Esther 2:3

2:3 And let the king appoint officers throughout all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the attractive young women to Susa the citadel, to the harem 1  under the authority of Hegai, the king’s eunuch who oversees the women, and let him provide whatever cosmetics they desire. 2 

Esther 2:15

2:15 When it became the turn of Esther daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai (who had raised her as if she were his own daughter 3 ) to go to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai the king’s eunuch, who was overseer of the women, had recommended. Yet Esther met with the approval of all who saw her.

Esther 2:18

2:18 Then the king prepared a large banquet for all his officials and his servants – it was actually Esther’s banquet. He also set aside a holiday for the provinces, and he provided for offerings at the king’s expense. 4 

Esther 5:1

Esther Appeals to the King for Help

5:1 It so happened that on the third day Esther put on her royal attire and stood in the inner court of the palace, 5  opposite the king’s quarters. 6  The king was sitting on his royal throne in the palace, opposite the entrance. 7 

Esther 5:14

5:14 Haman’s 8  wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a gallows seventy-five feet 9  high built, and in the morning tell the king that Mordecai should be hanged on it. Then go with the king to the banquet contented.” 10 

It seemed like a good idea to Haman, so he had the gallows built.

Esther 6:10

6:10 The king then said to Haman, “Go quickly! Take the clothing and the horse, just as you have described, and do as you just indicated to Mordecai the Jew who sits at the king’s gate. Don’t neglect 11  a single thing of all that you have said.”

Esther 9:12

9:12 Then the king said to Queen Esther, “In Susa the citadel the Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman! What then have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? What is your request? It shall be given to you. What other petition do you have? It shall be done.”

Esther 9:25

9:25 But when the matter came to the king’s attention, the king 12  gave written orders that Haman’s 13  evil intentions that he had devised against the Jews should fall on his own head. He and his sons were hanged on the gallows.

1 tn Heb “the house of the women” (so KJV, ASV). So also in vv. 9, 11, 13, and 14.

2 tn Heb “their ointments”; cf. NIV, CEV, NLT “beauty treatments.”

3 tn Heb “who had taken her to him as a daughter”; NRSV “who had adopted her as his own daughter.”

4 tc The LXX does not include the words “and he provided for offerings at the king’s expense.”

5 tn Heb “of the house of the king”; NASB, NRSV “of the king’s palace.”

6 tn Heb “the house of the king”; NASB “the king’s rooms”; NIV, NLT “the king’s hall.” This expression is used twice in this verse. In the first instance, it is apparently the larger palace complex that is in view, whereas in the second instance the expression seems to refer specifically to the quarters from which the king governed.

7 tn Heb “the entrance of the house” (so ASV).

8 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Haman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

9 tn Heb “fifty cubits.” Assuming a standard length for the cubit of about 18 inches (45 cm), this would be about seventy-five feet (22.5 meters), which is a surprisingly tall height for the gallows. Perhaps the number assumes the gallows was built on a large supporting platform or a natural hill for visual effect, in which case the structure itself may have been considerably smaller. Cf. NCV “a seventy-five foot platform”; CEV “a tower built about seventy-five feet high.”

10 tn Or “joyful”; NRSV “in good spirits”; TEV “happy.”

11 tn Heb “do not let fall”; NASB “do not fall short.”

12 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

13 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Haman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.