1After these things, when king Ahasuerus was no longer angry, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what had been decreed against her.
2Then the king's servants who waited on him said, "Let beautiful young virgins be searched out for the king."
3Let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the palace at Shushan, to the house of the women, into the care of Hege, the king's officer who keeps the women. And let them be given what they need to make themselves clean and sweet.
4"Then let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti." This advice pleased the king, and he did so.
5Now in the palace at Shushan there was a Jew named Mordecai. He was the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite.
6He had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives taken with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away.
7He had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter, because she had neither father nor mother. The girl was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
8So when the king's command and his decree were heard, and many girls were gathered to the palace at Shushan into the care of Hegai, Esther also was brought to the king's house, into the care of Hegai, who kept the women.
9The girl pleased him, and she won his kindness. He quickly gave her what she needed to make herself clean and sweet, and her portions of food, and seven chosen maids from the king's house. He moved her and her maids to the best place in the house of the women.
11Every day Mordecai walked in front of the court of the women's house, to learn how Esther was and what would happen to her.
12Now each girl had her turn to go in to king Ahasuerus. Before that she spent twelve months being prepared, as the rule for the women was. That was how the days of their preparing were filled: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet perfumes and other things for making the women clean and sweet.
13This is how each girl went in to the king: whatever she asked for was given to her to take with her from the house of the women to the king's house.
14In the evening she went in, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women, into the care of Shaashgaz, the king's officer who kept the concubines. She did not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and called for her by name.
15Now the turn came for Esther to go in to the king. She was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter. She asked for nothing except what Hegai, the king's officer who kept the women, told her to take. And Esther won the favour of everyone who saw her.
16So Esther was taken to king Ahasuerus, into his royal house, in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17The king loved Esther more than all the other women. She won grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins. So he set the royal crown on her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.
18Then the king made a great feast for all his princes and his servants, Esther's feast. He gave the provinces a rest from their burdens, and gave gifts, as only a king can.
19When the virgins were gathered together a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate.
20Esther had still not told her family or her people, as Mordecai had ordered her. Esther obeyed Mordecai's word, just as she had when she was brought up by him.
21In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, two of the king's officers, Bigthan and Teresh, who kept the door, became angry. They planned to lay hands on king Ahasuerus.
22Mordecai came to know about it, and he told Esther the queen. Esther told the king, in Mordecai's name.
23The matter was looked into and found to be true. So the two men were both hanged on a tree, and it was written in the book of the chronicles in front of the king.