Ester 2:1-23
Konteks2:1 When these things had been accomplished 1 and the rage of King Ahasuerus had diminished, he remembered 2 Vashti and what she had done and what had been decided 3 against her. 2:2 The king’s servants who attended him said, “Let a search be conducted in the king’s behalf for attractive young women. 4 2:3 And let the king appoint officers throughout all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the attractive young women to Susa the citadel, to the harem 5 under the authority of Hegai, the king’s eunuch who oversees the women, and let him provide whatever cosmetics they desire. 6 2:4 Let the young woman whom the king finds most attractive 7 become queen in place of Vashti.” This seemed like a good idea to the king, 8 so he acted accordingly.
2:5 Now there happened to be a Jewish man in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai. 9 He was the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 2:6 who had been taken into exile from Jerusalem 10 with the captives who had been carried into exile with Jeconiah 11 king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken into exile. 2:7 Now he was acting as the guardian 12 of Hadassah 13 (that is, Esther), the daughter of his uncle, for neither her father nor her mother was alive. 14 This young woman was very attractive and had a beautiful figure. 15 When her father and mother died, Mordecai had raised her 16 as if she were his own daughter.
2:8 It so happened that when the king’s edict and his law became known 17 many young women were taken to Susa the citadel to be placed under the authority of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the royal palace 18 to be under the authority of Hegai, who was overseeing the women. 2:9 This young woman pleased him, 19 and she found favor with him. He quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her rations; he also provided her with the seven specially chosen 20 young women who were from the palace. He then transferred her and her young women to the best quarters in the harem. 21
2:10 Now Esther had not disclosed her people or her lineage, 22 for Mordecai had instructed her not to do so. 23 2:11 And day after day Mordecai used to walk back and forth in front of the court of the harem in order to learn how Esther was doing 24 and what might happen to her.
2:12 At the end of the twelve months that were required for the women, 25 when the turn of each young woman arrived to go to King Ahasuerus – for in this way they had to fulfill their time of cosmetic treatment: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfume and various ointments used by women – 2:13 the woman would go to the king in the following way: Whatever she asked for would be provided for her to take with her from the harem to the royal palace. 2:14 In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to a separate part 26 of the harem, to the authority of Shaashgaz the king’s eunuch who was overseeing the concubines. She would not go back to the king unless the king was pleased with her 27 and she was requested by name.
2:15 When it became the turn of Esther daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai (who had raised her as if she were his own daughter 28 ) to go to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai the king’s eunuch, who was overseer of the women, had recommended. Yet Esther met with the approval of all who saw her. 2:16 Then Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus at his royal residence in the tenth 29 month (that is, the month of Tebeth) in the seventh 30 year of his reign. 2:17 And the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she met with his loving approval 31 more than all the other young women. 32 So he placed the royal high turban on her head and appointed her queen 33 in place of Vashti. 2:18 Then the king prepared a large banquet for all his officials and his servants – it was actually Esther’s banquet. He also set aside a holiday for the provinces, and he provided for offerings at the king’s expense. 34
2:19 Now when the young women were being gathered again, 35 Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. 36 2:20 Esther was still not divulging her lineage or her people, 37 just as Mordecai had instructed her. 38 Esther continued to do whatever Mordecai said, just as she had done when he was raising her.
2:21 In those days while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan 39 and Teresh, 40 two of the king’s eunuchs who protected the entrance, 41 became angry and plotted to assassinate 42 King Ahasuerus. 2:22 When Mordecai learned of the conspiracy, 43 he informed Queen Esther, 44 and Esther told the king in Mordecai’s behalf. 45 2:23 The king then had the matter investigated and, finding it to be so, had the two conspirators 46 hanged on a gallows. 47 It was then recorded in the daily chronicles in the king’s presence.
Ester 9:1-32
Konteks9:1 In the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar), on its thirteenth day, the edict of the king and his law were to be executed. It was on this day that the enemies of the Jews had supposed that they would gain power over them. But contrary to expectations, the Jews gained power over their enemies. 9:2 The Jews assembled themselves in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to strike out against those who were seeking their harm. No one was able to stand before them, for dread of them fell on all the peoples. 9:3 All the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and those who performed the king’s business were assisting the Jews, for the dread of Mordecai had fallen on them. 9:4 Mordecai was of high rank 48 in the king’s palace, and word about him was spreading throughout all the provinces. His influence 49 continued to become greater and greater.
9:5 The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, bringing death and destruction, and they did as they pleased with their enemies. 9:6 In Susa the citadel the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. 9:7 In addition, they also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 9:8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9:9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha, 9:10 the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not confiscate their property.
9:11 On that same day the number of those killed in Susa the citadel was brought to the king’s attention. 9:12 Then the king said to Queen Esther, “In Susa the citadel the Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman! What then have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? What is your request? It shall be given to you. What other petition do you have? It shall be done.”
9:13 Esther replied, “If the king is so inclined, let the Jews who are in Susa be permitted to act tomorrow also according to today’s law, and let them hang the ten sons of Haman on the gallows.”
9:14 So the king issued orders for this to be done. A law was passed in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged. 9:15 The Jews who were in Susa then assembled on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they killed three hundred men in Susa. But they did not confiscate their property.
9:16 The rest of the Jews who were throughout the provinces of the king assembled in order to stand up for themselves and to have rest from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand 50 of their adversaries, but they did not confiscate their property. 9:17 All of this happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. They then rested on the fourteenth day and made it a day for banqueting and happiness.
9:18 But the Jews who were in Susa assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth days, and rested on the fifteenth, making it a day for banqueting and happiness. 9:19 This is why the Jews who are in the rural country – those who live in rural cities – set aside the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a holiday for happiness, banqueting, holiday, and sending gifts to one another.
9:20 Mordecai wrote these matters down and sent letters to all the Jews who were throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 9:21 to have them observe the fourteenth and the fifteenth day of the month of Adar each year 9:22 as the time when the Jews gave themselves rest from their enemies – the month when their trouble was turned to happiness and their mourning to a holiday. These were to be days of banqueting, happiness, sending gifts to one another, and providing for the poor.
9:23 So the Jews committed themselves to continue what they had begun to do and to what Mordecai had written to them. 9:24 For Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised plans against the Jews to destroy them. He had cast pur (that is, the lot) in order to afflict and destroy them. 9:25 But when the matter came to the king’s attention, the king 51 gave written orders that Haman’s 52 evil intentions that he had devised against the Jews should fall on his own head. He and his sons were hanged on the gallows. 9:26 For this reason these days are known as Purim, after the name of pur. 9:27 Therefore, because of the account found in this letter and what they had faced in this regard and what had happened to them, the Jews established as binding on themselves, their descendants, and all who joined their company that they should observe these two days without fail, just as written and at the appropriate time on an annual basis. 9:28 These days were to be remembered and to be celebrated in every generation and in every family, every province, and every city. The Jews were not to fail to observe these days of Purim; the remembrance of them was not to cease among their descendants.
9:29 So Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew wrote with full authority to confirm this second 53 letter about Purim. 9:30 Letters were sent 54 to all the Jews in the hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the empire of Ahasuerus – words of true peace 55 – 9:31 to establish these days of Purim in their proper times, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established, and just as they had established both for themselves and their descendants, matters pertaining to fasting and lamentation. 9:32 Esther’s command established these matters of Purim, and the matter was officially recorded. 56
[2:1] 1 tn Heb “after these things” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). The expression is very vague from a temporal standpoint, not indicating precisely just how much time might have elapsed. Cf. v. 21.
[2:1] 2 sn There may be a tinge of regret expressed in the king’s remembrance of Vashti. There is perhaps a hint that he wished for her presence once again, although that was not feasible from a practical standpoint. The suggestions by the king’s attendants concerning a replacement seem to be an effort to overcome this nostalgia. Certainly it was to their advantage to seek the betterment of the king’s outlook. Those around him the most were probably the most likely to suffer the effects of his ire.
[2:1] 3 tn Or “decreed” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV); TEV “and about his proclamation against her.”
[2:2] 4 tn Heb “young women, virgins, good of form.” The same phrase also occurs in v. 3.
[2:3] 5 tn Heb “the house of the women” (so KJV, ASV). So also in vv. 9, 11, 13, and 14.
[2:3] 6 tn Heb “their ointments”; cf. NIV, CEV, NLT “beauty treatments.”
[2:4] 7 tn Heb “who is good in the eyes of the king.”
[2:4] 8 tn Heb “the matter was good in the eyes of the king.” Cf. TEV “The king thought this was good advice.”
[2:5] 9 sn Mordecai is a pagan name that reflects the name of the Babylonian deity Marduk. Probably many Jews of the period had two names, one for secular use and the other for use especially within the Jewish community. Mordecai’s Jewish name is not recorded in the biblical text.
[2:6] 10 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[2:6] 11 sn Jeconiah is an alternative name for Jehoiachin. A number of modern English versions use the latter name to avoid confusion (e.g., NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT).
[2:7] 12 tn According to HALOT 64 s.v. II אמן the term אֹמֵן (’omen) means: (1) “attendant” of children (Num 11:12; Isa 49:23); (2) “guardian” (2 Kgs 10:1, 5; Esth 2:7); (3) “nurse-maid” (2 Sam 4:4; Ruth 4:16); and (4) “to look after” (Isa 60:4; Lam 4:5). Older lexicons did not distinguish this root from the homonym I אָמַן (’aman, “to support; to confirm”; cf. BDB 52 s.v. אָמַן). This is reflected in a number of translations by use of a phrase like “brought up” (KJV, ASV, RSV, NIV) or “bringing up” (NASB).
[2:7] 13 sn Hadassah is a Jewish name that probably means “myrtle”; the name Esther probably derives from the Persian word for “star,” although some scholars derive it from the name of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. Esther is not the only biblical character for whom two different names were used. Daniel (renamed Belteshazzar) and his three friends Hananiah (renamed Shadrach), Mishael (renamed Meshach), and Azariah (renamed Abednego) were also given different names by their captors.
[2:7] 14 tn Heb “for there was not to her father or mother.” This is universally understood to mean Esther’s father and mother were no longer alive.
[2:7] 15 tn Heb “beautiful of form.” The Hebrew noun תֹּאַר (to’ar, “form; shape”) is used elsewhere to describe the physical bodily shape of a beautiful woman (Gen 29:17; Deut 21:11; 1 Sam 25:3); see BDB 1061 s.v. Cf. TEV “had a good figure.”
[2:7] 16 tn Heb “had taken her to him.” The Hebrew verb לָקַח (laqakh, “to take”) describes Mordecai adopting Esther and treating her like his own daughter: “to take as one’s own property” as a daughter (HALOT 534 s.v. I לקח 6).
[2:8] 17 tn Heb “were heard” (so NASB); NRSV “were (had been NIV) proclaimed.”
[2:8] 18 tn Heb “the house of the king.” So also in vv. 9, 13. Cf. NLT “the king’s harem.”
[2:9] 19 tn Heb “was good in his eyes”; NLT “Hegai was very impressed with Esther.”
[2:9] 20 tn Heb “being looked at (with favor).”
[2:9] 21 tn Heb “of the house of the women” (so KJV, ASV). So also in vv. 11, 13, 14.
[2:10] 22 tn Cf. v. 20, where the same phrase occurs but with the word order reversed.
[2:10] 23 tn Heb “that she not tell” (NRSV similar); NASB “that she should not make them known.”
[2:11] 24 tn Heb “to know the peace of Esther.”
[2:12] 25 tc The LXX does not include the words “that were required for the women.”
[2:12] tn Heb “to be to her according to the law of the women”; NASB “under the regulations for the women.”
[2:14] 26 tn Heb “second.” The numerical adjective שֵׁנִי (sheniy, “second”) is difficult here. As a modifier for “house” in v. 14 the word would presumably refer to a second part of the harem, one which was under the supervision of a separate official. But in this case the definite article would be expected before “second” (cf. LXX τὸν δεύτερον, ton deuteron). Some scholars emend the text to שֵׁנִית (shenit, “a second time”), but this does not completely resolve the difficulty since the meaning remains unclear. The translation adopted above follows the LXX and understands the word to refer to a separate group of women in the king’s harem, a group housed apparently in a distinct part of the residence complex.
[2:14] 27 tc The LXX does not include the words “was pleased with her.”
[2:15] 28 tn Heb “who had taken her to him as a daughter”; NRSV “who had adopted her as his own daughter.”
[2:16] 29 tc The Greek
[2:16] 30 tc The Syriac Peshitta reads “fourth” here.
[2:17] 31 tn Heb “grace and loyal love.” The expression is probably a hendiadys.
[2:17] 32 tc The LXX does not include the words “more than all the other young women.”
[2:17] 33 tn Heb “caused her to rule.”
[2:18] 34 tc The LXX does not include the words “and he provided for offerings at the king’s expense.”
[2:19] 35 tc The LXX does not include the words “Now when the young women were being gathered again.” The Hebrew word שֵׁנִית (shenit, “a second time”) is difficult in v. 19, but apparently it refers to a subsequent regathering of the women to the harem.
[2:19] 36 sn That Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate apparently means that he was a high-ranking government official. It was at the city gate where important business was transacted. Being in this position afforded Mordecai an opportunity to become aware of the plot against the king’s life, although the author does not include the particular details of how this information first came to Mordecai’s attention.
[2:20] 37 sn That Esther was able so effectively to conceal her Jewish heritage suggests that she was not consistently observing Jewish dietary and religious requirements. As C. A. Moore observes, “In order for Esther to have concealed her ethnic and religious identity…in the harem, she must have eaten…, dressed, and lived like a Persian rather than an observant Jewess” (Esther [AB], 28.) In this regard her public behavior stands in contrast to that of Daniel, for example.
[2:20] 38 tc The LXX adds the words “to fear God.”
[2:21] 39 tn This individual is referred to as “Bigthana,” a variant spelling of the name, in Esth 6:2.
[2:21] 40 tc The LXX does not include the names “Bigthan and Teresh” here.
[2:21] 41 tn Heb “guarders of the threshold”; NIV “who guarded the doorway.”
[2:21] 42 tn Heb “sought to send a hand against”; CEV “decided to kill.”
[2:22] 43 sn The text of Esther does not disclose exactly how Mordecai learned about the plot against the king’s life. Ancient Jewish traditions state that Mordecai overheard conspiratorial conversation, or that an informant brought this information to him, or that it came to him as a result of divine prompting. These conjectures are all without adequate support from the biblical text. The author simply does not tell the source of Mordecai’s insight into this momentous event.
[2:22] 44 tc The LXX simply reads “Esther” and does not include “the queen.”
[2:22] 45 tc The LXX adds here “the things concerning the plot.”
[2:22] tn Heb “in the name of Mordecai” (so NRSV); NIV “giving credit to Mordecai.”
[2:23] 46 tn Heb “they both were hanged.” The referent (the two eunuchs who conspired against the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:23] 47 tn Or “on a pole”; KJV, ASV “on a tree.”
[9:4] 48 tn Heb “great”; NRSV “powerful”; NIV “prominent”; NCV “very important.”
[9:4] 49 tn Heb “the man Mordecai” (so NASB, NRSV).
[9:16] 50 tc For this number much of the Greek
[9:25] 51 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:25] 52 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Haman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:29] 53 tc The LXX and the Syriac Peshitta omit the word “second.”
[9:30] 54 tc The present translation is based on the Niphal form וַיּשָּׁלַח (vayyishalakh, “were sent”; so also NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT) rather than the reading of the MT וַיּשְׁלַח (vayyishlakh, Qal, “and he sent”). The subject of the MT verb would have to be Mordecai (cf. NAB, NIV, NCV), but this is problematic in light of v. 29, where both Esther and Mordecai are responsible for the letters.
[9:30] 55 tn Heb “peace and truth.” The expression is probably a hendiadys (see the note on 5:10 for an explanation of this figure).
[9:32] 56 tn Heb “written in the book” (so NASB); NIV, NLT “written down in the records”; NRSV “recorded in writing.”
