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.