² So the king’s personal staff said to him, “Search for attractive young virgins for the king. ³ And appoint scouts in all the provinces of your kingdom to gather all the attractive young virgins and bring them to the fortress of Susa, to the women’s quarters. There, in the care of the king’s eunuch Hegai, the guardian of the women, they will have their beauty treatment. ⁴ Then the young woman who pleases you, Your Majesty, will become queen instead of Vashti.”

The king liked the suggestion, and so he did just that.

⁵ In the fortress of Susa there was a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai. He was the son of Jair, the grandson of Shimei, and the great-grandson of Kish. ⁶ (Kish had been taken captive from Jerusalem together with the others who had gone into exile along with Judah’s King Jehoiakin,^[a] whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carried away.) ⁷ Mordecai had raised Hadassah, also known as Esther, his uncle’s daughter, because she was an orphan. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was very attractive. When her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her as his own daughter.

⁸ When the king’s announcement and decree were heard, many young women were gathered together and brought to the fortress of Susa. They were placed in the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and placed in the care of Hegai, the guardian of the women. ⁹ The young woman pleased him and won his affection. So he immediately provided her with the beauty treatment, a daily supply of food, and seven suitable female servants from the king’s palace. Then he moved her and her servants to the best place in the women’s quarters.