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19 Later the king demanded a second bevy of beautiful girls.[a] By that time Mordecai had become a government official.

20 Esther still hadn’t told anyone she was a Jewess, for she was still following Mordecai’s orders, just as she had in his home.

21 One day as Mordecai was on duty at the palace, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh—who were guards at the palace gate—became angry at the king and plotted to assassinate him. 22 Mordecai heard about it and passed on the information to Queen Esther, who told the king, crediting Mordecai with the information. 23 An investigation was made, the two men found guilty, and impaled alive.[b] This was all duly recorded in the book of the history of King Ahasuerus’ reign.

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Footnotes

  1. Esther 2:19 Later . . . a second bevy of beautiful girls, or “When Esther and the other girls had been transferred to the second harem.”
  2. Esther 2:23 impaled alive, literally, “hanged on a tree.” Possibly the meaning is that they were crucified.

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