Esther 2:22

2:22 When Mordecai learned of the conspiracy, ¹  he informed Queen Esther, ²  and Esther told the king in Mordecai’s behalf. ³ 

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 Any decree that is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring cannot be rescinded.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 2:5

2:5 Now there happened to be a Jewish man in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai. ⁴  He was the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite,

Esther 8:10

8:10 Mordecai ⁵  wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king’s signet ring. He then sent letters by couriers on horses, who rode royal horses that were very swift.

Esther 2:14

2:14 In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to a separate part ⁶  of the harem, to the authority of Shaashgaz the king’s eunuch who was overseeing the concubines. She would not go back to the king unless the king was pleased with her ⁷  and she was requested by name.

Esther 9:26

9:26 For this reason these days are known as Purim, after the name of pur.

Esther 3:12

3:12 So the royal scribes ⁸  were summoned in the first month, on the thirteenth day of the month. Everything Haman commanded was written to the king’s satraps ⁹  and governors who were in every province and to the officials of every people, province by province according to its script and people by people according to its language. In the name of King Ahasuerus it was written and sealed with the king’s signet ring.

[2:22]  ¹ sn The text of Esther does not disclose exactly how Mordecai learned about the plot against the king’s life. Ancient Jewish traditions state that Mordecai overheard conspiratorial conversation, or that an informant brought this information to him, or that it came to him as a result of divine prompting. These conjectures are all without adequate support from the biblical text. The author simply does not tell the source of Mordecai’s insight into this momentous event.

[2:22]  ² tc The LXX simply reads “Esther” and does not include “the queen.”

[2:22]  ³ tc The LXX adds here “the things concerning the plot.”

[2:5]  ⁴ sn Mordecai is a pagan name that reflects the name of the Babylonian deity Marduk. Probably many Jews of the period had two names, one for secular use and the other for use especially within the Jewish community. Mordecai’s Jewish name is not recorded in the biblical text.

[8:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “He”; the referent (Mordecai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:14]  ¹⁰ 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.

[2:14]  ¹¹ tc The LXX does not include the words “was pleased with her.”

[3:12]  ¹³ tn Or “secretaries” (so NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[3:12]  ¹⁴ tn Or “princes” (so NLT); CEV “highest officials.”