Later, when King Xerxes’ anger had cooled and he was having second thoughts about what Vashti had done and what he had ordered against her, the king’s young attendants stepped in and got the ball rolling: “Let’s begin a search for beautiful young virgins for the king. Let the king appoint officials in every province of his kingdom to bring every beautiful young virgin to the palace complex of Susa and to the harem run by Hegai, the king’s eunuch who oversees the women; he will put them through their beauty treatments. Then let the girl who best pleases the king be made queen in place of Vashti.” The king liked this advice and took it. * * *
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Each girl’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes after she had completed the twelve months of prescribed beauty treatments—six months’ treatment with oil of myrrh followed by six months with perfumes and various cosmetics. When it was time for the girl to go to the king, she was given whatever she wanted to take with her when she left the harem for the king’s quarters. She would go there in the evening; in the morning she would return to a second harem overseen by Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. She never again went back to the king unless the king took a special liking to her and asked for her by name. When it was Esther’s turn to go to the king (Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had adopted her as his daughter), she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the harem, had recommended. Esther, just as she was, won the admiration of everyone who saw her.
Compare All Versions: Esther 2:1-4, 12-15
3 Days
In a time where a king wanted a wife, a Jewish woman named Esther appeared. Looking at the life of Esther helps to give us direction into how we’re supposed to act when God places us in His providentially designed plans. In this 3-day reading plan, Tony Evans teaches the history of Esther, providing an in-depth look at the inner workings of Persian royalty.
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4 Days
Let’s be honest, sometimes our lives feel like a caffeinated squirrel running through a peanut factory – absolute chaos! But even in the craziness, we can trust that God has placed us where we are for a perfect purpose! Join us as we see this truth play out in the heroic life of Queen Esther.
5 Days
ALL things are working for your good! As a believer, we are constantly faced with trials in our lives. Sometimes we may think that God is being unfair to us or may have even forgotten about us, but as we review the life of Queen Esther, I trust you will have a God perspective when the storms are raging, and fires keep igniting because ALL things are working for your good.
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