Esther 2
1
After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus subsided, he remembered Vashti, a what she had done, and what had been decreed against her.
2
Then the king's servants who attended him said: "Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king;
3
"and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather all the beautiful young virgins to Shushan the citadel, into the women's quarters, under the custody of Hegai the king's eunuch, custodian of the women. And let beauty preparations be given them.
4
"Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti." This thing pleased the king, and he did so.
5
In Shushan the citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of b Kish, a Benjamite.
6
c Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been captured with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.
7
And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, d his uncle's daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
8
So it was, when the king's command and decree were heard, and when many young women were e gathered at Shushan the citadel, under the custody of Hegai, that Esther also was taken to the king's palace, into the care of Hegai the custodian of the women.
9
Now the young woman pleased him, and she obtained his favor; so he readily gave f beauty preparations to her, besides her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants were provided for her from the king's palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of the women.
10
g Esther had not revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it.
11
And every day Mordecai paced in front of the court of the women's quarters, to learn of Esther's welfare and what was happening to her.
12
Each young woman's turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had completed twelve months' preparation, according to the regulations for the women, for thus were the days of their preparation apportioned: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women.
13
Thus prepared, each young woman went to the king, and she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the women's quarters to the king's palace.
14
In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and called for her by name.
15
Now when the turn came for Esther h the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king's eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther i obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her.
16
So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17
The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal j crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
18
Then the king k made a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and gave gifts according to the generosity of a king.
19
When virgins were gathered together a second time, Mordecai sat within the king's gate.
20
l Now Esther had not revealed her family and her people, just as Mordecai had charged her, for Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai as when she was brought up by him.
21
In those days, while Mordecai sat within the king's gate, two of the king's eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, doorkeepers, became furious and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.
22
So the matter became known to Mordecai, m who told Queen Esther, and Esther informed the king in Mordecai's name.
23
And when an inquiry was made into the matter, it was confirmed, and both were hanged on a gallows; and it was written in n the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.
-
Cross References
Esther 1:19
If it pleases the king, let a royal decree go out from him, and let it be recorded in the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it will not be altered, that Vashti shall come no more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she.
Esther 1:20
"When the king's decree which he will make is proclaimed throughout all his empire (for it is great), all wives will honor their husbands, both great and small."
-
Cross References
1 Samuel 9:1
There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
-
Cross References
2 Kings 24:14
Also he carried into captivity all Jerusalem: all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land.
2 Kings 24:15
And he carried Jehoiachin captive to Babylon. The king's mother, the king's wives, his officers, and the mighty of the land he carried into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
2 Chronicles 36:10
At the turn of the year King Nebuchadnezzar summoned him and took him to Babylon, with the costly articles from the house of the LORD, and made Zedekiah, Jehoiakim's brother, king over Judah and Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36:20
And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia.
Jeremiah 24:1
The LORD showed me, and there were two baskets of figs set before the temple of the LORD, after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the princes of Judah with the craftsmen and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
-
Cross References
Esther 2:15
Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king's eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her.
-
Cross References
Esther 2:3
And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather all the beautiful young virgins to Shushan the citadel, into the women's quarters, under the custody of Hegai the king's eunuch, custodian of the women. And let beauty preparations be given them.
-
Cross References
Esther 2:3
And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather all the beautiful young virgins to Shushan the citadel, into the women's quarters, under the custody of Hegai the king's eunuch, custodian of the women. And let beauty preparations be given them.
Esther 2:12
Each young woman's turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had completed twelve months' preparation, according to the regulations for the women, for thus were the days of their preparation apportioned: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women.
-
Cross References
Esther 2:20
Now Esther had not revealed her family and her people, just as Mordecai had charged her, for Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai as when she was brought up by him.
-
Cross References
Esther 2:7
And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
Esther 9:29
Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter about Purim.
-
Cross References
Esther 5:2
So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter.
Esther 5:8
"If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, then let the king and Haman come to the banquet which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said."
-
Cross References
Esther 1:11
To bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown, in order to show her beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful to behold.
-
Cross References
Esther 1:3
That in the third year of his reign he made a feast for all his officials and servants - the powers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of the provinces being before him -
-
Cross References
Esther 2:10
Esther had not revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it.
Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.
-
Cross References
Esther 6:1
That night the king could not sleep. So one was commanded to bring the book of the records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.
Esther 6:2
And it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, the doorkeepers who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.
-
Cross References
Esther 6:1
That night the king could not sleep. So one was commanded to bring the book of the records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.