Esther

Esther 2 ©

1 By advice of his servants Ahasuerus appointeth the fair virgins of his kingdom to be assembled in order to choose out a queen. 5 Esther brought up by Mordecai. 8 She is preferred by Hegai keeper of the women before all the other virgins, but by Mordecai's directions telleth not her kindred. 12 The manner of purification and going in unto the king. 15 Esther pleaseth him, and is made queen. 21 Mordecai discovereth a plot against the king's life, which service is registered in the chronicles of the kingdom.

1

AFTER these things, when the wrath of king Ahasuerus was appeased, he aremembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was bdecreed against her.

a Da. 6.18. ch. 6.1.
b ch. 1.19,20.
2

Then said the king's cservants that ministered unto him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king:

c ch. 1.16; 6.5.
3

And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, 1unto the custody of 2Hege the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their 3things for purification be given them :

4

And let the maiden which pleaseth the king dbe queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.

d 1Sa. 2.8. Ps. 75.6; 113.7,8. Eze. 17.24.
5

Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain eJew, whose name was fMordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;

e v.15. ch. 3.3; 8.2; 10.3.
f Ezr. 2.2.
6

gWho had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with 4Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.

g 2Ki. 24.6,14,15. 2Ch. 36.10. Je. 24.1.
7

And he 5brought up Hadassah, that is, hEsther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was 6fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.

h Da. 1.7; 5; 8.15-17. v.15. ch. 4-8.
8

¶So it came to pass, when the king's commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of iHegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king's house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.

i v.3.
9

And the maiden pleased him, and jshe obtained kindness of him; and he speedily gave her her kthings for purification, with 7such things as belonged to her, and seven maidens, which were *meet to be given her, out of the king's house: and 8he preferred her and her maids unto the best place of the house of the women.

j Ge. 39.21. 1Ki. 8.50. Ne. 2.8. Ps. 106.46. Pr. 16.7. Da. 1.9. v.15,17.
k v.3,12.
10

Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she lshould not shew it.

l ch. 3.8. v.20. Mat. 10.16. Ps. 112.5. Ep. 5.15; 6.1.
11

And Mordecai mwalked every day before the court of the women's house, 9to know how Esther did, and what should become of her.

m Jn. 10.23.
12

¶Now when every maid's turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the *manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, *to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women;)

13

Then thus came every maiden unto the king; whatsoever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women unto the king's house.

14

In the evening she went, and on the *morrow she returned into the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's chamberlain, which kept the concubines: she came in unto the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and that she were called by name.

15

¶Now when the nturn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail othe uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, pshe *required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther qobtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her.

n v.12. Ps. 105.20.
o v.7. ch. 9.29.
p Ps. 131.1. He. 13.5. 1Pe. 5.5.
q Ca. 6.9. Pr. 16.7. Lu. 14.11. v.9,17.
16

So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the rtenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

r ch. 1.7; 8.9.
17

And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and 10favour 11in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he sset the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.

s Lu. 1.48. Ps. 75.5,6; 113.7,8. 1Sa. 2.8. Eze. 17.24.
18

Then the king tmade a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a 12release to the provinces, and ugave gifts, vaccording to the state of the king.

t ch. 1.3,5. Ge. 29.22. Ju. 14.10,17.
u Ne. 8.12. ch. 9.22.
v ch. 1.7.
19

And when the virgins were gathered together wthe second time, then Mordecai sat xin the king's gate.

w v.3,4.
x v.21. ch. 3.2,3; 5.9,13; 6.10,12.
20

Esther had ynot yet shewed her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was zbrought up with him.

y v.10.
z v.7.
21

¶In those days, while Mordecai sat in the king's gate, two of the king's chamberlains, 13Bigthan and Teresh, of those which kept 14the door, awere *wroth, and sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.

a 1Sa. 24.6; 26.9. Ps. 144.10.
22

And the thing was bknown to Mordecai, who told it unto Esther the queen; and Esther certified the king thereof in cMordecai's name.

b Ec. 10.20. Pr. 8.12. Ro. 11.33. ch. 6-10.
c Ro. 13.7. Phi. 2.4.
23

And when *inquisition was made of the matter, it was found out; therefore they were both dhanged on a tree: and it was ewritten in the book of the chronicles before the king.

d Ge. 40.19. De. 21.22. Jos. 8.29.
e ch. 6.1,2; 10.2. Mal. 3.16.