Esther 1:17

1:17 For the matter concerning the queen will spread to all the women, leading them to treat their husbands with contempt, saying, ‘When King Ahasuerus gave orders to bring Queen Vashti into his presence, she would not come.’

Esther 2:12

2:12 At the end of the twelve months that were required for the women, ¹  when the turn of each young woman arrived to go to King Ahasuerus – for in this way they had to fulfill their time of cosmetic treatment: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfume and various ointments used by women –

Esther 3:6

3:6 But the thought of striking out against ²  Mordecai alone was repugnant to him, for he had been informed ³  of the identity of Mordecai’s people. ⁴  So Haman sought to destroy all the Jews (that is, the people of Mordecai) ⁵  who were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus.

Esther 6:13

6:13 Haman then related to his wife Zeresh and to all his friends everything that had happened to him. These wise men, ⁶  along with his wife Zeresh, said to him, “If indeed this Mordecai before whom you have begun to fall is Jewish, ⁷  you will not prevail against him. No, you will surely fall before him!”

Esther 1:13

1:13 The king then inquired of the wise men who were discerners of the times – for it was the royal custom to confer with all those who were proficient in laws and legalities. ⁸ 

Esther 3:4

3:4 And after they had spoken to him day after day ⁹  without his paying any attention to them, they informed Haman to see whether this attitude on Mordecai’s part would be permitted. ¹⁰  Furthermore, he had disclosed to them that he was a Jew. ¹¹ 

Esther 4:11

4:11 “All the servants of the king and the people of the king’s provinces know that there is only one law applicable ¹²  to any man or woman who comes uninvited to the king in the inner court – that person will be put to death, unless the king extends to him the gold scepter, permitting him to be spared. ¹³  Now I have not been invited to come to the king for some thirty days!”

¹ tc The LXX does not include the words “that were required for the women.”

¹ tn Heb “to send a hand against”; KJV, NRSV “to lay hands on.”

² tn Heb “they had related to him.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a passive construction.

³ tc The entire first half of the verse is not included in the LXX.

⁴ tc This parenthetical phrase is not included in the LXX. Some scholars emend the MT reading עַם (’am, “people”) to עִם (’im, “with”), arguing that the phrase is awkwardly placed and syntactically inappropriate. While there is some truth to their complaint, the MT makes sufficient sense to be acceptable here, and is followed by most English versions.

¹ tc Part of the Greek tradition and the Syriac Peshitta understand this word as “friends,” probably reading the Hebrew term רֲכָמָיו (rakhamayv, “his friends”) rather than the reading of the MT חֲכָמָיו (hakhamayv, “his wise men”). Cf. NLT “all his friends”; the two readings appear to be conflated by TEV as “those wise friends of his.”

² tn Heb “from the seed of the Jews”; KJV, ASV similar.

¹ tn Heb “judgment” (so KJV); NASB, NIV “justice”; NRSV “custom.”

¹ sn Mordecai’s position in the service of the king brought him into regular contact with these royal officials. Because of this association the officials would have found ample opportunity to complain of Mordecai’s refusal to honor Haman by bowing down before him.

² tn Heb “Will the matters of Mordecai stand?”; NASB “to see whether Mordecai’s reason would stand.”

³ sn This disclosure of Jewish identity is a reversal of the practice mentioned in 1:10, 20.

¹ tn Heb “one is his law”; NASB “he (the king NIV) has but one law”

² tn Heb “and he will live”; KJV, ASV “that he may live”; NIV “and spare his life.”