The Book of Esther, a.k.a. Megillah, or The Scroll, is the story of a young Persian Jewish woman who becomes queen of Persia when the previous queen, Vashti, is banished for disobeying the king’s orders. Her cousin Mordecai, a leader of the Persian Jewish community, discovers that one of the king’s advisors is plotting the genocide of the Jews (there’s always a genocide against the Jews going on somewhere) and influencing the king to carry out the plot. Esther and Mordecai expose Haman and thwart the plot. The book stands out as one of only two books in the entire Tanakh that doesn’t mention God (the other being Song of Songs), though religious leaders opine that it was just a way of showing that God can work in mysterious ways through people on earth, even a young woman. We read through the Megillah twice each year for the festival of Purim, which commemorates the event.
- We start with the background. King Ahasuerus rules over Persia and Medea, from India to Egypt. He holds a week-long banquet for all of his various governors and officials. Meanwhile, his queen, Vashti, is entertaining all their wives. At some point, he sends his eunuchs to command her to come show off her beauty wearing her royal crown (and, some say, nothing but). She refuses. He consults his advisors who convince him to throw her out of the fortress and start looking for a new queen, before all wives start defying their husbands.
- The king’s advisors convince him to search the land for a new queen. He sends his minions out to basically kidnap every good looking virgin in the country, bring them to the palace, where they spend up to a year being beautified and instructed in court behavior. Then he meets with each in turn. It’s love at first sight when he sees Esther, niece of Mordechai, a Jewish exile, a secret they both keep. The king makes her his queen, there’s much celebration. Meanwhile, Mordecai, waiting to hear about Esther’s fate, overhears a plot by two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, to overthrow the king. He gets word to Esther, who tells the king, who investigates, judges, and executes them.
- King Ahasuerus promotes one of his courtiers, Haman, to be his righthand guy. As is customary, others in the court offer him a bow. Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, refuses to bow to Haman, and when asked why, states unequivocally that as a Jew, he doesn’t bow to anyone but God. Haman, offended, decides that Jews shouldn’t be allowed to have their own customs, and prevails on the king to allow him to “handle” the issue. The king gives him money, men, and carte blanche. Haman, in the king’s name, orders the extermination of all Jews in Persia and Medea.
- Esther hears that something is amiss, even cloistered away in the palace. She sends a servant to talk to her uncle Mordecai, and he returns with all the details, and a request for her to intervene with the king. She replies that she hasn’t been summoned to the king’s chambers, and if she goes without a summons, she’ll be put to death. He replies that they’ll all be put to death, even her, if Haman has his way. She sends word to Mordecai to have all Jews in the lands fast for three days to earn God’s good will and then she’ll go give it a shot, summons or no.
- Esther waits the three days she asked for, then dresses up, and goes to the king’s throne room. He sees her and invites her in. He asks what troubles her, and she asks for him, and Haman, to come to a private dinner that evening. At the dinner, feasting away, he again asks what troubles her. She asks that they both come back again the following night and she will tell them. They agree. Haman heads home. He sees Mordecai by the palace gate and it ruins his mood. He tells his wife and friends. They tell him to put up a 75′ stake and impale Mordecai on it to cheer himself up. He orders the stake put up and goes to bed, mood improved.
- The king has insomnia, and is looking over the records of court proceedings over the past months. He realizes that he never properly thanked Mordecai for saving his life. He summons Haman, who is waiting to tell the king that he plans to impale Mordecai on a stake, and asks Haman what honors should be given someone who saved the king’s life. Haman, imagining it to be himself, conjures up a royal parade of thanks. The king tells him to do that for Mordecai. He does, seething all the time. He goes home and tells his wife and friends what has happened and they all commiserate. Then Esther’s adjutants arrive to escort him to the promised second private dinner.
- Haman and the king are once again at a private dinner with Esther. The king once again asks her what it is that she wants that she’s gone to all this trouble. She replies that she just wants to plead for her life, the life of her family and people, all of whom, including herself, have been sentenced to death by a manipulating advisor. The king asks who, she rats out Haman, the king leaves, comes back, finds Haman practically on top of Esther pleading, his other advisors confirm Esther’s account, and even note the stake which Haman had raised to impale Mordecai. The king orders Haman to be impaled on the stake, and they do so.
- With Haman out of the way, the king gives Haman’s properties to Esther, and appoints Mordecai to take his place. With the king’s blessing, Mordecai dispatches new orders to all 127 provinces of Persia and Medea, countermanding Haman’s orders, offering not just blanket protection to all the Jews in the kingdom, but giving them full permission to arm and protect themselves from all enemies. Their position is now so exalted that many non-Jews start claiming to be Jews, just to improve their social status.
- On the day when Haman had planned to have all the Jews exterminated, the reverse happens, and those who remain committed to his plan rather than following the new orders are put to death by the now armed Jewish troops. At close of day, with thousands dead around the kingdom, including Haman’s ten sons, the king asks Esther if she is satisfied. She asks for one more day of the same, just to make sure that all the enemies of her people are dead, the king agrees, and the next day is another day of slaughter. The following day is declared a feast day, the holiday that became Purim.
- The Book of Esther ends with three simple sentences. King Ahasuerus imposed taxes on all the lands in his kingdom. All of the king’s deeds and utterances are recorded in the kingdom’s records. Mordecai became one of the king’s and kingdom’s most respected advisors as he always had the good of both, and the people, in mind.