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Background...
The Biblical Book of Esther is
set in the third year of Ahasuerus, a king of Persia. That is
approximately 2,500 years ago.
The Book of Esther tells a story of palace intrigue
and the planned genocide of the Jewish People that was
miraculously thwarted by a Jewish queen of Persia.
The Book of
Esther commences with a feast organized by Ahasuerus, initially for his court
and dignitaries and afterwards for all inhabitants of Shushan. Ahasuerus orders
his wife Quee Vashti
to display her beauty before the guests. She
refuses. Ahasuerus has her killed. Ahasuerus then orders all "beautiful young
girls to be presented to him, so he can choose a new queen
to replace Vashti. One of these is Esther a Jewish
girl, who had no parents and is being fostered by her uncle Mordechai. She finds
favor in the king's eyes, and is made his new wife.
Esther does not
reveal that she is Jewish.
Shortly afterwards, Mordechai discovers a plot by
courtiers Bigthan and Teresh to assassinate King Ahasuerus.
They are apprehended and executed, and Mordechai's
service to the king is recorded in the king's records.
Ahasuerus appoints Haman as his prime
minister.
Mordechai, who sits at the palace gates, falls into
Haman's disfavor as he refuses to bow down to him. Having found out that
Mordechai is Jewish, Haman plans to kill not just
Mordechai but all the Jews in the empire.
He obtains Ahasuerus' permission to execute this
plan, against payment of ten thousand talents of silver, and he casts lots to
choose the date on which to do this - the
thirteenth of the month of Adar. When Mordechai
finds out about the plans he orders fasting.
Mordechai informs Esther what has happened and tells her to intercede
with the King. She is afraid to break the law and
go to the King uninvited. This entails the death penalty.
Mordechai tells her that she must. She requests
that all Jews fast and pray for three days together with her, and on the third
day she goes to Ahasuerus,who stretches out his sceptre to her which
shows
that she is not to be punished. She invites him to
a feast in the company of Haman. During the feast, she asks them to attend a
further feast the next evening. Meanwhile, Haman is again offended by
Mordechai
and at the advice of his wife and friends builds a
gallows for him.
That night, Ahasuerus suffers from insomnia, simply
can't sleep at all, and when the court's records are read to him to help him
sleep, he learns of the services rendered by Mordechai in the previous plot
against his life.
Ahasuerus is told that
Mordechai has not received any recognition for saving the king's life. Just
then, Haman appears, and King Ahasuerus asks Haman what should be done for the
man that he wishes to honor.
Thinking that the man that the king wishes to honor is him, Haman says that the man should
be dressed in the king's royal robes and led around on the king's royal horse,
while a herald calls:
"See how the king honours a man he wishes to
reward!"
To his horror, the king instructs Haman to do so to
Mordechai. Later that evening, Ahasuerus and Haman attend Esther's second
banquet, at which she reveals that she is Jewish and that Haman is planning
to
exterminate her
people, including her. Overcome by rage, Ahasuerus leaves the room; meanwhile
Haman stays behind and begs Esther for his life, falling upon her in
desperation.
The king comes back in at this moment and thinks
Haman is assaulting the queen; this makes him even angrier than before and he
orde
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