Vashti’s Successor Sought

2 After these things ^(A)when the anger of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and ^(B)what had been decreed against her. ² Then the king’s attendants, who served him, said, “^(C)Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king. ³ Let the king appoint overseers in ^(D)all the provinces of his kingdom that they may gather every beautiful young virgin to the citadel of Susa, to the harem, into the custody of ^(E)Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and ^(F)let their cosmetics be given them. ⁴ Then let the young lady who pleases the king be queen in place of Vashti.” And the matter pleased the king, and he did accordingly.

⁵ Now there was at the citadel in Susa a Jew whose name was ^(G)Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite, ^6 (H)who had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the captives who had been exiled with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had exiled. ⁷ He was bringing up Hadassah, that is ^(I)Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had no father or mother. Now the young lady 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 ^(J)many young ladies were gathered to the citadel of Susa into the custody of ^(K)Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king’s ^[b]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 ^(L)cosmetics and ^[c]food, gave her seven choice maids from the king’s palace and transferred her and her maids to the best place in the harem. ^10 (M)Esther did not make known her people or her kindred, for Mordecai had instructed her that she should not make them known. ¹¹ Every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and how she fared.

¹² Now when the turn of each young lady came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the end of her twelve months under the regulations for the women—for the days of their beautification were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and the cosmetics for women— ¹³ the young lady would go in to the king in this way: anything that she ^[d]desired was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. ¹⁴ In the evening she would go in and in the morning she would return to the second harem, to the ^[e]custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not again go in to the king unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.

¹⁵ Now when the turn of Esther, ^(N)the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his daughter, came to go in to the king, she did not request anything except what ^(O)Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the women, ^[f]advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her. ¹⁶ So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus to his royal palace in the tenth month which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

Esther Becomes Queen

¹⁷ The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him more than all the virgins, so that ^(P)he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. ¹⁸ Then ^(Q)the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his princes and his servants; he also made a holiday for the provinces and gave gifts ^(R)according to the king’s bounty.

^19 (S)When the virgins were gathered together the second time, then Mordecai ^(T)was sitting at the king’s gate. ^20 (U)Esther had not yet made known her kindred or her people, even as Mordecai had commanded her; for Esther did ^[g]what Mordecai told her as she had done ^(V)when under his care.

Mordecai Saves the King

²¹ In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, ^(W)Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s officials from those who guarded the door, became angry and sought to ^[h]lay hands on King Ahasuerus. ²² But the ^[i]plot became known to Mordecai and ^(X)he told Queen Esther, and Esther ^[j]informed the king in Mordecai’s name. ²³ Now when the plot was investigated and found to be so, they were both hanged on a ^[k]gallows; and it was written in ^(Y)the Book of the Chronicles in the king’s presence.

Childlike Trust in the Lord.

A Song of Ascents, of David.

Introduction, The Incarnate Word

1 What was ^(A)from the beginning, what we have ^(B)heard, what we have ^(C)seen with our eyes, what we ^(D)have looked at and ^(E)touched with our hands, concerning the ^(F)Word of Life— ² and ^(G)the life was manifested, and we have ^(H)seen and ^(I)testify and proclaim to you ^(J)the eternal life, which was ^(K)with the Father and was ^(L)manifested to us— ³ what we have ^(M)seen and ^(N)heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our ^(O)fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. ^4 (P)These things we write, so that our ^(Q)joy may be made complete.

God Is Light

^5 (R)This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that ^(S)God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. ^6 (T)If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we ^(U)lie and ^(V)do not practice the truth; ⁷ but if we ^(W)walk in the Light as ^(X)He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and ^(Y)the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. ^8 (Z)If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the ^(AA)truth is not in us. ^9 (AB)If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and ^(AC)to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ^10 (AD)If we say that we have not sinned, we ^(AE)make Him a liar and ^(AF)His word is not in us.