Ester 1:8

1:8 There were no restrictions on the drinking, ¹  for the king had instructed all of his supervisors ²  that they should do as everyone so desired. ³ 

Ester 1:14-15

1:14 Those who were closest to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan. These men were the seven officials of Persia and Media who saw the king on a regular basis ⁴  and had the most prominent offices ⁵  in the kingdom. 1:15 The king asked, ⁶  “By law, ⁷  what should be done to Queen Vashti in light of the fact that she has not obeyed the instructions of King Ahasuerus conveyed through the eunuchs?”

Ester 2:23

2:23 The king then had the matter investigated and, finding it to be so, had the two conspirators ⁸  hanged on a gallows. ⁹  It was then recorded in the daily chronicles in the king’s presence.

Ester 3:6

3:6 But the thought of striking out against ¹⁰  Mordecai alone was repugnant to him, for he had been informed ¹¹  of the identity of Mordecai’s people. ¹²  So Haman sought to destroy all the Jews (that is, the people of Mordecai) ¹³  who were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus.

Ester 8:3

8:3 Then Esther again spoke with the king, falling at his feet. She wept and begged him for mercy, that he might nullify the evil of Haman the Agagite which he had intended against the Jews. ¹⁴ 

[1:8]  ¹ tn Heb “the drinking was according to law; there was no one compelling.”

[1:8]  ² tn Heb “every chief of his house”; KJV “all the officers of his house”; NLT “his staff.”

[1:8]  ³ tn Heb “according to the desire of man and man.”

[1:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “seers of the face of the king”; NASB “who had access to the king’s presence.”

[1:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “were sitting first”; NAB “held first rank in the realm.”

[1:15]  ⁶ tn These words are not present in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity (cf. NIV, NCV, CEV, NLT, all of which supply similar phrases).

[1:15]  ⁷ tc The location of the prepositional phrase “according to law” is somewhat unusual in the Hebrew text, but not so much so as to require emendation. Some scholars suggest deleting the phrase as an instance of dittography from the final part of the immediately preceding word in v. 14. Others suggest taking the phrase with the end of v. 14 rather than with v. 15. Both proposals, however, lack adequate justification.

[2:23]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Or “on a pole”; KJV, ASV “on a tree.”

[3:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “to send a hand against”; KJV, NRSV “to lay hands on.”

[3:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “they had related to him.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a passive construction.

[3:6]  ¹² tc The entire first half of the verse is not included in the LXX.

[3:6]  ¹³ tc This parenthetical phrase is not included in the LXX. Some scholars emend the MT reading עַם (’am, “people”) to עִם (’im, “with”), arguing that the phrase is awkwardly placed and syntactically inappropriate. While there is some truth to their complaint, the MT makes sufficient sense to be acceptable here, and is followed by most English versions.

[8:3]  ¹⁴ sn As in 7:4 Esther avoids implicating the king in this plot. Instead Haman is given sole responsibility for the plan to destroy the Jews.