Esther 2

1 After these things, at the ceasing of the fury of the king Ahasuerus, he hath remembered Vashti, and that which she did, and that which hath been decreed concerning 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 servants of the king, his ministers, say, 'Let them seek for the king young women, virgins, of good 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 the king doth appoint inspectors in all provinces of his kingdom, and they gather every young woman — virgin, of good appearance — unto Shushan the palace, unto the house of the women, unto the hand of Hege eunuch of the king, keeper of the women, and to give their purifications,

[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 young woman who is good in the eyes of the king doth reign instead of Vashti;' and the thing is good in the eyes of the king, and he doth 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 A man, a Jew, there hath been in Shushan the palace, and his name [is] Mordecai son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjamite —

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 who had been removed from Jerusalem with the removal that was removed with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed —

[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 he is supporting Hadassah — she [is] Esther — daughter of his uncle, for she hath neither father nor mother, and the young woman [is] of fair form, and of good appearance, and at the death of her father and her mother hath Mordecai taken her to him for a 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 it cometh to pass, in the word of the king, even his law, being heard, and in many young women being gathered unto Shushan the palace, unto the hand of Hegai, that Esther is taken unto the house of the king, unto the hand of Hegai, keeper of the women,

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 the young woman is good in his eyes, and she receiveth kindness before him, and he hasteneth her purifications and her portions — to give to her, and the seven young women who are provided — to give to her, from the house of the king, and he changeth her and her young women to a good [place in] the house of the women.

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 Esther hath not declared her people, and her kindred, for Mordecai hath laid a charge on her that she doth not declare [it];

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

11 and during every day Mordecai is walking up and down before the court of the house of the women to know the welfare of Esther, and what is done 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 the drawing nigh of the turn of each young woman to come in unto the king Ahasuerus, at the end of there being to her — according to the law of the women — twelve months, for so they fulfil the days of their purifications; six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with spices, and with the purifications of women,

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 with this the young woman hath come in unto the king, all that she saith is given to her, to go in with her, out of the house of the women, unto the house of 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 the evening she hath gone in, and in the morning she hath turned back unto the second house of the women, unto the hand of Shaashgaz eunuch of the king, keeper of the concubines; she cometh not in any more unto the king except the king hath delighted in her, and she hath been called by 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 the drawing nigh of the turn of Esther — daughter of Abihail, uncle of Mordecai, whom he had taken to him for a daughter — to come in unto the king, she hath not sought a thing except that which Hegai eunuch of the king, keeper of the women, saith, and Esther is receiving grace in the eyes of all seeing 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 Esther is taken unto the king Ahasuerus, unto his royal house, in the tenth month — it [is] the month of Tebeth — in the seventh year of his reign,

17 and the king loveth Esther above all the women, and she receiveth grace and kindness before him above all the virgins, and he setteth a royal crown on her head, and causeth her to reign instead of 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 the king maketh a great banquet to all his heads and his servants — the banquet of Esther — and a release to the provinces hath made, and giveth gifts as a memorial of 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 the virgins being gathered a second time, then Mordecai is sitting in the gate of 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 Esther is not declaring her kindred and her people, as Mordecai hath laid a charge upon her, and the saying of Mordecai Esther is doing as when she was truly 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 those days, when Mordecai is sitting in the gate of the king, hath Bigthan been wroth, and Teresh, (two of the eunuchs of the king, the keepers of the threshold, ) and they seek to put forth a hand on 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 the thing is known to Mordecai, and he declareth [it] to Esther the queen, and Esther speaketh to the king in the name of 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 the thing is sought out, and found, and they are hanged both of them on a tree, and it is written in the book of the Chronicles 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’.