Esther 2

Esther 2

Esther 2:1 Sometime later, when King Ahasuerus’s rage had cooled down, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what was decided against her.

Esther 2:2 The king’s boys[1] suggested, “Let a search be made for beautiful virgin girls[2] for the king.

Esther 2:3 Let the king appoint commissioners in each province of his kingdom so they can gather all the beautiful virgin girls to the house at the fortress of Susa. Put them under the supervision of Hegai, the king’s eunuch and keeper of the women, and provide them with the necessary beauty treatments.

Esther 2:4 The girl who pleases the king will become queen instead of Vashti.” This suggestion pleased the king, and he did accordingly.

Esther 2:5 In the fortress of Susa, there was a Jewish man named Mordecai, son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite.

Esther 2:6 He was taken into exile from Jerusalem along with the other captives when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon exiled King Jeconiah of Judah.

Esther 2:7 Mordecai was the legal guardian of his cousin Hadassah (Esther) because she had no father or mother. The girl had a beautiful figure and was very attractive. After her parents died, Mordecai adopted her as his daughter.

Esther 2:8 When the king’s command and edict became public, and when many girls were gathered at the fortress of Susa under Hegai’s supervision, Esther was taken to the house and placed under Hegai, the keeper of the women.

Esther 2:9 The girl pleased him and gained his favor, so he accelerated the beauty treatments and special diet she received. He assigned her seven hand-picked female servants from the house and transferred her and her servants to the home of the best women’s quarters.

Esther 2:10 Esther did not reveal her ethnicity or family background because Mordecai had commanded her not to make them known.

Esther 2:11 Every day, Mordecai walked before the house’s courtyard to learn how Esther was doing and to see what was happening to her.

Esther 2:12 During the year before each girl’s turn to go to King Ahasuerus, the harem regulation required her to receive beauty treatments with myrrh oil for six months and then with perfumes and cosmetics for another six months.

Esther 2:13 When the girl would go to the king, she was given whatever she requested to take from the house of women to the house.

Esther 2:14 She would go in the evening and return in the morning to a second women’s house under the supervision of the king’s eunuch Shaashgaz, keeper of the concubines. She never went to the king again unless he desired her and summoned her by name.

Esther 2:15 Esther was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai, who had adopted her as his daughter. When her turn came to go to the king, she did not ask for anything except what Hegai, the king’s eunuch, keeper of the women, suggested. Esther gained favor in the eyes of everyone who saw her.

Esther 2:16 She was taken to King Ahasuerus in the house in the tenth month, Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

Esther 2:17 The king cared for[3] Esther more than all the other women. She won more favor and approval from him than did any of the other virgins. He placed the royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.

Esther 2:18 The king hosted a grand banquet for all his officials and servants. It was Esther’s celebration. He abolished taxes across his provinces and distributed gifts fit for a king.

Esther 2:19 When the virgins were gathered a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the King’s Gate.

Esther 2:20 (Esther had not revealed her family background or ethnicity, as Mordecai had commanded. She obeyed Mordecai’s orders, as she always had while he raised her.)

Esther 2:21 During those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the King’s Gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the entrance, became infuriated and planned to assassinate King Ahasuerus.

When Mordecai discovered the plot, he informed Queen Esther, who then reported it to the king on Mordecai’s behalf.

Esther 2:23 reports that after the investigation and confirmation, both men were hanged on the gallows. This event was documented in the Historical Record prior to the king’s records.

[1] נָעַר = boy (young man, servant). Esther 2:2; 3:13; 6:3, 5.

[2] נָעֲרָה = girl. Esther 2:2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13; 4:4, 16.

[3] אָהֵב = care about, care for. Esther 2:17; 5:10, 14; 6:13.

links:

what Mordecai knew

The Esther shelf in my library

Esther 1

Esther 1

Esther 1:1 These events took place during the days of Ahasuerus, who ruled 127 provinces from India to Cush.

Esther 1:2 In those days, King Ahasuerus reigned from his royal throne in the fortress at Susa.

Esther 1:3 He held a feast in the third year of his reign for all his officials and slaves,[1] the army[2] of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the captains[3] from the provinces before[4] him.

Esther 1:4 He displayed the impressive[5] wealth of his kingdom and the magnificent splendor of his greatness for a total of 180 days.

Esther 1:5 At the end of this time, the king hosted a week-long banquet in the garden courtyard of the royal palace for everyone, from the greatest to the least, who were present in the fortress of Susa.

Esther 1:6 White and violet linen hangings were secured with delicate white and purple linen cords to silver rods on marble columns. Gold and silver couches were arranged on a mosaic floor made of red feldspar, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones.

Esther 1:7 Drinks were served in a variety of gold goblets, each with a unique design. Royal wine flowed freely, as specified by the king’s generosity.

Esther 1:8 The drinking was according to royal decree: “There are no restrictions.” The king had ordered every wine steward in his house[6] to serve whatever each person wanted.

Esther 1:9 Queen Vashti also hosted a banquet for the women of King Ahasuerus’s house.

Esther 1:10 On the seventh day, when the king’s heart[7] was feeling good from the wine, Ahasuerus commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas — the seven eunuchs who personally ministered[8] before him–

Esther 1:11 to bring Queen Vashti before him with her royal crown. He wanted to show off her beauty to the people and the captains because she was lovely.

Esther 1:12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command, which his eunuchs delivered. The king became furious,[9] and his anger burned within him.

Esther 1:13 The king consulted with the wise men who understood the times, as it was his usual practice to confer with legal and justice experts.

Esther 1:14 The most trusted officials were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan. They were the seven captains of Persia and Media who had direct access to the king and held the highest positions in the kingdom.

Esther 1:15 The king asked, “According to the law, what should be done to Queen Vashti since she refused to obey King Ahasuerus’s command, which the eunuchs delivered?”

Esther 1:16 Memucan told the king and his officials, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also all the officials and the people in every one of King Ahasuerus’s provinces.”

Esther 1:17 For the queen’s actions will become known to all women and lead them to despise their husbands, saying, ‘King Ahasuerus ordered Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she did not come.’

Esther 1:18 Before this day ends, the noble women of Persia and Media who hear about the queen’s act will tell the same thing to all the king’s captains, leading to more contempt and anger.

Esther 1:19 “If it meets the king’s approval, he should personally issue a royal decree. Let it be recorded in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be revoked: Vashti is not to come before King Ahasuerus, and her royal position is to be given to another woman more worthy than she.”

Esther 1:20 The decree the king issues will be heard throughout his vast kingdom so that all women will honor their husbands, from the greatest to the least.

Esther 1:21 The king and his captains approved the proposal, and he followed Memucan’s advice.

Esther 1:22 He sent letters to all the royal provinces, in their own script and language, telling each man to be the ruler of his household and to speak the language of his people.

[1] עֶבֶד = slave. Esther 1:3; 2:18; 3:2, 3; 4:11; 5:11; 7:4.

[2] חַיִל = capable, powerful, efficient, army. Esther 1:3; 8:11.

[3] שַׂר = captain. Esther 1:3, 11, 14, 16, 18, 21; 2:18; 3:1, 12; 5:11; 6:9; 8:9; 9:3.

[4] פָּנִים = face, before. Esther 1:3, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19; 2:11, 23; 3:7; 4:5, 6; 6:1, 9, 11, 13; 7:6, 8, 9; 8:1, 4, 5, 15; 9:2, 25.

[5] כָּבוֹד = impressive, reward, honor. Esther 1:4; 5:11.

[6] בַּיִת = house, (family, home, temple) inside. Esther 1:8, 9, 22; 2:3, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16; 4:13, 14; 5:1, 10; 6:4, 12; 7:8, 9; 8:1, 2, 7; 9:4.

[7] לֵב = heart. Esther 1:10; 5:9; 6:6; 7:5.

[8] שָׁרָת = minister. Esther 1:10; 2:2; 6:3.

[9] קָצַף = be infurated, furious. Esther 1:12; 2:21.

links:

two wrongs

The Esther shelf in my library

Nehemiah 13

Nehemiah 13

Nehemiah 13:1 At that time, the book of Moses was cried out publicly to the people. The command was found written in it that no Ammonite or Moabite should enter the congregation of God permanently,

Nehemiah 13:2 because they did not provide the Israelites with food and water. Instead, they hired Balaam against them to curse them, but our God turned the affliction[1] into a blessing.

Nehemiah 13:3 When they heard the instruction, they separated all those of mixed descent from Israel.

Nehemiah 13:4 Before this, the priest Eliashib had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was a relative of Tobiah

Nehemiah 13:5 and had prepared a large room for him where they had previously stored the tribute offerings, the frankincense, the articles, and the tenths of grain, new wine, and fresh oil prescribed for the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, along with the contributions for the priests.

Nehemiah 13:6 While all this was happening, I was not in Jerusalem because I had returned to King Artaxerxes of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign. It was only later that I asked the king for a leave of absence

Nehemiah 13:7 so I could return to Jerusalem. Then I discovered the evil that Eliashib had done on behalf of Tobiah by providing him a room in the courts of God’s house.

Nehemiah 13:8 I was greatly displeased and threw all of Tobiah’s household possessions out of the room.

Nehemiah 13:9 I ordered that the rooms be purified, and I had the articles of the house of God restored there, along with the tribute offering and frankincense.

Nehemiah 13:10 I also found out that because the portions for the Levites had not been given, each of the Levites and the singers performing the service had run to his field.

Nehemiah 13:11 Therefore, I rebuked the officials, asking, “Why has the house of God been neglected?” I gathered the Levites and singers together and stationed them at their posts.

Nehemiah 13:12 Then all Judah brought a tenth of the grain, new wine, and fresh oil into the storehouses.

Nehemiah 13:13 I appointed the priest Shelemiah, the scribe Zadok, and Pedaiah of the Levites as treasurers over the storehouses, with Hanan, son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, to assist them because they were considered trustworthy. They were responsible for the distribution to their colleagues.

Nehemiah 13:14 Remember me for this, my God, and don’t erase the deeds of faithful love I have done for the house of my God and for its services.

Nehemiah 13:15 At that time, I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath. They were also bringing in stores of grain and loading them on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, and figs. All kinds of goods were being brought to Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, so I warned them against selling food on that day.

Nehemiah 13:16 The Tyrians living there were importing fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah in Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 13:17 I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them: “What is this evil you are doing — profaning the Sabbath day?

Nehemiah 13:18 Didn’t your ancestors do the same so that our God brought all this disaster on us and this city? And now you are adding to[2] his anger against Israel by profaning the Sabbath!”

Nehemiah 13:19 When shadows began to fall on the city gates of Jerusalem just before the Sabbath, I gave orders that they be closed and not opened until after the Sabbath. I posted some of my boys at the gates so that no goods could enter during the Sabbath day.

Nehemiah 13:20 Once or twice, the merchants and those who sell all kinds of goods camped outside Jerusalem,

Nehemiah 13:21 but I warned them, “Why are you camping in front of the wall? If you do it again, I’ll use force against you.” After that, they did not come again on the Sabbath.

Nehemiah 13:22 Then I instructed the Levites to purify themselves and guard the city gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember me for this also, my God, and look on me with compassion according to the abundance of your faithful love.

Nehemiah 13:23 In those days, I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.

Nehemiah 13:24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples but could not speak Hebrew.

Nehemiah 13:25 I rebuked them, cursed them, struck[3] some of their men, and pulled out their hair. I forced them to take an oath before God and said, “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or yourselves!

Nehemiah 13:26 Didn’t King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was no king like him among many nations. His God loved him, and God made him king over all Israel, yet foreign women drew him into sin.

Nehemiah 13:27 Why then should we hear about you doing all this terrible evil and acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?”

Nehemiah 13:28 Even one of the sons of Jehoiada, son of the high priest Eliashib, had become a son-in-instruction to Sanballat the Horonite. So I made him run away from me.

Nehemiah 13:29 Remember them, my God, for defiling the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

Nehemiah 13:30 So I purified them from everything foreign and assigned specific duties to each priest and Levite.

Nehemiah 13:31 I also arranged for the donation of wood at the appointed times and the first fruits. Remember me, my God, with favor.

[1] קְלָלָה = affliction. Nehemiah 13:2.

[2] יָסַף = add to, again. Nehemiah 13:18.

[3] נָכָה = strike, strike down (kill). Nehemiah 13:25.

links:

another cleansing
cleansing again

The NEHEMIAH shelf in Jeff’s library

Nehemiah 12

Nehemiah 12

Nehemiah 12:1 These are the priests and Levites who went up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

Nehemiah 12:2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

Nehemiah 12:3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

Nehemiah 12:4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,

Nehemiah 12:5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

Nehemiah 12:6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,

Nehemiah 12:7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the heads of the priests and their relatives in the days of Jeshua.

Nehemiah 12:8 The Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah — he and his relatives were in charge of the songs of praise.

Nehemiah 12:9 Bakbukiah, Unni, and their relatives stood opposite them in the services.

Nehemiah 12:10 Jeshua fathered[1] Joiakim, Joiakim fathered Eliashib, Eliashib fathered Joiada,

Nehemiah 12:11 Joiada fathered Jonathan, and Jonathan fathered Jaddua.

Nehemiah 12:12 In the days of Joiakim, the heads of the priestly families were Meraiah of Seraiah, Hananiah of Jeremiah,

Nehemiah 12:13 Meshullam of Ezra, Jehohanan of Amariah,

Nehemiah 12:14 Jonathan of Malluchi, Joseph of Shebaniah,

Nehemiah 12:15 Adna of Harim, Helkai of Meraioth,

Nehemiah 12:16 Zechariah of Iddo, Meshullam of Ginnethon,

Nehemiah 12:17 Zichri of Abijah, Piltai of Moadiah, of Miniamin,

Nehemiah 12:18 Shammua of Bilgah, Jehonathan of Shemaiah,

Nehemiah 12:19 Mattenai of Joiarib, Uzzi of Jedaiah,

Nehemiah 12:20 Kallai of Sallai, Eber of Amok,

Nehemiah 12:21 Hashabiah of Hilkiah, and Nethanel of Jedaiah.

Nehemiah 12:22 In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the heads of the families of the Levites and priests were recorded while Darius the Persian ruled.

Nehemiah 12:23 Levi’s descendants, the family heads, were recorded in the Book of the Historical Events during the days of Johanan son of Eliashib.

Nehemiah 12:24 The heads of the Levites—Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, along with their relatives opposite them—gave praise and thanks, division by division, as David, the man of God, had prescribed.

Nehemiah 12:25 This included Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, and Obadiah. Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the city gates.

Nehemiah 12:26 These served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe.

Nehemiah 12:27 At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sent for the Levites wherever they lived and brought them to Jerusalem to celebrate the joyous dedication with thanksgiving and singing accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres.

Nehemiah 12:28 The singers gathered from the region around Jerusalem, from the settlements of the Netophathites,

Nehemiah 12:29 from Beth-gilgal, and the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for they had built settlements for themselves around Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 12:30 After the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the city gates, and the wall.

Nehemiah 12:31 Then I brought the captains of Judah up on top of the wall and appointed two large processions that gave thanks. One went to the right on the wall, toward the Dung Gate.

Nehemiah 12:32 Hoshaiah and half the captains of Judah followed,

Nehemiah 12:33 along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,

Nehemiah 12:34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah,

Nehemiah 12:35 and some of the priests’ sons with trumpets, and Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph followed

Nehemiah 12:36 as well as his relatives– Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David, the man of God. Ezra the scribe went in front of them.

Nehemiah 12:37 At the Fountain Gate, they climbed the steps of the city of David on the ascent of the wall and went above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east.

Nehemiah 12:38 The second thanksgiving procession went to the left, and I followed it with half the people along the top of the wall, past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall,

Nehemiah 12:39 above the Ephraim Gate, and by the Old Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, to the Sheep Gate. They stopped at the Gate of the Guard.

Nehemiah 12:40 The two thanksgiving processions stood in the house of God. So did I and half of the officials accompanying me,

Nehemiah 12:41 as well as the priests: Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets;

Nehemiah 12:42 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. Then the singers sang, with Jezrahiah as the leader.

Nehemiah 12:43 On that day, they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced[2] because God had given them great joy. The women and children also celebrated, and Jerusalem’s rejoicing was heard far away.

Nehemiah 12:44 On that same day, men were placed in charge of the rooms that housed the supplies, contributions, firstfruits, and tenths. The legally required portions for the priests and Levites were gathered from the village fields, because Judah was grateful to the priests and Levites who were serving.

Nehemiah 12:45 They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, as David and his son Solomon had prescribed.

Nehemiah 12:46 For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there were heads of the singers and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.

Nehemiah 12:47 So in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions for the singers and gatekeepers. They also set aside daily portions for the Levites, and the Levites set aside daily portions for Aaron’s descendants.

[1] יָלַד = give birth to, be born, father. Nehemiah 12:10, 11.

[2] שָׂמַח = enjoy, rejoice. Nehemiah 12:43.

links:

ten percent
thanksgiving processions
when the task is done

Nehemiah 12