Ester 2:9

2:9 This young woman pleased him, ¹  and she found favor with him. He quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her rations; he also provided her with the seven specially chosen ²  young women who were from the palace. He then transferred her and her young women to the best quarters in the harem. ³ 

Ester 7:7-8

7:7 In rage the king arose from the banquet of wine and withdrew to the palace garden. Meanwhile, Haman stood to beg Queen Esther for his life, ⁴  for he realized that the king had now determined a catastrophic end for him. ⁵ 

7:8 When the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet of wine, Haman was throwing himself down ⁶  on the couch where Esther was lying. ⁷  The king exclaimed, “Will he also attempt to rape the queen while I am still in the building!”

As these words left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.

[2:9]  ¹ tn Heb “was good in his eyes”; NLT “Hegai was very impressed with Esther.”

[2:9]  ² tn Heb “being looked at (with favor).”

[2:9]  ³ tn Heb “of the house of the women” (so KJV, ASV). So also in vv. 11, 13, 14.

[7:7]  ⁴ sn There is great irony here in that the man who set out to destroy all the Jews now finds himself begging for his own life from a Jew.

[7:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “for he saw that calamity was determined for him from the king”; NAB “the king had decided on his doom”; NRSV “the king had determined to destroy him.”

[7:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “falling”; NAB, NRSV “had (+ just TEV) thrown himself (+ down TEV).”

[7:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “where Esther was” (so KJV, NASB). The term “lying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons; cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “was reclining.”