1995 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Esther 2

1 Out of the choice of virgins a queen is to be chosen. 5 Mordecai the nursing father of Esther. 8 Esther is preferred by Hegai 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.

 2:1 After 310 these 428 things 1697 when the anger 2534 of King 4428 Ahasuerus 325 had subsided 7918, he remembered 2142 Vashti 2060 and what 834 she had done 6213a and what 834 had been decreed 1504 against 5921 her.

 2:2 Then the king’s 4428 attendants 5288, who served 8334 him, said 559, “Let beautiful 2896a young 5291 virgins 1330 be sought 1245 for the king 4428.

 2:3 “Let the king 4428 appoint 6485 overseers 6496 in all 3605 the provinces 4082 of his kingdom 4438 that they may gather 6908 every 3605 beautiful 2896a young 5291 virgin 1330 to the citadel 1002 of Susa 7800, to the harem 1004 802, into the custody 3027 of Hegai 1896a, the king’s 4428 eunuch 5631, who is in charge 8104 of the women 802; and let their cosmetics 8562 be given 5414 [them].

 2:4 “Then let the young 5291 lady 5291 who 834 pleases 3190 5869 the king 4428 be queen 4427a in place 8478 of Vashti 2060.” And the matter 1697 pleased 3190 5869 the king 4428, and he did 6213a accordingly 3651.

 2:5 ¶ [Now] there was at the citadel 1002 in Susa 7800 a Jew 3064 whose name 8034 was Mordecai 4782, the son 1121 of Jair 2971, the son 1121 of Shimei 8096, the son 1121 of Kish 7027, a Benjamite 376 3228,

 2:6 who 834 had been taken 1540 into exile 1540 from Jerusalem 3389 with the captives 1473 who 834 had been exiled 1540 with Jeconiah 3204 king 4428 of Judah 3063, whom 834 Nebuchadnezzar 5019 the king 4428 of Babylon 894 had exiled 1540.

 2:7 He was bringing 539 up Hadassah 1919, that is Esther 635, his uncle’s 1730 daughter 1323, for she had 369 no 369 father 1 or 369 mother 517. Now the young 5291 lady 5291 was beautiful 3303 of form 8389 and face 4758, and when her father 1 and her mother 517 died 4194, Mordecai 4782 took 3947 her as his own daughter 1323.

 2:8 ¶ So it came 1961 about when the command 1697 and decree 1881 of the king 4428 were heard 8085 and many 7227a young 5291 ladies 5291 were gathered 6908 to the citadel 1002 of Susa 7800 into the custody 3027 of Hegai 1896a, that Esther 635 was taken 3947 to the king’s 4428 palace 1004 into the custody 3027 of Hegai 1896a, who was in charge 8104 of the women 802.

 2:9 Now the young 5291 lady 5291 pleased 3190 5869 him and found 5375 favor 2617a with him. So he quickly 926 provided 5414 her with her cosmetics 8562 and food 4490, gave 5414 her seven 7651 choice 7200 maids 5291 from the king’s 4428 palace 1004 and transferred 8132 her and her maids 5291 to the best 2896a place in the harem 1004 802.

 2:10 Esther 635 did not make 5046 known 5046 her people 5971a or her kindred 4138, for Mordecai 4782 had instructed 6680 her that she should not make 5046 [them] known 5046.

 2:11 Every 3605 day 3117 Mordecai 4782 walked 1980 back 1980 and forth in front 6440 of the court 2691a of the harem 1004 802 to learn 3045 how 7965 Esther 635 was and how 4100 she fared 6213a.

 2:12 ¶ Now when the turn 8447 of each 5291 young 5291 lady 5291 came 5060 to go 935 in to King 4428 Ahasuerus 325, after 4480 the end 7093 of her twelve 8147 6240 months 2320 under the regulations 1881 for the women 802—for the days 3117 of their beautification 4795 were completed 4390 as follows 3651: six 8337a months 2320 with oil 8081 of myrrh 4753 and six 8337a months 2320 with spices 1314 and the cosmetics 8562 for women 802—

 2:13 the young 5291 lady 5291 would go 935 in to the king 4428 in this 2088 way 2088: anything 3605 that she desired 559 was given 5414 her to take 935 with her from the harem 1004 802 to the king’s 4428 palace 1004.

 2:14 In the evening 6153 she would go 935 in and in the morning 1242 she would return 7725 to the second 8145 harem 1004 802, to the custody 3027 of Shaashgaz 8190, the king’s 4428 eunuch 5631 who was in charge 8104 of the concubines 6370. She would not again 5750 go 935 in to the king 4428 unless 3588 518 the king 4428 delighted 2654a in her and she was summoned 7121 by name 8034.

 2:15 ¶ Now when the turn 8447 of Esther 635, the daughter 1323 of Abihail 32 the uncle 1730 of Mordecai 4782 who 834 had taken 3947 her as his daughter 1323, came 5060 to go 935 in to the king 4428, she did not request 1245 anything 1697 except 3588 518 what 834 Hegai 1896a, the king’s 4428 eunuch 5631 who was in charge 8104 of the women 802, advised 559. And Esther 635 found 5375 favor 2580 in the eyes 5869 of all 3605 who saw 7200 her.

 2:16 So Esther 635 was taken 3947 to King 4428 Ahasuerus 325 to his royal 4438 palace 1004 in the tenth 6224 month 2320 which 1931 is the month 2320 Tebeth 2887, in the seventh 7651 year 8141 of his reign 4438.

 2:17 ¶ The king 4428 loved 157 Esther 635 more 4480 than 4480 all 3605 the women 802, and she found 5375 favor 2580 and kindness 2617a with him more 4480 than 4480 all 3605 the virgins 1330, so that he set 7760 the royal 4438 crown 3804 on her head 7218 and made 4427a her queen 4427a instead 8478 of Vashti 2060.

 2:18 Then the king 4428 gave 6213a a great 1419 banquet 4960, Esther’s 635 banquet 4960, for all 3605 his princes 8269 and his servants 5650; he also made 6213a a holiday 2010 for the provinces 4082 and gave 5414 gifts 4864 according to the king’s 4428 bounty 3027.

 2:19 ¶ When the virgins 1330 were gathered 6908 together the second 8145 time 8145, then Mordecai 4782 was sitting 3427 at the king’s 4428 gate 8179.

 2:20 Esther 635 had not yet made known 5046 her kindred 4138 or her people 5971a, even 3512c as Mordecai 4782 had commanded 6680 her; for Esther 635 did 6213a what 3982 Mordecai 4782 told 5046 her as she had done 1961 when 3512c under his care 545.

 2:21 In those 1992a days 3117, while Mordecai 4782 was sitting 3427 at the king’s 4428 gate 8179, Bigthan 904 and Teresh 8657, two 8147 of the king’s 4428 officials 5631 from those who guarded 8104 the door 5592b, became 7107 angry 7107 and sought 1245 to lay 7971 hands 3027 on King 4428 Ahasuerus 325.

 2:22 But the plot 1697 became known 3045 to Mordecai 4782 and he told 5046 Queen 4436 Esther 635, and Esther 635 informed 559 the king 4428 in Mordecai’s 4782 name 8034.

 2:23 Now when the plot 1697 was investigated 1245 and found 4672 [to be so], they were both 8147 hanged 8518 on a gallows 6086; and it was written 3789 in the Book 5612 of the Chronicles 1697 3117 in the king’s 4428 presence 6440.