11 And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the womans houſe, + to know how Eſther did, and t Heb.|f what ſhould become of her. «
12 Now when every maids turn was come to go in toKing Ahaſuerus; after that ſhe had been cwelve months, according to the manner of the women &, for fo were the days of their puritications accompliſhed, to wit, 11x months with oyl of myrrhe 7, and fix months with ſweet odours w, and with o:ber things for the
ſ
& Who were kept ſo long partly for their better purification, as it here follows ; partly our oftate avzthat which became ſo greata
= ſen, 1 *»—— 4. Eſther, nurſed by Mordecai, is choſen t» be one of the Heb, ch Was the hand his eu« hs,
her purification, 12 - - 14. She pleaſeth the King, and is made Queen, 15 ——17, The king makes a Feaft for his Princes and Ser- wants, 18 20. Abrdecai diſcoverith a Treaſon ag acnit the King, 2.1. 22. which i recorded in their Chronicles, 23. : Frer theſe things when che wrath of king Aha- | ſuerus was appeaſed,he remembred 4 Vaſhti, and what ihe had done, and what was decre<d againit her. a With griefand ſhame, that in "is 'Vine ini Rag:, he hal fo ſeverely puniſhed, and 1o irrevocab'y reie&-d fo beauriful and deſi- rable a perion, a;.d that for fo imall a provocation t'» whiCh the was eaſily led by the modeſty of her Sex,aud by the Laws & Cuiioms
Virgins, 8- and preferred before the ref, 9 —— 11. The manner of
King ; and partly that being ſo long in ſafe cuſtody,the king might be {ure thar the Child begottea upon any of chem was his own, 1 Which is uſual both for making the skin exally clean,& ſmooth, and ſolid,and for giving ſtrength and vigour to the body: mWhich was the more neceſſary, becauſe the bodies of men and women in thoſe hor Countries,did of themſelves yield very ill tceats, ifnor corrected and qualified by Art.
13 Then thus » came every maiden unto the King ; whatſoever ſhe defired o was given her, to $0 with her
out of the houſe of the women, unto the kings houſe. % Thus purified and prepared ; and thus as it follows. 9 For orna- ment, or by way of attendance.
14 In the evening {he went, and on the morrcow ſhe
of Perſia.
Miad, and procure him another amiable ( :0::10:t. ;
3 And jer che king appoint Othcers in all the provin- ces of his kingdom, that they may gather cogether all
Web mrs © fair Foun virgins unto Suthan the palace, to the leheng, houſe of the women, + unto the cuſtody of || Hege the [Or,Hegai, Kings chamberlain, keeper of the women c, and let 1.8. their things for purification 4 be given them.
c Either, i. Of the Virgins, who are oft called Women, as here
v.11,12. and elf{ewhere. Soit is a Synecdoche. Or, 2. OF all the Women, both virgins and Concubines, only the Virgins he him- ſelt rook care of, as requiring mvre ca e «nd caution, anil the Concutines be commited to S$.8jhgaz, vr, i4. his Depu.y. d i. e. To cleanſe them from all impu: itics anc undecencies. to ano:nt, and pertume, and auvorn, and every way prepare them for the King's preſence and Service : for the legal puiiications of the Jews he ne- ver regarded. > ;
4 And let the maiden which pleaterh the king, be queen inſtead of Valhii, And the thing pleaſed the king, *and he did fo, |
5 New in Shuſhan. the palace there was a certain
Jew, whoſe name 2s Mordecai, the fon of Jair, the fon of Shimei, the ſon of Kiſh, a Benyjamire. : Kings 6 * Who e had been cartied away from Jeruſalem, <0.IF, » " PU . - . ARR with the captivity which had been carried away with 36. 10. Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the ſer. 24- 1, king of Pabyicn had carried away.
21:9:14 Kings : 19,
bat i
2 Then ſaid the kings ſervants b chat miniſtred unto him,Let there be fair young virgins ſought for the king. b Who for th-ir own Intere:ts were obliged to quiet the King's
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returned into the ſecond houſe of the women, to the cuſtody of Shaaſhgaz, the Kings Chamberlain, which kept the concubines p: ſhe came in unto the King no more, except the king delighced in her, and that ſhe were called by name. p Whereof Darius Nthus is reckoned to have had 369.
15 Now when the turn of Etther, the daughter of Abihail, the uncie of Mordecai ( who had taken her for his daughter) was come to go in unto the king,ſhe required noching q but wharHegaithe kings Chamberlain, the keep-rof the women appoinced: and Eſther obtained favour 1in the fight of all them that looked upon her r. q To ſhew rhat the was nor delirous to pleaſe the King, and ther
ſhe was brought to the King without and againſt her own inclina» tion end choice. rl. e. Was admucd by them for her beauty.
16 So'Efther was taken unto king Ahaſucrus, into his houſe royal /, in the tenth month ( which #s the month Tebeth ) in the ſeventh year of his reign.
S And into his bed, as is implied To which it is not lirange, if ſhe though a virtuous perſon,did in thoſe circumſtances yield, coi- ſidering the iniirmiry of Human Nature, and of that Sex, and rhe ſtate of thoſe times, when pjural.ry of Wives were premitted, and Concubines were owned as Wives ; and theſe Virgins were by this ation made his Wives or Concubines. Beſidez, it is not known to us whether Merd:cai and Efiver had not di:eCtion, or a difpenſation from God in this matter; it being certain that God can diſpenſe with his own politive Laws.
17 And che king loved Eſther above all the women, and ſhe obtained grace and || farour F in his fight more
than all the virgins ; fo that he ſer the royal crown u- IOr,tind- So
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