Esther made queen
1Later when King Xerxes’ fury had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what he had decreed about her. 2Then the king’s personal attendants proposed, ‘Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king. 3Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them. 4Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.’ This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it.
5Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, 6who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin2:6 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin king of Judah. 7Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.
8When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. 9She pleased him and won his favour. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven female attendants selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem.
10Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so. 11Every day he walked to and fro near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.
12Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics. 13And this is how she would go to the king: anything she wanted was given to her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. 14In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name.
15When the turn came for Esther (the young woman Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favour of everyone who saw her. 16She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favour and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18And the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.
Mordecai uncovers a conspiracy
19When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. 20But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up.
21During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthana2:21 Hebrew Bigthan, a variant of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. 22But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai. 23And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were impaled on poles. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king.
Naging Reyna si Ester
1Nang mawala na ang galit ni Haring Ahasuerus, naalala niya si Vasti at ang ginawa nito, at ang kautusan na nilagdaan niya laban dito. 2Sinabi ng mga pinunong naglilingkod sa kanya, “Mahal na Hari, bakit po hindi kayo maghanap ng magagandang dalagang birhen? 3Pumili po kayo ng mga pinuno sa bawat probinsyang nasasakupan ng kaharian ninyo para maghanap ng magagandang dalagang birhen at dalhin dito sa lungsod ng Susa, sa tahanan ng mga kababaihan. Ipaasikaso ninyo sila kay Hegai na isa sa mga pinuno ninyong mataas ang katungkulan, na nangangalaga sa tahanan ng mga kababaihan. Siya na po ang bahalang magbigay sa mga dalaga ng mga pangangailangan nila para sa pagpapaganda. 4At ang dalaga pong magugustuhan ninyo ang siyang ipapalit ninyo kay Vasti bilang reyna.” Nagustuhan ng hari ang payong ito kaya sinunod niya.
5Nang panahong iyon, may isang Judio na nakatira sa lungsod ng Susa. Ang pangalan niyaʼy Mordecai na anak ni Jair, na apo ni Shimei na anak ni Kish, na kabilang sa lahi ni Benjamin. 6Isa siya sa mga bihag ni Haring Nebucadnezar na dinala sa Babilonia mula sa Jerusalem, kasama ni Haring Jehoyakin2:6 Jehoyakin: o, Jeconia. ng Juda. 7Si Mordecai ay may pinsang dalaga. Nang itoʼy maulila, inalagaan niya ito, pinalaki at itinuring na parang sarili niyang anak. Ang pangalan niya ay Hadasa na tinatawag ding Ester. Maganda si Ester at maganda rin ang hugis ng katawan nito.
8Nang maihayag ang utos ng hari, maraming dalaga ang dinala sa palasyo ng hari roon sa Susa. Ang isa sa kanila ay si Ester. Ipinaasikaso sila kay Hegai dahil ito nga ang nangangasiwa sa mga babaeng dinadala roon. 9Tuwang-tuwa si Hegai kay Ester, kaya mabuti ang pakikitungo niya rito. Binigyan niya agad ng pagkain si Ester at ng mga kailangan nito sa pagpapaganda. Ipinili niya ito ng pinakamagandang kwarto at binigyan ng pitong katulong na babae.
10Hindi sinabi ni Ester na isa siyang Judio, dahil pinagbilinan siya ni Mordecai na huwag itong sasabihin. 11Araw-araw namang dumaraan si Mordecai malapit sa bakuran ng bahay na tinitirhan ng mga dalaga para malaman ang kalagayan ni Ester (at kung ano na ang mga nangyayari sa kanya).
12Bago humarap ang isang babae sa hari, kinakailangang matapos niya ang isang taon ng pagpapaganda. Sa unang anim na buwan, magpapahid siya ng langis ng mira sa katawan, at sa susunod na anim na buwan, magpapahid naman ng mga pabango at iba pang pampaganda. 13At bago siya pumunta sa hari, bibigyan siya ng anumang damit at alahas na gusto niyang isuot para sa pagharap sa hari. 14Pupunta siya sa hari pagsapit ng gabi at kinabukasan, dadalhin siya sa tirahan ng mga asawa ng hari na pinamamahalaan ni Shaasgaz na isa sa mga pinunong mataas ang katungkulan. Siya ang namamahala sa mga asawa ng hari. Walang sinuman sa kanila ang makakabalik sa hari maliban lang kung magustuhan siya at ipatawag ng hari.
15-16Nang ikasampung buwan, buwan ng Tibet, at ikapitong taon ng paghahari ni Ahasuerus, dumating ang araw na si Ester2:15-16 Ester: sa Hebreo, anak ni Abihail na tito ni Mordecai, at pinalaki ni Mordecai bilang sarili niyang anak. na ang haharap sa hari sa palasyo. Sinunod ni Ester ang payo ni Hegai, ang pinunong nangangalaga sa kanila sa tahanan ng mga babae. Isinuot niya ang damit na sinabi ni Hegai na isuot niya. Ganoon na lang ang paghanga at pagpuri ng mga nakakita sa kanya, at dinala siya sa palasyo ng hari.
17Nagustuhan ng hari si Ester ng higit kaysa sa ibang mga dalaga na dinala sa kanya. Tuwang-tuwa siya kay Ester, at mabuti ang trato niya sa kanya. Kinoronahan niya ito at ginawang reyna bilang kapalit ni Vasti. 18Nagdaos ang hari ng malaking handaan para parangalan si Ester. Inanyayahan niya ang lahat ng pinuno niya at ang iba pang naglilingkod sa kanya. Nang araw na iyon, ipinag-utos niya sa lahat at sa buong kaharian na magdiwang ng isang pista opisyal, at nagbigay siya ng maraming regalo sa mga tao.
Iniligtas ni Mordecai ang Hari
19Sa pangalawang pagtitipon ng mga dalaga, si Mordecai ay isa nang opisyal na nakapwesto sa pintuan ng palasyo. 20Hindi pa rin sinasabi ni Ester na isa siyang Judio, tulad ng bilin ni Mordecai. Sinusunod pa rin ni Ester si Mordecai katulad noon, nang siyaʼy nasa pangangalaga pa nito.
21Nang panahong si Mordecai ay isa nang opisyal na nakapwesto sa pintuan ng palasyo, may dalawang pinuno ng hari na ang mga pangalan ay Bigtana2:21 Bigtana: o, Bigtan. at Teres. Sila ang mga guwardya ng pintuan ng kwarto ng hari. Galit sila kay Haring Ahasuerus, at nagplano silang patayin ito. 22Pero nalaman ni Mordecai ang planong ito, kaya sinabi niya ito kay Reyna Ester. Sinabi naman ito ni Ester sa hari at ipinaalam din niya sa kanya na si Mordecai ang nakatuklas sa planong pagpatay. 23Ipinasiyasat ito ng hari. At nang mapatunayang totoo ito, ipinatuhog niya sina Bigtan at Teres sa nakatayong matulis na kahoy. At ang pangyayaring itoʼy ipinasulat ng hari sa aklat ng kasaysayan ng kaharian.
