Esther
A Jewish woman becomes queen of Persia and risks her life to save her people from destruction.
Overview
Esther is set in the Persian Empire, among Jews who did not return from exile. A Jewish woman named Esther becomes queen without revealing her people, and when a powerful official plots to destroy the Jews, she risks her life to expose him and save them. The book explains the origin of the festival of Purim. Unusually, it never once mentions God by name.
Book facts
- Author
- UnknownThe book names no author. It reads like a court record, by someone who knew the Persian palace well.
- Date written
- c. 400 BCAfter the events it describes, in the Persian period.
- Original language
- HebrewHebrew narrative. Famously, the book never mentions God by name.
- Setting
- The Persian palace at Shushan, c. 480 BCAmong the Jews living under Persian rule, far from Jerusalem.
How it came to be
Esther names no author. It is written like a Persian court record, by someone who knew the palace at Shushan well, and looks back on the events as the origin of the feast of Purim.
Unusually for the Bible, the name of God does not appear anywhere in the book.
The whole book, chapter by chapter
| Chapter | What happens | Who is in it | Where it takes place |
|---|---|---|---|
The threat — how Esther rises and the danger appears, chapters 1–5 | |||
| Chapter 1Vashti deposed | King Ahasuerus holds a great feast; when Queen Vashti refuses to appear before his guests, she is removed. | , | |
| Chapter 2Esther made queen | Esther, a young Jewish woman raised by her cousin Mordecai, is chosen as the new queen; Mordecai uncovers a plot against the king. | , , | |
| Chapter 3Haman's plot | Haman, promoted above all others, is enraged that Mordecai will not bow, and gets the king's approval to destroy all the Jews. | , | |
| Chapter 4Mordecai's plea | Mordecai urges Esther to plead with the king — "for such a time as this" — and she resolves to go, though it may cost her life. | , | — |
| Chapter 5Esther's banquet | Esther invites the king and Haman to a banquet; Haman, still furious at Mordecai, builds a gallows. | , , | — |
The reversal — how the danger turns back on the man who made it, chapters 6–10 | |||
| Chapter 6The sleepless king | Unable to sleep, the king reads how Mordecai once saved him, and forces Haman to honour Mordecai publicly. | , , | — |
| Chapter 7Haman's downfall | At the second banquet Esther exposes Haman's plot; the king has Haman hanged on his own gallows. | , , | — |
| Chapter 8The new decree | A new decree lets the Jews defend themselves, and Mordecai is raised to high office. | , | — |
| Chapter 9The days of Purim | The Jews overcome their enemies, and the feast of Purim is established to remember it. | — | — |
| Chapter 10Mordecai's greatness | A closing note on the greatness of Mordecai, second only to the king. | , | — |
All 10 chapters. Start reading →
Worth knowing
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Some of the book's best-known moments — tap the verse to read it.
- "For such a time as this"Esther 4:14
- "If I perish, I perish"Esther 4:16
- Haman hanged on his own gallowsEsther 7:10
- The feast of Purim beginsEsther 9:26