¹⁹ Even after all the young women had been transferred to the second harem^[a] and Mordecai had become a palace official,^[b]

Mordecai’s Loyalty to the King

²¹ One day as Mordecai was on duty at the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthana^[a] and Teresh—who were guards at the door of the king’s private quarters—became angry at King Xerxes and plotted to assassinate him.

³ Let 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. ⁴ After 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.

¹³ Then he added, “But this is all worth nothing as long as I see Mordecai the Jew just sitting there at the palace gate.”

² All the king’s officials would bow down before Haman to show him respect whenever he passed by, for so the king had commanded. But Mordecai refused to bow down or show him respect.

³ Then the palace officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king’s command?”