Scripture
Esther Becomes Queen
1But after Xerxes’ anger had subsided, he began thinking about Vashti and what she had done and the decree he had made. 2So his personal attendants suggested, “Let us search the empire to find beautiful young virgins for the king. 3Let the king appoint agents in each province to bring these beautiful young women into the royal harem at the fortress of Susa. Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the harem, will see that they are all given beauty treatments. 4After that, the young woman who most pleases the king will be made queen instead of Vashti.” This advice was very appealing to the king, so he put the plan into effect.
5At that time there was a Jewish man in the fortress of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair. He was from the tribe of Benjamin and was a descendant of Kish and Shimei. 6His family[1] had been among those who, with King Jehoiachin[2] of Judah, had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. 7This man had a very beautiful and lovely young cousin, Hadassah, who was also called Esther. When her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her into his family and raised her as his own daughter.
8As a result of the king’s decree, Esther, along with many other young women, was brought to the king’s harem at the fortress of Susa and placed in Hegai’s care. 9Hegai was very impressed with Esther and treated her kindly. He quickly ordered a special menu for her and provided her with beauty treatments. He also assigned her seven maids specially chosen from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem.
10Esther had not told anyone of her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had directed her not to do so. 11Every day Mordecai would take a walk near the courtyard of the harem to find out about Esther and what was happening to her.
12Before each young woman was taken to the king’s bed, she was given the prescribed twelve months of beauty treatments—six months with oil of myrrh, followed by six months with special perfumes and ointments. 13When it was time for her to go to the king’s palace, she was given her choice of whatever clothing or jewelry she wanted to take from the harem. 14That evening she was taken to the king’s private rooms, and the next morning she was brought to the second harem,[3] where the king’s wives lived. There she would be under the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. She would never go to the king again unless he had especially enjoyed her and requested her by name.
15Esther was the daughter of Abihail, who was Mordecai’s uncle. (Mordecai had adopted his younger cousin Esther.) When it was Esther’s turn to go to the king, she accepted the advice of Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the harem. She asked for nothing except what he suggested, and she was admired by everyone who saw her.
16Esther was taken to King Xerxes at the royal palace in early winter[4] of the seventh year of his reign. 17And the king loved Esther more than any of the other young women. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of Vashti. 18To celebrate the occasion, he gave a great banquet in Esther’s honor for all his nobles and officials, declaring a public holiday for the provinces and giving generous gifts to everyone.
19Even after all the young women had been transferred to the second harem[5] and Mordecai had become a palace official,[6] 20Esther continued to keep her family background and nationality a secret. She was still following Mordecai’s directions, just as she did when she lived in his home.
Mordecai’s Loyalty to the King
21One day as Mordecai was on duty at the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthana[7] and Teresh—who were guards at the door of the king’s private quarters—became angry at King Xerxes and plotted to assassinate him. 22But Mordecai heard about the plot and gave the information to Queen Esther. She then told the king about it and gave Mordecai credit for the report. 23When an investigation was made and Mordecai’s story was found to be true, the two men were impaled on a sharpened pole. This was all recorded in The Book of the History of King Xerxes’ Reign.
Translation notes (7)
- 2:6a Hebrew He.
- 2:6b Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant spelling of Jehoiachin.
- 2:14 Or to another part of the harem.
- 2:16 Hebrew in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth. A number of dates in the book of Esther can be cross-checked with dates in surviving Persian records and related accurately to our modern calendar. This month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred within the months of December 479 b.c. and January 478 b.c.
- 2:19a The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
- 2:19b Hebrew and Mordecai was sitting in the gate of the king.
- 2:21 Hebrew Bigthan; compare 6:2.
"And the king loved Esther more than any of the other young women. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of Vashti."
With God, everything has a purpose. Nothing is random. If you need proof, look at the big toe. It seems random, but anyone who has broken their big toe knows how important it is to balance and walk. Because God is purposeful, we can be confident that He has a purpose for even the most random, surprising situations. Esther discovered this when she found herself thrust into the king's palace, waiting to see if she would be chosen to be the king's wife.
After Xerxes banished his wife Vashti, he found himself wanting to find another wife. His agents searched the area for beautiful women who would make suitable candidates to become his wife. When they gathered all of these eligible women, the king held a beauty competition where he would observe them and ultimately chose one of them to be his wife. Of all of the women gathered, Esther captured his attention, and he made her his queen instead of Vashti. This must have been a confusing and strange time for Esther, but she continued to live faithfully through every step God brought her to. She faithfully followed her cousin Mordechai's instructions, and he checked in on her every day that she was going through the competition to be the king's wife. She lived excellently and consistently through the entire competition. Eventually, she captured the king's heart and attention. Because of her faithful and trusting spirit (and her beauty), the king took notice. He selected Esther as his wife, which put her in a strategic position when her people, the Jews, were in trouble and needed her help.
I am convinced that Esther's success was due to her confidence in God and His plan despite being uprooted from her home and thrust into something completely new. Her faith in God and confidence in His plan inspire me. Imagine if we all had this level of confidence and faith in God. Imagine if we trusted His plan so entirely that we are calm and level-headed, even when life turns upside down. May we trust God in all circumstances, knowing He has us in the positions where we are on purpose.
Moving toward action
What situations has God placed you in? These situations include family life, work life, and friend groups. Write them down on paper or in the Notes section on your phone. He has placed you there for a reason. How can you have an impact in these places right where He has placed you? Write down your answer to this question right next to each of the situations God has placed you in. When you have finished, pray that God will use you in each of these situations and look for opportunities to be used.
Going Deeper
Esther 2:1-23 (NLT)
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