After these things, when the anger of King Aḥashverosh had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her.

Then the king's personal attendants said, 'Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king.'

And let the king appoint overseers in all the provinces of his kingdom, and let them gather every beautiful young virgin to Shushan the capital, to the women's quarters, under the charge of Hegai, the king's eunuch, keeper of the women, and let their beautification be provided.

And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.' And the matter was pleasing in the eyes of the king, and he did so.

There was a Yehudite man in Shushan the capital whose name was Mordekhay, son of Ya'ir, son of Shim'i, son of Kish, a Binyaminite man.

He had been exiled from Yerushalayim with the exile that had been exiled with Yekhonya, king of Yehudah, whom Nebukhadnetstsar, king of Bavel, had exiled.

And he was raising Hadassah, that is Esther, his cousin, for she had no father or mother, and the young woman was beautiful in form and pleasing in appearance. And when her father and mother died, Mordekhay took her as his daughter.

And when the king's command and his decree were heard, and when many young women were gathered to Shushan the capital, under Hegai, Esther was taken to the king's palace, to the charge of Hegai, keeper of the women.

And the young woman pleased him and found favor with him, and he hastened her beautification and her portions, and he provided her with seven choice young women from the king's palace, and he transferred her and her young women to the best quarters in the women's palace.

Esther did not reveal her people or her origin, for Mordekhay had commanded her not to reveal it.

And every day Mordekhay walked before the courtyard of the women's palace to learn of Esther's well-being and what would be done with her.

And when the turn of each young woman came to go in to King Aḥashverosh, after she had completed twelve months according to the custom for women, for so were the days of their beautification fulfilled: six months with myrrh oil and six months with perfumes and with the beautification treatments for women.

And so the young woman would go in to the king; whatever she desired would be given to her to go with her from the women's palace to the king's palace.

In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the women's palace, to the charge of Sha'ashgaz, the king's eunuch, keeper of the concubines. She would not go in to the king again unless the king desired her and she was called by name.

And when Esther, daughter of Aviḥayil, Mordekhay's uncle, who had taken her as his daughter, came to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai, the king's eunuch, keeper of the women, advised. And Esther gained favor in the eyes of all who saw her.

And Esther was taken to King Aḥashverosh, to his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Ṭevet, in the seventh year of his reign.

And the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she gained favor and kindness before him more than all the virgins, and he placed the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.

And the king made a great feast for all his officials and servants; it was the feast of Esther. And he granted a remission to the provinces and gave gifts according to the king's bounty.

And when the virgins were gathered a second time, Mordekhay was sitting at the king's gate.

Esther had not yet revealed her origin or her people, as Mordekhay had commanded her, and Esther continued to do as Mordekhay instructed, just as when she was under his care.

In those days, while Mordekhay was sitting at the king's gate, Bigtan and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, who were guards of the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Aḥashverosh.

And the matter became known to Mordekhay, and he told Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in Mordekhay's name.

And the matter was investigated and found to be true, and both of them were hanged on a tree. And it was recorded in the book of the chronicles before the king.