherland. For Mordecai gave charge to her not to report it. 11 And each day Mordecai walked by the [²courtyard ¹feminine], overseeing what would come to pass with Esther. 12 For this was the time for a young woman to enter to the king, whenever she should have fulfilled [²months ¹twelve], for thus are fulfilled the days of the treatment, [²months ¹six] with the aromatics and with the beauty treatments for the women, 13 and [²months ¹six] being anointed with myrrh oil, and then she enters to the king. And to whom ever he should tell, he delivers her to enter together with him, from the chamber of the women unto the palaces. 14 In the evening she enters, and by day she runs to the [²chamber of the women ¹second], where Hegai the eunuch of the king the keeper of the women is. And no longer does she enter to the king if she should not be called by name. 15 And in the fulfilling the time, Esther the daughter of Abihail, brother of the father of Mordecai, entered to the king. Not one thing she disregarded which [⁶gave charge ⁷to her ¹the ²eunuch ³keeper ⁴of the ⁵women]. [³was ¹For ²Esther] found in favor by all the ones seeing her. 16 And Esther entered to Artaxerxes the king in the tenth month, which is Tebeth, in the seventh year of his kingship. 17 And [³loved ⁵passionately ¹the ²king ⁴Esther], and she found favor above all the virgins; and he placed upon her the [²diadem ¹feminine]. 18 And [³made ¹the ²king] a banquet for all his friends, and the powerful ones, for [²days ¹seven]. And he exalted the wedding feasts of Esther; and [²a release ¹he made] to the ones under his kingdom. 19 But Mordecai attended to affairs in the courtyard. 20 Now Esther did not plainly tell of her fatherland, for thus [²gave charge ³to her ¹Mordecai], to fear God, and to observe his orders, as she was with him. And Esther did not change her conduct. 21 And [⁶fretted ¹the ²two ³eunuchs ⁴of the ⁵king], and the chiefs of the body guards, for Mordecai advanced. And they sought to kill Artaxerxes the king. 22 And [³was made manifest ⁴to Mordecai ¹the ²matter], and he signaled it to Esther, and she revealed to the king the things of the plot. 23 And the king examined the two eunuchs, and he hanged them. And [³gave order ¹the ²king] to write for a memorial in the royal library about the good-will of Mordecai with commendation.