# Day 198

# Esther—Queen of Persia

Esther 2:5–23

Many thousands of Jews lived in the Persian Empire. Not all had returned to Jerusalem. One of these Jews was a man in Shushan named Mordecai. With him lived his cousin, a young woman named Esther. Mordecai had adopted her as his daughter when her parents died. Esther means “star” and she was as beautiful as her name. Esther was taken to the palace with other women of the empire. One of them would be chosen queen. There she was put under the care of Hege.

Hege liked Esther and helped her in the palace. Esther didn’t tell Hege that she was Jewish. In time, King Ahasuerus chose Esther over the others. At a grand banquet, Esther was made queen of Persia. When the king wanted to see Esther, he sent for her. No one could go to the king’s rooms without an invitation. Not even the queen.

At that time, Mordecai was sitting at the palace gate. He overheard two men planning to kill the king. Mordecai sent word to Esther, who told Ahasuerus. The men were captured and punished by death. Mordecai had saved the king’s life. This was written in the history of Ahasuerus’s empire.

Questions: How could Esther visit Ahasuerus? How did Mordecai save the king’s life?