⁸ When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa^(A) and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. ⁹ She pleased him and won his favor.^(B) Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food.^(C) He assigned to her seven female attendants selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem.

¹² Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes^(A) and cosmetics. ¹³ And this is how she would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace.