New American Standard Bible 2020

Esther 2:3-8

3And may the king appoint overseers in 1all the provinces of his kingdom, and have them 2bring every beautiful young virgin to the citadel of Susa, to the harem, into the custody of 3Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and 4let their cosmetics be given to them. 4Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen in place of Vashti.” And the 5suggestion pleased the king, and he did accordingly.

5There was a Jew at the citadel in Susa whose name was 6Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 6 7who had been taken from Jerusalem with the exiles who had been deported with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had deported. 7He was the guardian to Hadassah, that is 8Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had no father or mother. Now the young woman was beautiful of form and 9face, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

8So it came about, when the command and decree of the king were heard and 10many young ladies were gathered to the citadel of Susa into the 11custody of 12Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king’s 13palace into the custody of Hegai, who was in charge of the women.

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Notes

1. Esther 2:3 Esth 1:1, 2 ↩
2. Esther 2:3 Lit gather ↩
3. Esther 2:3 Esth 2:8, 15 ↩
4. Esther 2:3 Esth 2:9, 12 ↩
5. Esther 2:4 Lit word ↩
6. Esther 2:5 Esth 3:2 ↩
7. Esther 2:6 2 Kin 24:14, 15; 2 Chr 36:10 ↩
8. Esther 2:7 Esth 2:15 ↩
9. Esther 2:7 Lit good of appearance ↩
10. Esther 2:8 Esth 2:3 ↩
11. Esther 2:8 Lit hand ↩
12. Esther 2:8 Esth 2:3, 15 ↩
13. Esther 2:8 Lit house ↩

Notes

Commentaries on Esther 2