He was bringing up Hadassah, that
is Esther, 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.
(Esther 2:7)
ESV
Esther had not made known her
people or kindred, for Mordecai
had commanded her not to make it
known.
(Esther 2:10)
ESV
When the turn came for Esther 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 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.
(Esther 2:15)
ESV
The king loved Esther more than
all the women, and she won grace
and favor in his sight more than
all the virgins, so that he set
the royal crown on her head and
made her queen instead of Vashti.
(Esther 2:17)
ESV
And this came to the knowledge of
Mordecai, and he told it to Queen
Esther, and Esther told the king
in the name of Mordecai.
(Esther 2:22)
ESV
When Mordecai learned all that had
been done, Mordecai tore his
clothes and put on sackcloth and
ashes, and went out into the midst
of the city, and he cried out with
a loud and bitter cry. He went up
to the entrance of the king's
gate, for no one was allowed to
enter the king's gate clothed in
sackcloth. And in every province,
wherever the king's command and
his decree reached, there was
great mourning among the Jews,
with fasting and weeping and
lamenting, and many of them lay in
sackcloth and ashes. When Esther's
young women and her eunuchs came
and told her, the queen was deeply
distressed. She sent garments to
clothe Mordecai, so that he might
take off his sackcloth, but he
would not accept them. Then Esther
called for Hathach, one of the
king's eunuchs, who had been
appointed to attend her, and
ordered him to go to Mordecai to
learn what this was and why it
was. ...
(Esther 4:1-17)
ESV
Then Mordecai told them to reply
to Esther, “Do not think to
yourself that in the king's palace
you will escape any more than all
the other Jews.
(Esther 4:13)
ESV
For if you keep silent at this
time, relief and deliverance will
rise for the Jews from another
place, but you and your father's
house will perish. And who knows
whether you have not come to the
kingdom for such a time as this?
(Esther 4:14)
ESV
Go, gather all the Jews to be
found in Susa, and hold a fast on
my behalf, and do not eat or drink
for three days, night or day. I
and my young women will also fast
as you do. Then I will go to the
king, though it is against the
law, and if I perish, I perish.
(Esther 4:16)
ESV
On the third day Esther put on her
royal robes and stood in the inner
court of the king's palace, in
front of the king's quarters,
while the king was sitting on his
royal throne inside the throne
room opposite the entrance to the
palace. And when the king saw
Queen Esther standing in the
court, she won favor in his sight,
and he held out to Esther the
golden scepter that was in his
hand. Then Esther approached and
touched the tip of the scepter.
And the king said to her, “What is
it, Queen Esther? What is your
request? It shall be given you,
even to the half of my kingdom.”
And Esther said, “If it please the
king, let the king and Haman come
today to a feast that I have
prepared for the king.” Then the
king said, “Bring Haman quickly,
so that we may do as Esther has
asked.” So the king and Haman came
to the feast that Esther had
prepared. ...
(Esther 5:1-14)
ESV
So the king and Haman went in to
feast with Queen Esther. And on
the second day, as they were
drinking wine after the feast, the
king again said to Esther, “What
is your wish, Queen Esther? It
shall be granted you. And what is
your request? Even to the half of
my kingdom, it shall be
fulfilled.” Then Queen Esther
answered, “If I have found favor
in your sight, O king, and if it
please the king, let my life be
granted me for my wish, and my
people for my request. For we have
been sold, I and my people, to be
destroyed, to be killed, and to be
annihilated. If we had been sold
merely as slaves, men and women, I
would have been silent, for our
affliction is not to be compared
with the loss to the king.” Then
King Ahasuerus said to Queen
Esther, “Who is he, and where is
he, who has dared to do this?” ...
(Esther 7:1-10)
ESV
On that day King Ahasuerus gave to
Queen Esther the house of Haman,
the enemy of the Jews. And
Mordecai came before the king, for
Esther had told what he was to
her. And the king took off his
signet ring, which he had taken
from Haman, and gave it to
Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai
over the house of Haman. Then
Esther spoke again to the king.
She fell at his feet and wept and
pleaded with him to avert the evil
plan of Haman the Agagite and the
plot that he had devised against
the Jews. When the king held out
the golden scepter to Esther,
Esther rose and stood before the
king. And she said, “If it please
the king, and if I have found
favor in his sight, and if the
thing seems right before the king,
and I am pleasing in his eyes, let
an order be written to revoke the
letters devised by Haman the
Agagite, the son of Hammedatha,
which he wrote to destroy the Jews
who are in all the provinces of
the king. ...
(Esther 8:1-17)
ESV1
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