Estere kļūst par ķēniņieni
1 Vēlāk, kad ķēniņa Ahasvēra dusmas norima, viņš atcerējās Vaštī – ko viņa bija darījusi un kas par viņu bija lemts. 2 Un ķēniņa puiši, kas viņu apkalpoja, sacīja: “Meklēsim ķēniņam meitenes, no skata glītas jaunavas. 3 Lai ķēniņš ieceļ ierēdņus visās savas valsts provincēs, un tie lai sapulcina visas meitenes, no skata glītas jaunavas, galvaspilsētas Sūsas sievu harēmā, ķēniņa einuha Hēgaja uzraudzībā, kurš sargā sievas. Lai tām dod skaistuma ziedes. 4 Tā meitene, kas ķēniņam patiks, lai valda Vaštī vietā.” Tas ķēniņam patika, un viņš tā darīja.
5 Galvaspilsētā Sūsās bija kāds jūds, vārdā Mordohajs, Jaīra dēls, Šimī dēls, Kīša dēls, kāds benjāminietis, 6 kurš bija aizvests trimdā no Jeruzālemes kopā ar pārējiem gūstekņiem, kurus Bābeles ķēniņš Nebūkadnecars aizveda kopā ar Jūdas ķēniņu Jehonju. 7 Viņš bija uzaudzinājis sava tēvabrāļa meitu Hadasu, kā Esteri sauca, tai nebija ne tēva, ne mātes. Meitene bija skaista auguma un glīta no skata, un, kad viņas tēvs un māte nomira, Mordohajs viņu pieņēma sev par meitu. 8 Kad tika izziņots ķēniņa rīkojums, galvaspilsētā Sūsās sapulcināja daudzas meitenes Hēgaja uzraudzībā. Arī Esteri ņēma uz ķēniņa namu, un viņu uzraudzīja Hēgajs, kurš sargāja sievas. 9 Meitene viņam patika, tā iemantoja viņa laipnību, un viņš steidza tai gādāt skaistuma ziedes un ēdienu, deva tai septiņas īpaši izraudzītas kalpones no ķēniņa nama un ierādīja viņai un kalponēm labāko vietu harēmā. 10 Par savu tautu un izcelsmi Estere neko nestāstīja, jo Mordohajs bija pavēlējis neko par to neteikt. 11 Diendienā Mordohajs staigāja gar harēma priekšpagalmu, lai uzzinātu, vai Esterei klājas labi un kas ar viņu notiek. 12 Kad pienāca katras meitenes kārta iet pie ķēniņa Ahasvēra, kad tā pēc sievu likuma bija divpadsmit mēnešus kopusi savu skaistumu – sešus mēnešus ar mirru eļļu un sešus mēnešus ar smaržām un sievu skaistuma ziedēm –, 13 meitene gāja pie ķēniņa, un tai deva līdzi visu, ko vien viņa harēmā lūdza. 14 Vakarā viņa gāja, bet no rīta ķēniņa einuha Šaašgaza pavadībā, kurš sargāja blakussievas, devās uz otru harēmu. Pie ķēniņa viņa vairāk negāja, ja vien ķēniņš viņu negribēja un nesauca. 15 Kad Esterei, Mordohaja tēvabrāļa Abīhaila meitai, ko Mordohajs bija pieņēmis sev par meitu, pienāca kārta iet pie ķēniņa, viņa neprasīja neko citu kā vien to, ko ieteica ķēniņa einuhs Hēgajs, kurš sargāja sievas. Estere guva vēlību pie visiem, kas viņu redzēja. 16 Esteri aizveda pie ķēniņa Ahasvēra uz valdnieka pili desmitajā, teveta, mēnesī, viņa valdīšanas septītajā gadā. 17 Un ķēniņš iemīlēja Esteri vairāk par visām citām sievām. Viņa guva tā vēlību un žēlību vairāk par visām jaunavām, un viņš tai lika galvā valdnieces kroni un iecēla par ķēniņieni Vaštī vietā. 18 Tad ķēniņš rīkoja lielas dzīres visiem saviem augstmaņiem un kalpiem – dzīres Esterei, viņš atlaida pavalstīm nodokļus un dalīja dāvanas, kā tikai ķēniņam klājas.
Mordohajs atklāj sazvērestību
19 Kad jaunavas tika sapulcinātas otrreiz, Mordohajs kalpoja ķēniņa galmā. 20 Estere neko nebija stāstījusi ne par savu izcelsmi, ne savu tautu, jo tā viņai bija pavēlējis Mordohajs, bet Mordohaja teiktajam Estere klausīja tāpat kā agrāk, pie viņa augdama.
21 Tolaik, kad Mordohajs kalpoja ķēniņa galmā, divi ķēniņa einuhi, durvju sargi Bigtāns un Terešs, tā apskaitās, ka lūkoja ķēniņu Ahasvēru nogalēt. 22 Tas tapa zināms Mordohajam, viņš to pastāstīja ķēniņienei Esterei, bet viņa Mordohaja vārdā to pateica ķēniņam. 23 Šo lietu izmeklēja, atklāja, abus pakāra, un ķēniņa klātbūtnē tas tika ierakstīts notikumu grāmatā.
Esther Becomes Queen
1 Later, even after the king's anger had cooled down, he kept thinking about what Vashti had done and about his proclamation against her. 2 So some of the king's advisers who were close to him suggested, “Why don't you make a search to find some beautiful young virgins? 3 You can appoint officials in every province of the empire and have them bring all these beautiful young women to your harem here in Susa, the capital city. Put them in the care of Hegai, the eunuch who is in charge of your women, and let them be given a beauty treatment. 4 Then take the young woman you like best and make her queen in Vashti's place.”
The king thought this was good advice, so he followed it.
5 There in Susa lived a Jew named Mordecai son of Jair; he was from the tribe of Benjamin and was a descendant of Kish and Shimei. 6 When King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took King Jehoiachin of Judah into exile from Jerusalem, along with a group of captives, Mordecai was among them. 7 He had a cousin, Esther, whose Hebrew name was Hadassah; she was a beautiful young woman, and had a good figure. At the death of her parents, Mordecai had adopted her and brought her up as his own daughter.
8 When the king had issued his new proclamation and many young women were being brought to Susa, Esther was among them. She too was put in the royal palace in the care of Hegai, who had charge of the harem. 9 Hegai liked Esther, and she won his favor. He lost no time in beginning her beauty treatment of massage and special diet. He gave her the best place in the harem and assigned seven young women specially chosen from the royal palace to serve her.
10 Now, on the advice of Mordecai, Esther had kept it secret that she was Jewish. 11 Every day Mordecai would walk back and forth in front of the courtyard of the harem, in order to find out how she was getting along and what was going to happen to her.
12 The regular beauty treatment for the women lasted a year—massages with oil of myrrh for six months and with oil of balsam for six more. After that, each woman would be taken in turn to King Xerxes. 13 When she went from the harem to the palace, she could wear whatever she wanted. 14 She would go there in the evening, and the next morning she would be taken to another harem and put in the care of Shaashgaz, the eunuch in charge of the king's concubines. She would not go to the king again unless he liked her enough to ask for her by name.
15 The time came for Esther to go to the king. Esther—the daughter of Abihail and the cousin of Mordecai, who had adopted her as his daughter; Esther—admired by everyone who saw her. When her turn came, she wore just what Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the harem, advised her to wear. 16 So in Xerxes' seventh year as king, in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, Esther was brought to King Xerxes in the royal palace. 17 The king liked her more than any of the other women, and more than any of the others she won his favor and affection. He placed the royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti. 18 Then the king gave a great banquet in Esther's honor and invited all his officials and administrators. He proclaimed a holiday for the whole empire and distributed gifts worthy of a king.
Mordecai Saves the King's Life
19 Meanwhile Mordecai had been appointed by the king to an administrative position. 20 As for Esther, she had still not let it be known that she was Jewish. Mordecai had told her not to tell anyone, and she obeyed him in this, just as she had obeyed him when she was a little girl under his care.
21 During the time that Mordecai held office in the palace, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the palace eunuchs who guarded the entrance to the king's rooms, became hostile to King Xerxes and plotted to assassinate him. 22 Mordecai learned about it and told Queen Esther, who then told the king what Mordecai had found out. 23 There was an investigation, and it was discovered that the report was true, so both men were hanged on the gallows. The king ordered an account of this to be written down in the official records of the empire.
