Ester 2
La Biblia de las Américas
Ester elegida reina
2 Después de estas cosas, cuando el furor del rey Asuero se había aplacado(A), él se acordó de Vasti, de lo que ella había hecho y de lo que se había decretado contra ella(B). 2 Entonces los cortesanos al servicio del rey, dijeron: Búsquense para el rey jóvenes vírgenes y de buen parecer(C). 3 Y que el rey nombre oficiales en todas las provincias de su reino(D) para que reúnan a todas las jóvenes vírgenes y de buen parecer en la fortaleza de Susa, en el harén, bajo la custodia[a] de Hegai, eunuco del rey, encargado de las mujeres(E), y que se les den sus cosméticos(F). 4 Y la joven que agrade al rey sea reina en lugar de Vasti. Y esto le pareció bien al rey, y así lo hizo.
5 Y había en la fortaleza de Susa un judío que se llamaba Mardoqueo(G), hijo de Jair, hijo de Simei, hijo de Cis, benjamita, 6 que había sido deportado de Jerusalén con los cautivos que habían sido deportados con Jeconías, rey de Judá, a quien había deportado Nabucodonosor, rey de Babilonia(H). 7 Y Mardoqueo[b] estaba criando a Hadasa, es decir, Ester, hija de su tío, pues ella no tenía ni padre ni madre. La joven era de hermosa figura y de buen parecer, y cuando su padre y su madre murieron, Mardoqueo la tomó como hija suya(I).
8 Y sucedió que cuando el mandato y el decreto del rey fueron oídos, muchas jóvenes fueron reunidas en la fortaleza de Susa bajo la custodia de Hegai; y Ester también fue llevada al palacio[c] del rey, bajo la custodia de Hegai, encargado de las mujeres(J). 9 La joven le agradó y halló favor delante de él, por lo que se apresuró en proveerle cosméticos(K) y alimentos[d]; le dio siete doncellas escogidas del palacio del rey, y la trasladó con sus doncellas al mejor lugar del harén. 10 Ester no dio a conocer ni su pueblo ni su parentela, porque Mardoqueo le había mandado que no los diera a conocer(L). 11 Y todos los días Mardoqueo se paseaba delante del patio del harén para enterarse de cómo estaba Ester y qué le sucedía.
12 Cuando le tocaba a cada joven venir al rey Asuero, al cumplirse sus doce meses, según las ordenanzas para las mujeres, pues los días de su embellecimiento se cumplían así: seis meses con óleo de mirra y seis meses con especias y cosméticos para las mujeres, 13 entonces la joven venía al rey de esta manera: cualquier cosa que ella deseaba[e] se le concedía para que la llevara consigo del harén al palacio del rey. 14 Ella entraba por la tarde y a la mañana siguiente volvía al segundo harén, bajo la custodia de Saasgaz, eunuco del rey, encargado de las concubinas. Ella no iba otra vez al rey a menos que el rey se complaciera en ella y fuera llamada por nombre. 15 Cuando a Ester, hija de Abihail, tío de Mardoqueo, que la había tomado como hija(M), le tocó venir al rey, ella no pidió cosa alguna sino lo que le aconsejó[f] Hegai, eunuco del rey, encargado de las mujeres(N). Y Ester hallaba favor ante los ojos de cuantos la veían.
16 Ester fue llevada al rey Asuero a su palacio real el mes décimo, que es el mes Tebet, en el año séptimo de su reinado. 17 Y el rey amó a Ester más que a todas las otras mujeres, y ella halló gracia y bondad con él más que todas las demás vírgenes, y él puso la corona real sobre su cabeza(O) y la hizo reina en lugar de Vasti. 18 Entonces el rey hizo un gran banquete para todos sus príncipes y siervos(P), el banquete de Ester. También concedió un día de descanso para las provincias y dio presentes conforme a la liberalidad[g] del rey(Q).
19 Cuando las vírgenes fueron reunidas(R) por segunda vez, Mardoqueo estaba sentado a la puerta del rey(S). 20 Ester todavía no había dado a conocer ni su parentela ni su pueblo, tal como Mardoqueo le había mandado(T), porque Ester hizo lo que le había dicho[h] Mardoqueo, como cuando estaba bajo su tutela(U). 21 En aquellos días, estando Mardoqueo sentado a la puerta del rey, Bigtán y Teres, dos eunucos del rey, guardianes del umbral, se enojaron y procuraban echar mano al[i] rey Asuero(V). 22 Pero el asunto llegó a conocimiento de Mardoqueo, y él se lo comunicó a la reina Ester, y Ester informó[j] al rey en nombre de Mardoqueo(W). 23 Y cuando fue investigado el asunto y hallado cierto, los dos eunucos fueron colgados en una horca[k]; y esto fue escrito en el libro de las Crónicas(X) en presencia del rey.
Footnotes
- Ester 2:3 Lit., mano, y así hasta el vers. 14
- Ester 2:7 Lit., él
- Ester 2:8 Lit., a la casa
- Ester 2:9 Lit., porciones
- Ester 2:13 Lit., decía
- Ester 2:15 Lit., dijo
- Ester 2:18 Lit., mano
- Ester 2:20 Lit., la palabra de
- Ester 2:21 Lit., enviar mano contra
- Ester 2:22 Lit., dijo
- Ester 2:23 Lit., un árbol
Esther 2
The Message
2 1-4 Later, when King Xerxes’ anger had cooled and he was having second thoughts about what Vashti had done and what he had ordered against her, the king’s young attendants stepped in and got the ball rolling: “Let’s begin a search for beautiful young virgins for the king. Let the king appoint officials in every province of his kingdom to bring every beautiful young virgin to the palace complex of Susa and to the harem run by Hegai, the king’s eunuch who oversees the women; he will put them through their beauty treatments. Then let the girl who best pleases the king be made queen in place of Vashti.”
The king liked this advice and took it.
* * *
5-7 Now there was a Jew who lived in the palace complex in Susa. His name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish—a Benjaminite. His ancestors had been taken from Jerusalem with the exiles and carried off with King Jehoiachin of Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon into exile. Mordecai had raised his cousin Hadassah, otherwise known as Esther, since she had no father or mother. The girl had a good figure and a beautiful face. After her parents died, Mordecai had adopted her.
8 When the king’s order had been publicly posted, many young girls were brought to the palace complex of Susa and given over to Hegai who was overseer of the women. Esther was among them.
9-10 Hegai liked Esther and took a special interest in her. Right off he started her beauty treatments, ordered special food, assigned her seven personal maids from the palace, and put her and her maids in the best rooms in the harem. Esther didn’t say anything about her family and racial background because Mordecai had told her not to.
11 Every day Mordecai strolled beside the court of the harem to find out how Esther was and get news of what she was doing.
12-14 Each girl’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes after she had completed the twelve months of prescribed beauty treatments—six months’ treatment with oil of myrrh followed by six months with perfumes and various cosmetics. When it was time for the girl to go to the king, she was given whatever she wanted to take with her when she left the harem for the king’s quarters. She would go there in the evening; in the morning she would return to a second harem overseen by Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. She never again went back to the king unless the king took a special liking to her and asked for her by name.
15 When it was Esther’s turn to go to the king (Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had adopted her as his daughter), she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the harem, had recommended. Esther, just as she was, won the admiration of everyone who saw her.
16 She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of the king’s reign.
17-18 The king fell in love with Esther far more than with any of his other women or any of the other virgins—he was totally smitten by her. He placed a royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti. Then the king gave a great banquet for all his nobles and officials—“Esther’s Banquet.” He proclaimed a holiday for all the provinces and handed out gifts with royal generosity.
* * *
19-20 On one of the occasions when the virgins were being gathered together, Mordecai was sitting at the King’s Gate. All this time, Esther had kept her family background and race a secret as Mordecai had ordered; Esther still did what Mordecai told her, just as when she was being raised by him.
21-23 On this day, with Mordecai sitting at the King’s Gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the entrance, had it in for the king and were making plans to kill King Xerxes. But Mordecai learned of the plot and told Queen Esther, who then told King Xerxes, giving credit to Mordecai. When the thing was investigated and confirmed as true, the two men were hanged on a gallows. This was all written down in a logbook kept for the king’s use.
* * *
Esther 2
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
2 After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus was pacified, he [earnestly] remembered Vashti and what she had done and what was decreed against her.
2 Then the king’s servants who ministered to him said, Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king.
3 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the capital in Shushan, to the harem under the custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let their things for purification be given them.
4 And let the maiden who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti. This pleased the king, and he did so.
5 There was a certain Jew in the capital in Shushan whose name was Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite,
6 Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives taken away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried into exile.
7 He had brought up Hadassah, that is Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The maiden was beautiful and lovely, and when her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
8 So when the king’s command and his decree were proclaimed and when many maidens were gathered in Shushan the capital under the custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken to the king’s house into the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.
9 And the maiden pleased [Hegai] and obtained his favor. And he speedily gave her the things for her purification and her portion of food and the seven chosen maids to be given her from the king’s palace; and he removed her and her maids to the best [apartment] in the harem.
10 Esther had not made known her nationality or her kindred, for Mordecai had charged her not to do so.
11 And Mordecai [who was an [a]attendant in the king’s court] walked every day before the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what would become of her.
12 Now when the turn of each maiden came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the regulations for the women had been carried out for twelve months—since this was the regular period for their beauty treatments, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with sweet spices and perfumes and the things for the purifying of the women—
13 Then in this way the maiden came to the king: whatever she desired was given her to take with her from the harem into the king’s palace.
14 In the evening she went and next day she returned into the second harem in the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She came to the king no more unless the king delighted in her and she was called for by name.
15 Now when the turn for Esther the daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his own daughter, had come to go in to the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s attendant, the keeper of the women, suggested. And Esther won favor in the sight of all who saw her.
16 So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus into his royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 And the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the maidens, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
18 Then the king gave a great feast for all his princes and his servants, Esther’s feast; and he gave a holiday [or a lessening of taxes] to the provinces and gave gifts in keeping with the generosity of the king.
19 And when the maidens were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.
20 Now Esther had not yet revealed her nationality or her people, for she obeyed Mordecai’s command to her [[b]to fear God and execute His commands] just as when she was being brought up by him.
21 In those days, while Mordecai sat at the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, of those who guarded the door, were angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.
22 And this was known to Mordecai, who told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in Mordecai’s name.
23 When it was investigated and found to be true, both men were hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the Book of the Chronicles in the king’s presence.
Footnotes
- Esther 2:11 So says The Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament).
- Esther 2:20 So The Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) reads. The name of God is nowhere mentioned directly in the Hebrew text.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
