⁵ There was a Jew at the citadel in Susa whose name was ^(A)Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite, ^6 (B)who had been taken from Jerusalem with the exiles who had been deported with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had deported. ⁷ He was the guardian to Hadassah, that is ^(C)Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had no father or mother. Now the young woman was beautiful of form and ^[a]face, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

Esther Finds Favor

⁸ So it came about, when the command and decree of the king were heard and ^(D)many young ladies were gathered to the citadel of Susa into the ^[b]custody of ^(E)Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king’s ^[c]palace into the custody of Hegai, who was in charge of the women. ⁹ Now the young lady pleased him and found favor with him. So he quickly provided her with her ^(F)cosmetics and ^[d]food, gave her seven choice female attendants from the king’s palace, and transferred her and her attendants to the best place in the harem. ^10 (G)Esther did not reveal her people or her kindred, because Mordecai had instructed her that she was not to reveal them. ¹¹ And every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the courtyard of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her.