1. After these events, when the wrath of Sovereign Aḥashwĕrosh had ceased, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what had been decreed against her.
2. Then the sovereign’s servants who attended him said, “Let lovely young maidens be sought for the sovereign,
3. and let the sovereign appoint officers in all the provinces of his reign, and let them gather all the lovely young maidens to the citadel of Shushan, into the women’s quarters, under the hand of Hĕg̅ai the sovereign’s eunuch, guardian of the women, to give their preparations.
4. “And let the young woman who pleases the sovereign be sovereigness instead of Vashti.” And the word pleased the sovereign, and he did so.
5. In the citadel of Shushan there was a certain man, a Yehuḏite whose name was Mordeḵai son of Ya’ir, son of Shim‛i, son of Qish, a Binyamite,
6. who had been exiled from Yerushalayim with the captives who had been exiled with Yeḵonyah sovereign of Yehuḏah, whom Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar the sovereign of Baḇel had exiled.
7. And it came to be that he was raising Haḏassah, that is Estĕr, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and of good appearance. And when her father and mother died, Mordeḵai took her as his own daughter.
8. And it came to be, when the sovereign’s command and decree were heard, and when many young women were gathered at the citadel of Shushan, into the hand of Hĕg̅ai, that Estĕr, too, was taken to the sovereign’s palace, into the hand of Hĕg̅ai, guardian of the women.
9. And the young woman pleased him, and she received kindness from him. So he hastened to give her preparations and her portions, and gave her seven choice female servants from the sovereign’s palace. And he moved her and her female servants to the best place in the house of the women.
10. Estĕr had not made known her people or her relatives, for Mordeḵai had commanded her not to make it known.
11. And every day Mordeḵai walked about in front of the courtyard of the women’s quarters, to learn of Estĕr’s welfare and what is done to her.
12. Now when the turn of each young woman came to go in to Sovereign Aḥashwĕrosh after she had completed twelve months according to the regulations for the women – for the days of their preparation were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and with the preparations of women –
13. thus prepared, the young woman went to the sovereign, and whatever she asked for was given to take with her from the house of the women to the sovereign’s palace.
14. In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women, into the hand of Sha‛ashgaz, the sovereign’s eunuch, guardian of the concubines. She would not come in to the sovereign again unless the sovereign delighted in her and called for her by name.