The Story of Esther

The story of Esther is about a brave woman, who was a member of a marginalized group, and yet she and her people triumphed over their enemies.  

Esther was a Benjamanite among the Jewish captives in Persia.  Her presumably parents were captured or perhaps killed by the Babylonians.  She was an orphan and was under the protection of an older cousin named Mordecai.   Her Hebrew or original name was Hadassah.  During the time of Esther the Babylonians had been conquered by the Medes and the Persians.

Esther's cousin, Mordecai overheard a plot against the king and reported it and the plot was foiled.  By this time Mordecai was a leader or chief minister in the palace.

The king summoned his wife, Vashti, and she refused to obey him so she was deposed.  Then the king mounted a search among all the fair maidens in his kingdom.  He chose Esther and she became his new wife.  It is important to know that no queen could come to the king in court without being summoned.

Meanwhile, Mordecai refused to bow down to the king's grand vizier, Haman.  So to take revenge the vicious Haman convinced the king, Ahasuerus, that the Jews were trouble makers.  The king authorized Haman to have all the Jews exterminated or killed on a certain date.

Esther before the King

Mordecai sent a message to Esther in the palace about what was going on.  Esther, a very brave but faithful person gave instructions to have the people fast for her.  Then she went before the king witout being summoned.  She was taking a chance to do this, but she had faith.  The king held out his scepter to her and she was not in trouble.  He asked what she wanted and she invited the king and Haman to a feast.  Haman was really into this, thinking he had it made that even the queen liked him.

After the feast, that night, the king could not sleep and asked to have the chronicles read to him.  He was obviously a good ruler who wanted to know what was going on in his kingdom and court.  When he learned of Mordecai reporting a plot and saving the king's life, the king was clearly impressed.  He asked Haman the next day what to do to honor someone.  Haman, thinking HE himself was going to be honored suggested that the person get to wear the king's robes and be paraded with honor in the street.   The king ordered Haman to do this for Mordecai.  Remember that Haman hated Mordecai.  But Haman could not go against the king's orders.

At the next feast Esther revealed to the king that she was a Jew so therefore someone who the wicked Haman wanted to have killed.   King Ahasuerus was so upset he ordered Haman to be hung on the giant gallows he had built to hang Mordecai.  Then Mordecai got all of Haman's property and the job as Prime Minister. / The king canceled the scheduled executions of all Jews and he also authorized the Jews to defend themselves from their enemies.

Today Jews celebrate their deliverance with the annual Feast of Purim.   To this day Jews in what was once Persia are called Esther's Children.

The statues and wall decorations on the Esther drawing are from the Persian ruling era of Mesopotamian part of the world.