Esther 2:4

2:4 Let the young woman whom the king finds most attractive ¹  become queen in place of Vashti.” This seemed like a good idea to the king, ²  so he acted accordingly.

Esther 1:21

1:21 The matter seemed appropriate to the king and the officials. So the king acted on the advice of Memucan.

Esther 3:11

3:11 The king replied to Haman, “Keep your money, ³  and do with those people whatever you wish.” ⁴ 

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 2:9

2:9 This young woman pleased him, ⁵  and she found favor with him. He quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her rations; he also provided her with the seven specially chosen ⁶  young women who were from the palace. He then transferred her and her young women to the best quarters in the harem. ⁷ 

Esther 3:6

3:6 But the thought of striking out against ⁸  Mordecai alone was repugnant to him, for he had been informed ⁹  of the identity of Mordecai’s people. ¹⁰  So Haman sought to destroy all the Jews (that is, the people of Mordecai) ¹¹  who were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus.

Esther 5:2

5:2 When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she met with his approval. ¹²  The king extended to Esther the gold scepter that was in his hand, and Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter.

Esther 5:8

5:8 If I have found favor in the king’s sight and if the king is inclined ¹³  to grant my request and perform my petition, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet that I will prepare for them. At that time ¹⁴  I will do as the king wishes. ¹⁵ 

Esther 7:3

7:3 Queen Esther replied, “If I have met with your approval, ¹⁶  O king, and if the king is so inclined, grant me my life as my request, and my people as my petition.

Esther 8:8

8:8 Now you write in the king’s name whatever in your opinion is appropriate concerning the Jews and seal it with the king’s signet ring. Any decree that is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring cannot be rescinded.

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 ¹⁷ ) 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 8:5

8:5 She said, “If the king is so inclined and if I have met with his approval and if the matter is agreeable to the king and if I am attractive to him, let an edict be written rescinding those recorded intentions of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, ¹⁸  which he wrote in order to destroy the Jews who are throughout all the king’s provinces.

¹ tn Heb “who is good in the eyes of the king.”

² tn Heb “the matter was good in the eyes of the king.” Cf. TEV “The king thought this was good advice.”

³ tn Heb “the silver is given to you”; NRSV “the money is given to you”; CEV “You can keep their money.” C. A. Moore (Esther [AB], 40) understands these words somewhat differently, taking them to imply acceptance of the money on Xerxes’ part. He translates, “Well, it’s your money.”

⁴ tn Heb “according to what is good in your eyes”; NASB “do with them as you please.”

⁵ tn Heb “was good in his eyes”; NLT “Hegai was very impressed with Esther.”

⁶ tn Heb “being looked at (with favor).”

⁷ tn Heb “of the house of the women” (so KJV, ASV). So also in vv. 11, 13, 14.

⁷ tn Heb “to send a hand against”; KJV, NRSV “to lay hands on.”

⁸ tn Heb “they had related to him.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a passive construction.

⁹ tc The entire first half of the verse is not included in the LXX.

¹⁰ 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.

⁹ tn Heb “she obtained grace in his eyes”; NASB “she obtained favor in his sight”; NIV “he was pleased with her”; NLT “he welcomed her.”

¹¹ 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.

¹² tn Heb “and tomorrow” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV “and then.”

¹³ 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.”

¹³ tn Heb “If I have found grace in your eyes” (so also in 8:5); TEV “If it please Your Majesty.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “who had taken her to him as a daughter”; NRSV “who had adopted her as his own daughter.”

¹⁷ tc The LXX does not include the expression “the Agagite.”