Esther 2 in the King James Version (KJV) recounts the story of Esther's selection as queen. After King Ahasuerus dismisses his queen, Vashti, his servants suggest gathering beautiful young virgins from all provinces to find a new queen. Esther, a Jewish orphan raised by her cousin Mordecai, is among the girls chosen.
Esther undergoes a year of preparation, receiving beauty treatments and learning royal customs. When it is her turn to meet the king, she impresses him, and he immediately crowns her as queen. The king is unaware of Esther's Jewish heritage, as Mordecai advises her to keep it secret.
Mordecai, who works at the king's gate, overhears a plot by two of the king's eunuchs to assassinate him. He informs Esther, who alerts the king in Mordecai's name, and the conspirators are hanged. The event is recorded in the king's chronicles.