OET interlinear EST 2:12

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-background

וּ⁠בְ⁠הַגִּ֡יעַ

and,when,arrived

Verses 12 to 14 are background information about how the virgins who were gathered for the king became his concubines. These verses are not specifically about Esther, but about the women in general. Use your language’s way of letting your readers know that this is background information by using a connecting word or a phrase such as, “This is how virgins became concubines for the king.”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

נַעֲרָ֨ה וְ⁠נַעֲרָ֜ה

girl's and,a_young_woman

Alternate translation: [each one of the young women]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וּ⁠בְ⁠הַגִּ֡יעַ תֹּר֩ & לָ⁠ב֣וֹא ׀ אֶל־הַ⁠מֶּ֣לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵר֗וֹשׁ

and,when,arrived turn_of & to,go to/towards the=king ʼAḩashvērōsh

Each of these young women was going to have sexual relations with the king and, as a result, legally become one of his concubines, that is, one of his secondary wives. As the story has already explained, he would then choose one of them to become his queen and primary wife. But the king would still provide for each of the concubines for the rest of her life; they would not be free to marry anyone else. This is something that the story’s original audience would have understood implicitly. you could say it explicitly if your readers need this information to understand the story: “Each young woman in the harem, one at a time, was going to have sexual relations with King Ahasuerus and become one of his concubines” or “one of his secondary wives.”

Note 4 topic: translate-unknown

כְּ⁠דָ֤ת הַ⁠נָּשִׁים֙

according,to_the_regulation_of of,the_women

Here, law probably does not mean a legal decree, but rather a standard regimen that had been developed.

Note 5 topic: writing-background

כִּ֛י כֵּ֥ן יִמְלְא֖וּ יְמֵ֣י מְרוּקֵי⁠הֶ֑ן

that/for/because/then/when yes/correct/thus/so was_the_regular days_of their_rubbings_of,of

This phrase indicates that the story is now going to provide background information on how these treatments were done. It means, “This is how these women would spend the time preparing to go to the king.”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

שִׁשָּׁ֤ה חֳדָשִׁים֙ בְּ⁠שֶׁ֣מֶן הַ⁠מֹּ֔ר

six months with,the_oil_of of_(the),myrrh

This means that a woman’s attendants would rub her body with olive oil mixed with myrrh every day for six months. you could explain this in more detail if your readers need this information to understand the story.

בְּ⁠שֶׁ֣מֶן הַ⁠מֹּ֔ר

with,the_oil_of of_(the),myrrh

This likely means “olive oil mixed with myrrh.”

Note 7 topic: translate-unknown

וּ⁠בְ⁠תַמְרוּקֵ֖י הַ⁠נָּשִֽׁים

and,with,the_cleansings_of of_(the),women

This means lotions designed for women. In 2:3 and 2:9, this one specific part of the program seems to be used to mean all of it, and so in those verses it can be translated “beauty treatments.” But it should be translated with a specific term or phrase here, such as “women’s lotions” or “feminine ointments” because it is named along with oils and perfumes as one component of the treatment.