1. After these things, as the rage of King Ahasuerus abated, he became mindful of Vashti, what she had done and what was decreed against her.
2. So the king’s servants who attended him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king!
3. Let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom so that they may gather all the beautiful young virgins to the citadel of Susa, to the harem under the custody of Hegai the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the harem, and let ointments and cosmetics be given to them.
4. May the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” And the idea pleased the king, so he acted accordingly.
5. Now in the citadel of Susa, there was a certain Jew named Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite.
6. He had been taken away from Jerusalem among the exiles and carried into captivity along with King Jeconiah of Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
7. He was the guardian of Hadassah, that is Esther (who was his uncle’s daughter) because she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely to look at and beautiful in form. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
8. When the king’s notice and his decree were heard, many young women were then gathered to the citadel of Susa and placed under the custody of Hegai. Esther was likewise brought to the king’s house and placed under the custody of Hegai, who was in charge of the harem.
9. Because the young lady appeared pleasing to him and had gained favor in his sight, he quickly gave her the ointments and cosmetics, her allotted food, and seven young chosen women from the king’s palace. He also transferred her and her young women to the best place of the harem.
10. Esther had not disclosed her people or her lineage because Mordecai had charged her not to disclose it.
11. Every day Mordecai walked around the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther fared and what might be done with her.
12. 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.