⁸ So when the king's order and his edict were proclaimed, and ^(A)when many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of ^(B)Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king's palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women.

³ And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the citadel, under custody of ^(A)Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women. ^(B)Let their cosmetics be given them.

¹⁵ When the turn came for Esther ^(A)the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what ^(B)Hegai the king's eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her.