Esther 2:1-23 The King Decrees Young Maidens be Brought to Him to Choose a New Queen

The King Decrees Young Maidens be Brought to Him to Choose a New Queen

Esther 2:1-23           The Book of Esther [in Smaller Chunks]

After these things, when the [anger] of king Ahasuerus, [a.k.a. Xerxes, had subsided,] he remembered what [queen] Vashtil had done, & what was decreed against her.

[Esther 1:11-12 [The king commanded them:] to bring queen Vashti before the king with the royal crown, to [show] the people, & the princes her beauty: for she was [pleasant to look at.] But queen Vashti refused to come at the king's [command] by his chamberlains, [a.k.a. eunuchs:] therefore, the king was very [angry,] & his anger burned [within] him.

Then, the king's servants [who] ministered to him said, Let [attractive,] young virgins, [a.k.a. maidens] be sought there for the king. And let the king appoint officers in all his [kingdom's] provinces, [so] that they may gather together all the fair young [maidens] to the palace [in] Shushan.

[They will go:] to the house of the women, & [be in] the custody of Hege, [a.k.a. Hegai,] the king's chamberlain, [a.k.a. eunuch,] keeper of the women. And let their things for purification be given [to] them. And let the maiden [who pleases] the king, be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; & he did so.

Now, there was a certain Jew, [near] the palace in Shushan, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair,  [who was] the son of Shimei.

[Shimei was] the son of Kish, a Benjamite, who had been carried away [captive] from Jerusalem with Jeconiah, [Judah's] king, whom Nebuchadnezzar, [Babylon's] king, had carried away.

And [Mordecai raised] Hadassah, [which] is Esther, his uncle's daughter. For she had neither father nor mother, & the [maiden] was [pleasant,] & beautiful; whom Mordecai took for his own daughter, when her father & mother were dead.

So, it [happened,] when the king's [command] & his decree was heard, & when many maidens were gathered together to the palace [in] Shushan, to [go into] the custody of Hegai, that Esther was also brought to the king's house, to the custody of Hegai, [the] keeper of [the] women.

And the maiden pleased [Hegai,] & [Esther] obtained kindness [from] him. And he speedily gave her things for purification, [that] belonged to her & 7 maidens, [from] of the king's house, which were [appropriate] to be given [to] her.

And [Hegai] preferred [Esther,] & her maids, [& they were put into] the best place of the house [for] the women. Esther hadn't [revealed] her people, nor her [relatives:] for Mordecai had [ordered] her, that she shouldn't [reveal] it.

And Mordecai walked everyday, [in front of] the [courtyard] of the women's house, to know how Esther did, & what [would] become of her. Now, when every [maiden's] turn [had] come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after she had been [purified] for 12 months, according to the [customs] of the women,

(For the the days of their purification were accomplished, [with] 6 months [using] oil of myrrh, & 6 months with: sweet [fragrances,] & other things for the purifying of the women.)

Then, every maiden came to the king [like this, & whatever] she desired was given [to] her to go with her [from] the house of the women, & [into] the king's house. She went in the evening.

And on the [next day,] she returned into the 2nd house [for] the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's chamberlain, [who] kept the [mistresses.] And [Esthers didn’t come] to the king [anymore, unless] the king delighted in her, & she [was] called by name.

Now, when [her] turn [had] come to go in to the king, Esther, the daughter of Abihail, [who was] the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, she [didn't require anything,] but [only] what Hegai, the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, [had advised.]

And Esther obtained [favor] in the sight of all [those who] looked upon her. So, Esther was taken [into] the royal house [of] king Ahasuerus in the 10th month, which is the month, Tebeth, in the 7th year [Ahasuerus ruled.]

And the king loved Esther above all the women, & she obtained grace & [favor] in his sight, more than all the [maidens;] so he [put] the royal crown upon her head, & made her queen instead of Vashti.

Then, the king made a [large] feast [for] all his princes & his servants, even Esther's feast. And he made a release to the provinces, & gave gifts, according to the state [of generosity] of the king.

And when the [maidens] were gathered together the 2nd time, then Mordecai sat in the king's gate. Esther hadn't [revealed] her [relatives,] nor her people yet, [since] Mordecai had [ordered] her. For Esther [followed] the [command] of Mordecai, like when she was brought up [by] him.

[During] those days, while Mordecai sat in the king's gate, 2 of the king's chamberlains, Bigthan & Teresh, [who were door keepers,] were [angry,] & sought to [seize] king Ahasuerus. And [this] thing was known to Mordecai, who told it to queen Esther.

And Esther [notified] the king [on Mordecai's behalf.] And when [inquiry] was made [about] the matter, it was found [to be true,] therefore, they were both [hung] on a tree & it was written in the Book of the Chronicles, [in front of] the king.