16 And Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus, to his king's house, in the tenth month, that is, in the month of Thebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

17 And the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she gained his favor and favor more than all the virgins. and he put the royal crown on her head, and made her queen in the place of Vashti.

18 And the king made a great feast for all his princes, and for those who served therein, a feast for Esther's sake, and made a privilege to the provinces, and distributed gifts with royal generosity.

19 And when the virgins were gathered together the second time, and Mordecai sat at the king's gate,

20 Yet Esther did not speak of her kinship and of her people, as Mordecai had commanded her; and Esther fulfilled the word of Mordecai even now, just as she did when she was brought up by him.

21 And while Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, the two royal eunuchs, Gibathha and Terah, who were guarding the threshold, were angry [because Mordecai was preferred], and plotted to lay a hand on king Ahasuerus.

22 When Mordecai heard of this, he told Queen Esther, and Esther spoke to the king in Mordecai's name.

23 The case was investigated and found to be correct, and they were both hanged on a tree. And Mordecai's beneficence was written in the king's book of the day's records.

3

1 And after these things king Artaxerxes magnified Haman, the son of Amadath, the Beast, and exalted him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him;

2 And all those who served with the king who were at the king's gate bowed down and prostrated themselves before Haman, for the king had commanded so. And Mordecai did not bow down or prostrate himself.

3 And those who were at the king's gate said to Mordecai, 'Why do you transgress the king's commandment?'

4 And as they had spoken to him every day, and he would not listen to them, they reported to Haman, to see if Mordecai would stand in his word, for he had told them that he was a Judahite.

5 And when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down, nor prostrate himself before him, Haman was filled with wrath.