Esther 2 (ESV)

1 After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. 2 Then the king’s young men who attended him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king. 3 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the citadel, under custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women. Let their cosmetics be given them. 4 And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This pleased the king, and he did so. 5 Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 6 who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away. 7 He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. 8 So when the king’s order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king’s palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women. 9 And the young woman pleased him and won his favor. And he quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her portion of food, and with seven chosen young women from the king’s palace, and advanced her and her young women to the best place in the harem. 10 Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known. 11 And every day Mordecai walked in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her. 12 Now when the turn came for each young woman to go in to King Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments for women— 13 when the young woman went in to the king in this way, she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. 14 In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second harem in custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch, who was in charge of the concubines. She would not go in to the king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name. 15 When the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king’s eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her. 16 And when 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 women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 Then the king gave a great feast for all his officials and servants; it was Esther’s feast. He also granted a remission of taxes to the provinces and gave gifts with royal generosity. 19 Now when the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. 20 Esther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had commanded her, for Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him. 21 In those days, as Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 22 And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai, and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai. 23 When the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.

In Other Versions

Esther 2 in the ANGEFD

Esther 2 in the ANTPNG2D

Esther 2 in the AS21

Esther 2 in the BAGH

Esther 2 in the BBPNG

Esther 2 in the BBT1E

Esther 2 in the BDS

Esther 2 in the BEV

Esther 2 in the BHAD

Esther 2 in the BIB

Esther 2 in the BLPT

Esther 2 in the BNT

Esther 2 in the BNTABOOT

Esther 2 in the BNTLV

Esther 2 in the BOATCB

Esther 2 in the BOATCB2

Esther 2 in the BOBCV

Esther 2 in the BOCNT

Esther 2 in the BOECS

Esther 2 in the BOGWICC

Esther 2 in the BOHCB

Esther 2 in the BOHCV

Esther 2 in the BOHLNT

Esther 2 in the BOHNTLTAL

Esther 2 in the BOICB

Esther 2 in the BOILNTAP

Esther 2 in the BOITCV

Esther 2 in the BOKCV

Esther 2 in the BOKCV2

Esther 2 in the BOKHWOG

Esther 2 in the BOKSSV

Esther 2 in the BOLCB

Esther 2 in the BOLCB2

Esther 2 in the BOMCV

Esther 2 in the BONAV

Esther 2 in the BONCB

Esther 2 in the BONLT

Esther 2 in the BONUT2

Esther 2 in the BOPLNT

Esther 2 in the BOSCB

Esther 2 in the BOSNC

Esther 2 in the BOTLNT

Esther 2 in the BOVCB

Esther 2 in the BOYCB

Esther 2 in the BPBB

Esther 2 in the BPH

Esther 2 in the BSB

Esther 2 in the CCB

Esther 2 in the CUV

Esther 2 in the CUVS

Esther 2 in the DBT

Esther 2 in the DGDNT

Esther 2 in the DHNT

Esther 2 in the DNT

Esther 2 in the ELBE

Esther 2 in the EMTV

Esther 2 in the FBV

Esther 2 in the FEB

Esther 2 in the GGMNT

Esther 2 in the GNT

Esther 2 in the HARY

Esther 2 in the HNT

Esther 2 in the IRVA

Esther 2 in the IRVB

Esther 2 in the IRVG

Esther 2 in the IRVH

Esther 2 in the IRVK

Esther 2 in the IRVM

Esther 2 in the IRVM2

Esther 2 in the IRVO

Esther 2 in the IRVP

Esther 2 in the IRVT

Esther 2 in the IRVT2

Esther 2 in the IRVU

Esther 2 in the ISVN

Esther 2 in the JSNT

Esther 2 in the KAPI

Esther 2 in the KBT1ETNIK

Esther 2 in the KBV

Esther 2 in the KJV

Esther 2 in the KNFD

Esther 2 in the LBA

Esther 2 in the LBLA

Esther 2 in the LNT

Esther 2 in the LSV

Esther 2 in the MAAL

Esther 2 in the MBV

Esther 2 in the MBV2

Esther 2 in the MHNT

Esther 2 in the MKNFD

Esther 2 in the MNG

Esther 2 in the MNT

Esther 2 in the MNT2

Esther 2 in the MRS1T

Esther 2 in the NAA

Esther 2 in the NASB

Esther 2 in the NBLA

Esther 2 in the NBS

Esther 2 in the NBVTP

Esther 2 in the NET2

Esther 2 in the NIV11

Esther 2 in the NNT

Esther 2 in the NNT2

Esther 2 in the NNT3

Esther 2 in the PDDPT

Esther 2 in the PFNT

Esther 2 in the RMNT

Esther 2 in the SBIAS

Esther 2 in the SBIBS

Esther 2 in the SBIBS2

Esther 2 in the SBICS

Esther 2 in the SBIDS

Esther 2 in the SBIGS

Esther 2 in the SBIHS

Esther 2 in the SBIIS

Esther 2 in the SBIIS2

Esther 2 in the SBIIS3

Esther 2 in the SBIKS

Esther 2 in the SBIKS2

Esther 2 in the SBIMS

Esther 2 in the SBIOS

Esther 2 in the SBIPS

Esther 2 in the SBISS

Esther 2 in the SBITS

Esther 2 in the SBITS2

Esther 2 in the SBITS3

Esther 2 in the SBITS4

Esther 2 in the SBIUS

Esther 2 in the SBIVS

Esther 2 in the SBT

Esther 2 in the SBT1E

Esther 2 in the SCHL

Esther 2 in the SNT

Esther 2 in the SUSU

Esther 2 in the SUSU2

Esther 2 in the SYNO

Esther 2 in the TBIAOTANT

Esther 2 in the TBT1E

Esther 2 in the TBT1E2

Esther 2 in the TFTIP

Esther 2 in the TFTU

Esther 2 in the TGNTATF3T

Esther 2 in the THAI

Esther 2 in the TNFD

Esther 2 in the TNT

Esther 2 in the TNTIK

Esther 2 in the TNTIL

Esther 2 in the TNTIN

Esther 2 in the TNTIP

Esther 2 in the TNTIZ

Esther 2 in the TOMA

Esther 2 in the TTENT

Esther 2 in the UBG

Esther 2 in the UGV

Esther 2 in the UGV2

Esther 2 in the UGV3

Esther 2 in the VBL

Esther 2 in the VDCC

Esther 2 in the YALU

Esther 2 in the YAPE

Esther 2 in the YBVTP

Esther 2 in the ZBP