Esther:2:1-18
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After these things ,
when the fury of king Ahasuerus was appeased ,
he remembered Vashti ,
and what she had done ,
and what was decreed against her .
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Then said the king '
s servants that attended upon him ,
Let there be maidens ,
virgins of beautiful countenance ,
sought for the king ;
*
and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom ,
that they may gather together all the young virgins of beautiful countenance to Shushan the fortress ,
to the house of the women ,
unto the custody of Hegai the king '
s chamberlain ,
keeper of the women ;
and let their things for purification be given .
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And let the maiden that pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti .
And the thing pleased the king ;
and he did so .
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There was in Shushan the fortress a certain Jew ,
whose name was Mordecai ,
the son of Jair ,
the son of Shimei ,
the son of Kish ,
a Benjaminite ,
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who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah ,
whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away .
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And he brought up Hadassah ,
that is ,
Esther ,
his uncle '
s daughter ;
for she had neither father nor mother --
and the maiden was fair and beautiful --
and when her father and mother were dead ,
Mordecai took her for his own daughter .
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And it came to pass when the king '
s commandment and his decree was heard ,
and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the fortress ,
unto the custody of Hegai ,
that Esther also was brought into the king '
s house ,
unto the custody of Hegai ,
keeper of the women .
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And the maiden pleased him ,
and obtained favour before him ;
and he speedily gave her her things for purification ,
and her portions ,
and the seven maidens selected to be given her ,
out of the king '
s house ;
and he removed her and her maids to the best [
place ]
of the house of the women .
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Esther had not made known her people nor her birth ;
for Mordecai had charged her that she should not make it known .
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And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women '
s house ,
to know how Esther did ,
and what should become of her .
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And when every maiden '
s turn came to go in to king Ahasuerus after that she had been treated for twelve months ,
according to the manner of the women (
for so were the days of their purification accomplished --
six months with oil of myrrh ,
and six months with spices ,
and with things for the purifying of the women ,
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and thus came the maiden in unto the king ),
whatever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women to the king '
s house .
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In the evening she went ,
and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women ,
unto the custody of Shaashgaz ,
the king '
s chamberlain ,
keeper of the concubines .
She came in to the king no more ,
unless the king delighted in her ,
and she were called by name .
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And when the turn of Esther ,
the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai ,
who had taken her for his daughter ,
came to go in to the king ,
she required nothing but what Hegai the king '
s chamberlain ,
keeper of the women ,
appointed .
And Esther obtained grace in the sight of all them that saw her .
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So Esther was taken to king Ahasuerus ,
into his royal house ,
in the tenth month ,
that is ,
the month Tebeth ,
in the seventh year of his reign .
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And the king loved Esther above all the women ,
and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins ,
and he set the royal crown upon her head ,
and made her queen instead of Vashti .
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And the king made a great feast to all his princes and his servants ,
Esther '
s feast ;
and he made a release to the provinces ,
and gave presents according to the king '
s bounty .