Esther 2

¹ Later after the anger of the king don cool down, he still dey think about wetin Vashti don do and about him command against her.

² Naso some of the advisers for the king wey dey close to him suggest say, "Why you no make a search to find some beautiful young virgins?

³ You fit appoint officials for every province of the empire and order them say make dem bring all these beautiful young women come your women quarters here for Susa, the capital city. Make you put them for the care of Hegai, the servant wey dey in charge of your women, and make dem dey give them beauty treatment.

⁴ Then make you take a young woman wey you like pass and make you make her queen to replace Vashti." The king think say na good advice, naso he follow am.

⁵ A Jew dey live for Susa wey him name na Mordecai son of Jair; na from tribe of Benjamin he come from and na descendant of Kish and Shimei he be.

⁶ Mordecai dey among them, when king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon take King Jehoiachin of Judah go foreign land from Jerusalem, with group of slaves.

⁷ He get cousin, Esther, wey her Hebrew name na Hadassah; she be beautiful young woman, and she get good figure. Mordecai don adopt her and he bring her up as him own daughter after the death of her parents.

⁸ When the king don issues him new command and dem bring plenty young women come Susa, Esther dey among them. Dem put her too for the royal palace for the care of Hegai, wey dey in charge of the women quarters.

⁹ Hegai like Esther, and she win him favor. He no waste time to dey give her beauty treatment of massage and special diet. He give her the best place for women quarters and he assign seven young women wey dem chose specially from the royal palace to dey serve her.

¹⁰ Now, as Mordecai don advice her, Esther don keep am as secret say she be Jew.

¹¹ Mordecai dey waka up and down for the front of the courtyard of the women quarters every day, to see how she dey do, and to see wetin go happen to her.

¹² The regular beauty treatment for the women dey last for a year - massage with oil of myrrh for six months and with oil of balsam for six months. After that, dem go con take each woman to King Xerxes.

¹³ She fit wear anything she want, when she dey go from the women quarters to the palace.

¹⁴ She fit go there for evening, and the next morning dem go take her go another area and put her in the care of Shaashgaz, the servant wey dey in charge of the concubines of the king. She no go fit go to the king again unless he don like her enough to ask her by name.

¹⁵ The time don come for Esther make she go to the king. Esther - wey be the daughter of Abihail and the cousin of Mordecai, wey adopt her as him own daughter; Esther - everyone wey see her dey like her. When her turn don come, she just wear wetin Hegai, the servant wey dey in charge of the area, don advice her make she wear.

¹⁶ Naso in seventh year of Xerxes as king, for the tenth month, wey be the month of Tebeth, Dem bring Esther come to King Xerxes for the royal palace.

¹⁷ The king con like her pass any other women, and she win him favor and affection pass any of the others. He con put the royal crown on top her head and he make her queen to replace Vashti.

¹⁸ Then the king con do great party for the honor of Esther and he invite all him officials and administrators. He con announce holiday for the whole empire and he distribute gift wey fit a king.

¹⁹ The king con appoint Mordecai to administrative position.

²⁰ As for Esther, she never still allow people know say she be Jew. Mordecai don tell her make she no tell anyone, and she don obey him for this, just as she don obey him when she be small girl under him care.

²¹ During the time wey Mordechai hold office for the palace, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the palace servant wey dey guard the entrance to the king room, don become enemy of King Xerxes and dem don plan to kill him.

²² Mordechai don hear about am and he con tell Queen Esther, who con tell the king wetin Mordechai don find out.

²³ Dem investigate the matter, and dem discover say the report na true, naso dem hang the two men on top tree. The king order say make dem write the account of this down for the official record of the empire.