Esther 2 – NIV & BPH

New International Version

Esther 2:1-23

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 favor. 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 back and forth 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 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 favor 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 favor 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.

Bibelen på hverdagsdansk

Esters Bog 2:1-23

Ester bliver dronning og redder kongens liv

1Nogen tid senere havde kongens vrede fortaget sig. Han tænkte over, hvad Vashti havde gjort, og fortrød den lov, han havde udstedt.

2Da sagde kongens rådgivere: „Lad os finde nogle smukke unge piger til kongen. 3Vi foreslår, at kongen sender talentspejdere ud til rigets forskellige provinser og gennem dem udvælger de smukkeste kandidater til det kongelige harem i paladset i Susa. Eunukken Hegaj, der har opsyn med paladsets kvinder, skal sørge for at give dem skønhedspleje, 4hvorefter kongen kan vælge den pige, han synes bedst om, som dronning Vashtis efterfølger.”

Kongen syntes godt om rådgivernes forslag og gjorde, som de havde sagt.

5Blandt de ansatte i paladset var der en jøde ved navn Mordokaj. Han var fra Benjamins stamme, søn af Jair, der var søn af Shimi, som var søn af Kish. 6Kish var en af de jøder, der efter Jerusalems ødelæggelse var blevet taget til fange af kong Nebukadnezar og ført i landflygtighed i Babylonien sammen med kong Jekonja af Juda og mange andre. 7Mordokaj havde en smuk, ung kusine ved navn Ester—med det jødiske navn Hadassa. Efter hendes forældres død havde Mordokaj adopteret hende og opdraget hende som sin egen datter. 8Da nu kongen søgte efter smukke piger, blev Ester sammen med mange andre ført til paladset i Susa. 9Hegaj blev så betaget af Ester, at han satte alt ind på at gøre hende så smuk som mulig. Han begyndte straks på hendes skønhedskur og gav hende bedre mad end nogen af de andre piger. Han stillede syv af de bedste hofdamer til hendes rådighed og gav hende det flotteste værelse i kvindernes fløj. 10Ester fortalte ikke til nogen, at hun var jøde, for det havde hendes plejefar forbudt hende. 11Hver dag lagde Mordokaj vejen forbi kvindernes fløj for at høre, hvordan det gik med Ester.

12Pigernes skønhedspleje varede et helt år og bestod af seks måneders behandling med myrraolie og seks måneders behandling med forskellige salver og skønhedsmidler. Når en pige således havde gennemgået et års skønhedskur, blev hun sendt ind til kongen. 13Den dag hun forlod kvindernes fløj og gik ind til kongen, måtte hun selv udvælge det tøj og de smykker, hun ønskede. 14Pigen tilbragte så en nat hos kongen, hvorefter hun næste morgen blev ført til den fløj, hvor kongens medhustruer boede. Der blev hun overgivet i eunukken Sha’ashgaz’ varetægt. Her skulle hun så bo fremover og kom ikke ind til kongen igen—medmindre han sendte bud efter hende.

15Da det blev Esters2,15 Teksten tilføjer en parentes: „den pige, som Mordokaj havde adopteret, en datter af hans onkel, Abihajil.” tur til at komme ind til kongen, lyttede hun til Hegajs råd og klædte sig sådan, som han foreslog, og alle beundrede hendes skønhed. 16Så blev Ester ført ind til kong Xerxes—det var i den tiende måned i kongens syvende regeringsår— 17og han blev så forelsket i hende, at han satte dronningekronen på hendes hoved og udnævnte hende til dronning i stedet for Vashti. 18For at markere sin glæde udråbte han dagen som en national helligdag, og til ære for Ester holdt han en stor fest for sine embedsmænd og hoffolk. Han uddelte også gaver med en rundhåndethed, der passer sig for en stor monark.

19-20Alle pigerne blev efterhånden overflyttet til medhustruernes fløj. Ester havde stadig ikke røbet sin jødiske herkomst, sådan som Mordokaj havde pålagt hende. Hun blev nemlig ved med at følge hans råd, selv efter at hun var blevet dronning.

Mordokaj hørte til de dommere, som sad og afgjorde mindre retssager i portrummet i kongens palads. 21-22En dag, mens han sad der, blev han klar over, at to af portvagterne, Bigtan og Teresh, var vrede på kongen og ventede på en anledning til at myrde ham. Det fortalte Mordokaj straks til dronning Ester, som sagde det videre til kongen. 23Sagen blev straks undersøgt, og de to skyldige mænd blev henrettet ved hængning.2,23 Eller måske dræbt ved at blive hængt op på en spids pæl. Mens kongen så på det, blev det hele derefter nedskrevet i rigets krønikebog.