1 And after this, when the wrath of king Ahasuerus had ceased, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what had been decreed of her.

2 And the king's servants said, Let them seek for the king beautiful young maidens,

3 And the king shall appoint watchmen in all the provinces of his kingdom, who shall gather together all the young virgins, beautiful in appearance, to the throne city of Susa, to the house of the wives, under the supervision of Hegai, the king's eunuch, the guardian of the wives, and they shall give them rubbings [and other things that are necessary];

4 And the maiden that pleases the king's eyes, let her be queen instead of Vashti. And this word was pleasing in the eyes of the king, and he did so.

5 And there was in Shushan, the throne city, a certain Judahite, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jairus, the son of Shemeah, the son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin.

6 He was carried away from Jerusalem, together with the captives brought out with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away.

7 And he was the tutor of Hadassah, who was Esther, his uncle's daughter, because she had neither father nor mother. This maiden was beautiful in stature and handsome in face. And after the death of her father and her mother, Mordecai took her to him in place of his daughter.

8 And when the king's command and decree were announced, and when many virgins were gathered together to the throne city of Susa, under the supervision of Hegai, then Esther was also taken into the king's house, under the supervision of Hegai, the guard of the women.

9 And this virgin pleased his eyes, and gained favor with him, and he hastened to give her the rubbings and all that was appointed for her part, and to assign to her seven virgins worthy to be with her, from the king's house, and he transferred her and her maidens to the best section of the women's house.

10 And Esther did not speak of her people, nor of her kindred, because Mordecai had commanded her not to speak.

11 And every day Mordecai came to the court of the women's house, to inquire about Esther's health, and what was happening to her.

12 And when the time came for every virgin to come in unto king Ahasuerus, after all that was ordained for the women had been done to her for twelve months, for so long were the days of their grinding, six months with myrrh oil, and six months with spices and other feminine rubbings,

13 Then the damsel went in to the king. Whatever she demanded, she was given everything to go out of the women's house to the king's house.

14 In the evening she went in, and in the morning returned to another house of women, under the supervision of Shaazgaz, the king's eunuch, the guard of the concubines; and she no longer went in to the king, unless the king desired her, and she was called by name.