rd

Esther 2

2 After the Quene is put away, certeine yong maides are broght to the King. 14 Eſtér pleaſeth the King, & is made Quene. 22 Mordecái diſcloſeth vnto the King thoſe that wolde betray him.
1.AFter theſe things, when the wrath of King Ahaſhueróſh was appeaſed, he remembred Vaſhtí, & what ſhe had done and what was decreed againſt her.
2.And the Kings ſeruants that miniſtred vnto him, ſaid, Let them ſeke for the King beautiful yong virgins,
3.And let ye King appoint officers through all the prouinces of his kingdome, and let the gather all the beautiful yong virgins vnto the palace of Shuſhán, into the houſe of the women, vnder the hand of Hegé the Kings eunuche, keper of the women, to giue them their things for purification.
4.And the maid that ſhal pleaſe the King, let her reigne in the ſtead of Vaſhti. And this pleaſed the King, and he did ſo.
5.¶ In the citie of Shuſhán, there was a certeine Iewe, whoſe name was Mordecái the ſonne of Iáir, the ſonne of Shimeí, the ſonne of Kiſh a man of Ieminí,
6.Which had bene caryed away from Ieruſalém with the captiuitie that was caryed away with Iekoniáh King of Iudáh (whome Nebuchadnezzár King of Babél had caryed away)
7.And he nouriſhed Hadaſſáh, that is Eſtér, his vncles daughter: for ſhe had neither father nor mother, and the maid was faire, and beautiful to loke on: & after the death of her father, and her mother, Mordecái toke her for his owne daughter.
8.And when the Kings commandement, & his decree was publiſhed, and manie maides were broght together to the palace of Shuſhán, vnder the hãd of Hegé, Eſtér was broght alſo vnto the Kings houſe vnder ye hand of Hegé the keper of the women.
9.And the maid pleaſed him, and ſhe founde fauour in his ſight: therefore he cauſed her things for purificatiõ to be giuen her ſpedely, and her ſtate, and ſeuen comely maides to be giuen her out of the Kings houſe, and he gaue change to her and to her maides of the beſt in the houſe of the women.
10.But Eſtér ſhewed not her people and her kinred: for Mordecái had charged her, that ſhe ſhulde not tel it.
11.And Mordecái walked euerie day before the courte of the womens houſe, to knowe if Eſtér did wel, and what ſhulde be done with her.
12.And when the courſe of euerie maid came, to go into King Ahaſhueróſh, after that ſhe had bene twelue moneths according to the maner of the women (for ſo were the dayes of their purifications accompliſhed, ſix moneths with oyle of myrrhe, & ſix moneths with ſwete odours and in the purifying of the women:
13.And thus went the maids vnto the King) whatſoeuer ſhe required, was giuen her, to go with her out of the womens houſe vnto the Kings houſe.
14.In the euening ſhe went, and on the morow ſhe returned into the ſeconde houſe of the women vnder the hand of Shaaſhgáz the Kings eunuche, which kept the cõcubines: ſhe came into the King nomore, except ſhe pleaſed the King, & that ſhe were called by name.
15.Now when the courſe of Eſtér ye daughter of Abiháil the vncle of Mordecái (which had taken her as his owne daughter) came, yt ſhe ſhulde go into the King, ſhe deſired nothing, but what Hegé the Kings eunuche the keper of the women ſaid: and Eſtér founde fauour in the ſight of all them that loked vpon her.
16.¶ So Eſtér was takẽ vnto King Ahaſhueróſh into his houſe royal in the tenth moneth, which is the moneth Tebéth, in the ſeuent yere of his reigne.
17.And the King loued Eſtér aboue all the women, and ſhe founde grace and fauour in his ſight more then all the virgins: ſo that he ſet the crowne of the kingdome vpõ her head, & made her Quene in ſteade of Vaſhti.
18.Then the King made a great feaſt vnto all his princes and his ſeruants which was the feaſt of Eſtér and gaue reſt vnto the prouinces, and gaue giftes, according to the power of a King.
19.And when the virgins were gathered the ſeconde time, then Mordecái ſate in the Kings gate.
20.Eſtér had not yet ſhewed her kinred nor her people, as Mordecái had charged her: for Eſtér did after the worde of Mordecái, as when ſhe was nouriſhed with him.
21.¶ In thoſe daies when Mordecái ſate in the Kings gate, two of the Kings eunuches, Bigthán and Téreſh, which kept the dore, were wroth, & ſoght to lay hand on the King Ahaſhueróſh.
22.And the thing was knowẽ to Mordecái, and he tolde it vnto Quene Eſtér, and Eſtér certified the King thereof in Mordecais name: and when inquiſiciõ was made, it was founde ſo: therefore thei were bothe hanged on a tre: and it was written in the boke of the Chronicles before the King.

Notes

1:a.
That is, he called ye matter againe into cõmunicatiõ.
1:b.
By the ſeuen wiſe men of his counſel.
3:c.
The abuſe of theſe countreis was ſo great, that they inuented manie meanes to ſerue the luſtes of princes, and therefore, as they ordeined wicked lawes that the King might haue whole daughters he wolde, ſo they had diuers houſes appointed, as one for them, whiles they were virgines, another whẽ they were concubines, & for the Quenes another
3:d.
Read what this purificacion was, verſ 13
6:*.
2.Kin.24,15.
9:".
Ebr portions.
11:e.
For thogh ſhe was taken away by a cruel law, yet he ceaſed not to haue a fatherlie care ouer her, and therefore did reſort oft times to heare of her.
13:f.
What apparel ſhe aſked of the eunuche, that was he bounde to giue her.
15:".
Or, Hegái.
15:g.
Wherein her modeſtie appeared becauſe ſhe ſoght not apparel to cõmend her beautie, but ſtode to ye eunuches appointment.
16:h.
Which conteined part of December & part of Iannarie.
18:i.
That is, made for her ſake
18:k.
He releaſed their tribute.
18:l.
That is, great & magnifical.
19:m.
That is, as the mariage of Eſter, which was ye ſeconde mariage of ye King.
21:n.
Meaning, to kil him.
22:o.
In the Chronicles of the Medes & Perſiãs, as Chap. 10,2.