⁵ Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was ^(A)Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, ^6 (B)who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away. ⁷ He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, ^(C)the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. ⁸ So when the king's order and his edict were proclaimed, and ^(D)when many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of ^(E)Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king's palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women. ⁹ And the young woman pleased him and won his favor. And he quickly provided her ^(F)with her cosmetics and her portion of food, and with seven chosen young women from the king's palace, and advanced her and her young women to the best place in the harem. ^10 (G)Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known. ¹¹ And every day Mordecai walked in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her.

Mordecai Discovers a Plot

¹⁹ Now when the virgins were gathered together ^(A)the second time, Mordecai was sitting ^(B)at the king's gate. ^20 (C)Esther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had commanded her, for Esther obeyed Mordecai just ^(D)as when she was brought up by him. ²¹ In those days, as Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, ^(E)Bigthan and ^(F)Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. ²² And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai, ^(G)and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai. ²³ When the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows.^[a] And it was recorded in ^(H)the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.