Esther 2

1 after [the] word: thing [the] these like/as to subside rage [the] king Ahasuerus to remember [obj] Vashti and [obj] which to make: do and [obj] which to cut upon her

After a while, King Xerxes quit being so angry. He thought about Vashti, and he thought about the law he had made because of what she [had done, and he wanted another wife].

2 and to say youth [the] king to minister him to seek to/for king maiden virgin pleasant appearance

So his personal servants said to him, “[Your majesty, ] you should send some men to search throughout the empire for some beautiful young women/virgins for you.

3 and to reckon: overseer [the] king overseer in/on/with all province royalty his and to gather [obj] all maiden virgin pleasant appearance to(wards) Susa [the] palace to(wards) house: palace [the] woman: wife to(wards) hand: power Hegai eunuch [the] king to keep: guard [the] woman and to give: give cosmetic their

[After they find some, ] you can appoint some officials in each province to bring them to the place where you keep (your wives/the women you sleep with) here in Susa. Then Hegai, the man who is in charge of these women, can arrange for ointments to be put [on their bodies] to make them [more] beautiful.

4 and [the] maiden which be good in/on/with eye: appearance [the] king to reign underneath: instead Vashti and be good [the] word: thing in/on/with eye: appearance [the] king and to make: do so

Then the woman who pleases you most can become queen instead of Vashti.” The king liked what they suggested, so he did it.

5 man Jew to be in/on/with Susa [the] palace and name his Mordecai son: child Jair son: child Shimei son: child Kish man Benjaminite

At that time there was a Jew [living] in Susa, the capital, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair. Jair was a descendant of Shimei. Shimei was a descendant of [King Saul’s father] Kish. [They were all] from the tribe descended from Benjamin.

6 which to reveal: remove from Jerusalem with [the] captivity which to reveal: remove with Jeconiah king Judah which to reveal: remove Nebuchadnezzar king Babylon

[Many years before that, ] King Nebuchadnezzar had taken (Mordecai/Mordecai’s family) [and brought them from Jerusalem] to Babylon, at the same time he brought King Jehoiachin of Judah and many other people to Babylon.

7 and to be be faithful [obj] Hadassah he/she/it Esther daughter beloved: male relative his for nothing to/for her father and mother and [the] maiden beautiful appearance and pleasant appearance and in/on/with death father her and mother her to take: take her Mordecai to/for him to/for daughter

Mordecai had a cousin whose [Hebrew] name was Hadassah. She had a beautiful face and beautiful body/figure. Her [Persian] name was Esther. After her father and mother died, Mordecai took care of Esther as though she were his own daughter.

8 and to be in/on/with to hear: proclaim word [the] king and law his and in/on/with to gather maiden many to(wards) Susa [the] palace to(wards) hand: power Hegai and to take: take Esther to(wards) house: home [the] king to(wards) hand: power Hegai to keep: guard [the] woman

After the king commanded [that they search for some beautiful women], they brought Esther and many other young women to the king’s palace [in Susa], and (the king put Hegai/Hegai was put) in charge of them.

9 and be good [the] maiden in/on/with eye: appearance his and to lift: kindness kindness to/for face: kindness his and to dismay [obj] cosmetic her and [obj] portion her to/for to give: give to/for her and [obj] seven [the] maiden [the] to see: select to/for to give: give to/for her from house: home [the] king and to change her and [obj] maiden her to/for pleasant house: home [the] woman: wife

Hegai was very pleased with Esther, and he treated her well. He immediately arranged for her to be given ointments to make her [even more] beautiful, and [he ordered that] special food [would be given to her]. [He arranged that] seven maids from the king’s palace [would take care of her], and arranged that she/they would stay in the best rooms.

10 not to tell Esther [obj] people her and [obj] relatives her for Mordecai to command upon her which not to tell

Esther did not tell anyone that she was a Jew, because Mordecai had told her not to tell anyone.

11 and in/on/with all day and day: daily Mordecai to go: walk to/for face: before court house: palace [the] woman: wife to/for to know [obj] peace: greeting Esther and what? to make: do in/on/with her

Every day Mordecai walked near the courtyard of the place where those women stayed. He asked [people who entered the courtyard] to find out [and tell him] what was happening to Esther.

12 and in/on/with to touch plait maiden and maiden to/for to come (in): come to(wards) [the] king Ahasuerus from end to be to/for her like/as law [the] woman two ten month for so to fill day rubbing their six month in/on/with oil [the] myrrh and six month in/on/with spice and in/on/with cosmetic [the] woman

Before these women were taken to the king, they put ointments on [the bodies of] these women for one year to make them more beautiful. For six months they [rubbed olive] oil mixed with myrrh [on their bodies each day]. For [the next] six months they rubbed ointments and perfumes on their bodies.

13 and in/on/with this [the] maiden to come (in): come to(wards) [the] king [obj] all which to say to give: give to/for her to/for to come (in): come with her from house: home [the] woman: wife till house: home [the] king

Then, when one of these women [was summoned to] go to the king, she was allowed to wear whatever clothes and jewelry she chose.

14 in/on/with evening he/she/it to come (in): come and in/on/with morning he/she/it to return: return to(wards) house: palace [the] woman: wife second to(wards) hand: power Shaashgaz eunuch [the] king to keep: guard [the] concubine not to come (in): come still to(wards) [the] king that if: except if: except to delight in in/on/with her [the] king and to call: call to in/on/with name

In the evening, they would take her [to the king’s own room]. The next morning, they would take her to another place where the women [who had slept with the king] stayed. There another official whose name was Shaashgaz was in charge [of those women]. [Those women would live there for the rest of their lives, and] one of those women would go back to the king again only if the king very much wanted her to come again, and only if he told Shaashgaz the name of the woman.

15 and in/on/with to touch plait Esther daughter Abihail beloved: male relative Mordecai which to take: take to/for him to/for daughter to/for to come (in): come to(wards) [the] king not to seek word: thing that if: except if: except [obj] which to say Hegai eunuch [the] king to keep: guard [the] woman and to be Esther to lift: kindness favor in/on/with eye: appearance all to see: see her

Everyone who saw Esther liked her. After King Xerxes had been ruling for seven years, it was Esther’s turn to go to him. When they took her to the king, it was during the middle part of the winter. She wore only the things that Hegai suggested.

16 and to take: take Esther to(wards) [the] king Ahasuerus to(wards) house: home royalty his in/on/with month [the] tenth he/she/it month Tebeth in/on/with year seven to/for royalty his

17 and to love: lover [the] king [obj] Esther from all [the] woman and to lift: kindness favor and kindness to/for face: kindness his from all [the] virgin and to set: make crown royalty in/on/with head her and to reign her underneath: instead Vashti

The king liked Esther more than he liked any of the other women [that they brought to him]. He liked her so much that he put on her head the queen’s crown, and he declared that Esther would be the queen instead of Vashti.

18 and to make: offer [the] king feast great: large to/for all ruler his and servant/slave his [obj] feast Esther and holiday to/for province to make: offer and to give: give tribute like/as hand: to [the] king

To celebrate her [becoming the queen], he had a big banquet/feast prepared for all his administrators and [other] officials. He generously gave [expensive] gifts to everyone, and he declared that in all the provinces there would be a holiday, [a time when people did not have to pay taxes].

19 and in/on/with to gather virgin second and Mordecai to dwell in/on/with gate [the] king

Later all those women who had spent a night with the king were gathered together again. By that time Mordecai had become an official at the palace.

20 nothing Esther to tell relatives her and [obj] people her like/as as which to command upon her Mordecai and [obj] command Mordecai Esther to make: do like/as as which to be in/on/with brought up with him

But Esther still did not tell anyone that she was a Jew. She continued to do what Mordecai had told her to do.

21 in/on/with day [the] they(masc.) and Mordecai to dwell in/on/with gate [the] king be angry Bigthan and Teresh two eunuch [the] king from to keep: guard [the] threshold and to seek to/for to send: reach hand in/on/with king Ahasuerus

One day when Mordecai was doing his work in the palace, two of the king’s officials were there. Their names were Bigthana and Teresh. They were the guards who stood outside the king’s own rooms. They became angry [with the king], and they were planning how they could assassinate/kill him.

22 and to know [the] word: thing to/for Mordecai and to tell to/for Esther [the] queen and to say Esther to/for king in/on/with name Mordecai

But Mordecai heard about what they were planning, and he told that to Queen Esther. Then she told the king what Mordecai had found out.

23 and to seek [the] word: deed and to find and to hang two their upon tree: stake and to write in/on/with scroll: book word: deed [the] day to/for face: before [the] king

The king investigated and found out that Mordecai’s report was true. So the king ordered that those two men be hanged. When that was done, (an official wrote a report/a report was written) about it in a book called ‘The book that records what happened while Xerxes was king’.