1 His ita gestis, postquam regis Assueri indignatio deferbuerat, recordatus est Vasthi, et quæ fecisset, vel quæ passa esset: 2 dixeruntque pueri regis ac ministri ejus: Quærantur regi puellæ virgines ac speciosæ, 3 et mittantur qui considerent per universas provincias puellas speciosas et virgines: et adducant eas ad civitatem Susan, et tradant eas in domum feminarum sub manu Egei eunuchi, qui est præpositus et custos mulierum regiarum: et accipiant mundum muliebrem, et cetera ad usus necessaria. 4 Et quæcumque inter omnes oculis regis placuerit, ipsa regnet pro Vasthi. Placuit sermo regi: et ita, ut suggesserant, jussit fieri. 5 Erat vir Judæus in Susan civitate, vocabulo Mardochæus filius Jair, filii Semei, filii Cis, de stirpe Jemini, 6 qui translatus fuerat de Jerusalem eo tempore quo Jechoniam regem Juda Nabuchodonosor rex Babylonis transtulerat, 7 qui fuit nutritius filiæ fratris sui Edissæ, quæ altero nomine vocabatur Esther, et utrumque parentem amiserat: pulchra nimis, et decora facie. Mortuisque patre ejus ac matre, Mardochæus sibi eam adoptavit in filiam. 8 Cumque percrebruisset regis imperium, et juxta mandatum illius multæ pulchræ virgines adducerentur Susan, et Egeo traderentur eunucho, Esther quoque inter ceteras puellas ei tradita est, ut servaretur in numero feminarum. 9 Quæ placuit ei, et invenit gratiam in conspectu illius. Et præcepit eunucho, ut acceleraret mundum muliebrem, et traderet ei partes suas, et septem puellas speciosissimas de domo regis, et tam ipsam quam pedissequas ejus ornaret atque excoleret. 10 Quæ noluit indicare ei populum et patriam suam: Mardochæus enim præceperat ei, ut de hac re omnino reticeret: 11 qui deambulabat quotidie ante vestibulum domus, in qua electæ virgines servabantur, curam agens salutis Esther, et scire volens quid ei accideret. 12 Cum autem venisset tempus singularum per ordinem puellarum ut intrarent ad regem, expletis omnibus quæ ad cultum muliebrem pertinebant, mensis duodecimus vertebatur: ita dumtaxat, ut sex mensibus oleo ungerentur myrrhino, et aliis sex quibusdam pigmentis et aromatibus uterentur. 13 Ingredientesque ad regem, quidquid postulassent ad ornatum pertinens, accipiebant: et ut eis placuerat, compositæ de triclinio feminarum ad regis cubiculum transibant. 14 Et quæ intraverat vespere, egrediebatur mane, atque inde in secundas ædes deducebatur, quæ sub manu Susagazi eunuchi erant, qui concubinis regis præsidebat: nec habebat potestatem ad regem ultra redeundi, nisi voluisset rex, et eam venire jussisset ex nomine. 15 Evoluto autem tempore per ordinem, instabat dies quo Esther filia Abihail fratris Mardochæi, quam sibi adoptaverat in filiam, deberet intrare ad regem. Quæ non quæsivit muliebrem cultum, sed quæcumque voluit Egeus eunuchus custos virginum, hæc ei ad ornatum dedit. Erat enim formosa valde, et incredibili pulchritudine: omnium oculis gratiosa et amabilis videbatur. 16 Ducta est itaque ad cubiculum regis Assueri mense decimo, qui vocatur Tebeth, septimo anno regni ejus. 17 Et adamavit eam rex plus quam omnes mulieres, habuitque gratiam et misericordiam coram eo super omnes mulieres: et posuit diadema regni in capite ejus, fecitque eam regnare in loco Vasthi. 18 Et jussit convivium præparari permagnificum cunctis principibus et servis suis pro conjunctione et nuptiis Esther. Et dedit requiem universis provinciis, ac dona largitus est juxta magnificentiam principalem. 19 Cumque secundo quærerentur virgines et congregarentur, Mardochæus manebat ad januam regis: 20 necdum prodiderat Esther patriam et populum suum, juxta mandatum ejus. Quidquid enim ille præcipiebat, observabat Esther: et ita cuncta faciebat ut eo tempore solita erat, quo eam parvulam nutriebat. 21 Eo igitur tempore, quo Mardochæus ad regis januam morabatur, irati sunt Bagathan et Thares duo eunuchi regis, qui janitores erant, et in primo palatii limine præsidebant: volueruntque insurgere in regem, et occidere eum. 22 Quod Mardochæum non latuit, statimque nuntiavit reginæ Esther: et illa regi ex nomine Mardochæi, qui ad se rem detulerat. 23 Quæsitum est, et inventum: et appensus est uterque eorum in patibulo. Mandatumque est historiis, et annalibus traditum coram rege.
Esther 2 Clementine Vulgate
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Abihail
Mordecai’s uncle and the father of Esther, who had died, leaving Esther to be adopted by Mordecai.
Cited in the guide: Esther 2:15; Esther 9:29
Bigthan
With Teresh, a doorkeeping eunuch who conspired to assassinate Xerxes; Mordecai exposed the plot and both were hanged. (Esther 6:2 spells the name Bigthana.)
Cited in the guide: Esther 2:21; Esther 6:2
Esther
Hadassah, an orphan raised by her cousin Mordecai, was made queen in place of Vashti; she risked her life to plead for her people, exposed Haman, and with Mordecai confirmed the…
Cited in the guide: Esther 2:7; Esther 2:17; Esther 5:2
Hegai
The king’s eunuch who oversaw the harem; he favored Esther, gave her beauty treatments and the best place, and advised her.
Cited in the guide: Esther 2:3; Esther 2:8; Esther 2:15
Jair
Named as the father of Mordecai and the son of Shimei.
Cited in the guide: Esther 2:5
Kish
Benjaminite named at the head of Mordecai’s ancestry; the text does not say whether he is Saul’s father.
Cited in the guide: Esther 2:5
Mordecai
Benjaminite of Susa, exiled with Jeconiah, who raised his cousin Esther, exposed the plot of Bigthan and Teresh, refused to bow to Haman, was honored by the king, and became…
Cited in the guide: Esther 2:5; Esther 2:22; Esther 3:2
Shaashgaz
The king’s eunuch over the second harem where women returned after their night with the king.
Cited in the guide: Esther 2:14
Shimei
Son of Kish and father of Jair in Mordecai’s ancestry; "son" may mean descendant.
Cited in the guide: Esther 2:5
Teresh
With Bigthan, a doorkeeping eunuch who conspired to assassinate Xerxes and was hanged after Mordecai reported the plot.
Cited in the guide: Esther 2:21; Esther 6:2
Xerxes
King who reigned over 127 provinces from Susa; he deposed Vashti, made Esther queen, honored Mordecai, hanged Haman and allowed the Jews to defend themselves. Ezra 4:6 mentions an…
Cited in the guide: Ezra 4:6; Esther 1:1; Esther 2:16
Cross references (22)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Esther 7:10; Daniel 6:14–18; Esther 1:12–21
- 2 1 Kings 1:2; Esther 6:14; Genesis 12:14; Esther 1:14; Esther 1:10
- 3 Esther 2:8–9; Esther 2:12–15; Esther 1:1–2; Isaiah 3:18–23
- 4 Matthew 14:6; Matthew 20:16; Matthew 22:14; Esther 3:9–10; 2 Samuel 17:4
- 5 2 Samuel 16:5; Esther 2:3; 1 Samuel 9:1; Esther 1:2; Esther 5:1
- 6 2 Kings 24:14–15; 2 Chronicles 36:20; Jeremiah 24:1; 2 Kings 24:6; Jeremiah 22:24
- 7 Esther 2:15; Esther 1:11; Ephesians 6:4; 2 Corinthians 6:18; 1 John 3:1
- 8 Esther 2:3; Esther 2:15
- 9 Genesis 39:21; Proverbs 16:7; Esther 2:12; Esther 2:3; Daniel 1:9
- 10 Esther 2:20; Matthew 10:16; Esther 3:8; Ephesians 6:1; Esther 4:13–14
- 11 Genesis 37:14; 1 Samuel 17:18; Acts 15:36; Esther 2:13–14
- 12 Proverbs 7:17; 1 Thessalonians 4:4–5; Isaiah 57:9; Song of Songs 3:6; Luke 7:37–38
- 14 Esther 4:11; Genesis 34:19; Isaiah 43:1; Isaiah 45:4; Isaiah 62:4–5
- 15 Song of Songs 6:9; Esther 2:3; Esther 9:29; Acts 7:10; Song of Songs 8:10
- 16 Esther 8:9; Esther 2:3; Esther 2:1; Ezra 7:8
- 17 Psalm 113:7–8; Luke 1:48–52; Ezekiel 17:24; Psalm 75:6–7; 1 Samuel 2:8
- 18 Genesis 29:22; Judges 14:10–17; 1 Samuel 25:8; Matthew 22:2; Esther 1:3–5
- 19 Esther 2:21; Esther 2:3–4; Esther 3:2–3; Esther 5:13
- 20 Esther 2:10; Ephesians 6:1–3; Esther 2:7
- 21 Esther 6:2; 2 Kings 12:20; 2 Kings 21:23; 1 Kings 16:9; 2 Samuel 4:5–6
- 22 Esther 6:1–2; Acts 23:12–22; Romans 11:33; Philippians 2:4; Ecclesiastes 10:20
- 23 Genesis 40:19; Genesis 40:22; Esther 10:2; Joshua 8:29; Esther 5:14–6:2
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences