2:8 It so happened that when the king’s edict and his law became known 3 many young women were taken to Susa the citadel to be placed under the authority of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the royal palace 4 to be under the authority of Hegai, who was overseeing the women.
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 7 ) 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.
3:8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a particular people 9 that is dispersed and spread among the inhabitants 10 throughout all the provinces of your kingdom whose laws differ from those of all other peoples. Furthermore, they do not observe the king’s laws. It is not appropriate for the king to provide a haven for them. 11
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, 15 opposite the king’s quarters. 16 The king was sitting on his royal throne in the palace, opposite the entrance. 17
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 23 a single thing of all that you have said.”
7:8 When the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet of wine, Haman was throwing himself down 24 on the couch where Esther was lying. 25 The king exclaimed, “Will he also attempt to rape the queen while I am still in the building!”
As these words left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.
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 “were heard” (so NASB); NRSV “were (had been NIV) proclaimed.”
4 tn Heb “the house of the king.” So also in vv. 9, 13. Cf. NLT “the king’s harem.”
5 tn Heb “second.” The numerical adjective שֵׁנִי (sheniy, “second”) is difficult here. As a modifier for “house” in v. 14 the word would presumably refer to a second part of the harem, one which was under the supervision of a separate official. But in this case the definite article would be expected before “second” (cf. LXX τὸν δεύτερον, ton deuteron). Some scholars emend the text to שֵׁנִית (shenit, “a second time”), but this does not completely resolve the difficulty since the meaning remains unclear. The translation adopted above follows the LXX and understands the word to refer to a separate group of women in the king’s harem, a group housed apparently in a distinct part of the residence complex.
6 tc The LXX does not include the words “was pleased with her.”
7 tn Heb “who had taken her to him as a daughter”; NRSV “who had adopted her as his own daughter.”
8 tc The LXX does not include the words “and he provided for offerings at the king’s expense.”
9 tn Heb “one people.” Note the subtle absence at this point of a specific mention of the Jewish people by name.
10 tn Heb “peoples” (so NASB, NIV); NAB “nations”
11 tn Heb “to cause them to rest”; NASB “to let them remain”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “to tolerate them.”
12 tn The words “stating that” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
13 tn Heb “children and women.” The translation follows contemporary English idiom, which reverses the order.
14 tc The LXX does not include the words “on the thirteenth day.”
15 tn Heb “of the house of the king”; NASB, NRSV “of the king’s palace.”
16 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.
17 tn Heb “the entrance of the house” (so ASV).
18 tn Heb “if upon the king it is good.” Cf. the similar expression in v. 4, which also occurs in 7:3; 8:5; 9:13.
19 tn Heb “and tomorrow” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV “and then.”
20 tn Heb “I will do according to the word of the king,” i.e., answer the question that he has posed. Cf. NCV “Then I will answer your question about what I want.”
21 tc The present translation reads with the LXX וְהִלְבִּישׁוֹ (vÿhilbisho, “and he will clothe him”) rather than the reading of the MT וְהִלְבִּישׁוּ (vÿhilbishu, “and they will clothe”). The reading of the LXX is also followed by NAB, NRSV, TEV, CEV, and NLT. Likewise, the later verbs in this verse (“cause him to ride” and “call”) are better taken as singulars rather than plurals.
22 tn Heb “and let them call” (see the previous note).
23 tn Heb “do not let fall”; NASB “do not fall short.”
24 tn Heb “falling”; NAB, NRSV “had (+ just TEV) thrown himself (+ down TEV).”
25 tn Heb “where Esther was” (so KJV, NASB). The term “lying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons; cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “was reclining.”
26 tn Heb “peoples of the land” (so NASB); NIV “people of other nationalities”; NRSV “peoples of the country.”
27 tn Heb “were becoming Jews”; NAB “embraced Judaism.” However, the Hitpael stem of the verb is sometimes used of a feigning action rather than a genuine one (see, e.g., 2 Sam 13:5, 6), which is the way the present translation understands the use of the word here (cf. NEB “professed themselves Jews”; NRSV “professed to be Jews”). This is the only occurrence of this verb in the Hebrew Bible, so there are no exact parallels. However, in the context of v. 17 the motivation of their conversion (Heb “the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them”) should not be overlooked. The LXX apparently understood the conversion described here to be genuine, since it adds the words “they were being circumcised and” before “they became Jews.”
28 tn Heb “had fallen upon them” (so NRSV); NIV “had seized them.”
29 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
30 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Haman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.