<t /><p class="bodytext">Now when the young women were being gathered again,<n id="1" /> Mordecai was sitting at the king&#8217;s gate.<n id="2" />

And let the king appoint officers throughout all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the attractive young women to Susa the citadel, to the harem<n id="1" /> under the authority of Hegai, the king&#8217;s eunuch who oversees the women, and let him provide whatever cosmetics they desire.<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">It so happened that when the king&#8217;s edict and his law became known<n id="1" /> many young women were taken to Susa the citadel to be placed under the authority of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the royal palace<n id="2" /> to be under the authority of Hegai, who was overseeing the women.