1. Sometime later when King Artaxerxes was less angry, he no longer remembered Vashti, what she had done, or what he had decided about her.
2. His servants said, "Perhaps the king could have a search made for beautiful young women who haven’t yet had sex with a man.
3. Perhaps the king could choose certain people in all the royal provinces to lead the search. They could bring all the beautiful young women together to the city of Susa, to the women’s house, under the care of the king’s eunuch in charge of the women, and supply them with bath oils and anything else they might need.
4. Perhaps the young woman who pleases you the most could take Vashti’s place as queen." The king liked the plan and put it in place.
5. Now there was a Jew in Susa whose name was Mordecai, Jair’s son. He came from the family line of Shimei and Kish; he was a Benjaminite.
6. He had been taken into exile away from Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
7. Mordecai had a foster child named Esther, a daughter of his uncle Aminadab. When her parents died, Mordecai had taken her and raised her to become his wife. The girl was lovely to look at.
8. When the king’s order and his new law became public, many young women were gathered into the city of Susa under the care of Hegai. Esther was also taken to Hegai, the one in charge of the women.
9. The young woman pleased him and won his kindness. He eagerly began her beauty treatments and gave her carefully chosen foods. He also gave her seven female servants selected from among the palace servants and provided well for her and her female servants in the women’s house.
10. Esther hadn’t told anyone her race or family background because Mordecai had ordered her not to.
11. Each day Mordecai walked back and forth along the wall in front of the women’s house to learn how Esther was doing.