Esther

Esther is the seventeenth book of the Bible and the last of the historical books. It tells the story of a Jewish woman who becomes queen of Persia and saves her people from a planned massacre. The book is traditionally dated to the reign of King Xerxes I in the early fifth century BC, and the author is unknown. God is never explicitly mentioned in the book, a feature that makes Esther unique among the books of the Bible.

The story opens in the Persian capital of Susa. King Xerxes deposes his queen and holds a kingdom-wide search for a replacement. Esther, a young Jewish woman raised by her cousin Mordecai, is chosen. She keeps her Jewish identity secret.

Haman, a senior official who hates the Jews, manipulates the king into issuing a decree that all Jews in the empire are to be killed on a specific day. Mordecai sends word to Esther asking her to intervene, with the famous line "perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this."

Esther approaches the king at the risk of her life, exposes Haman, and secures a counter-decree that allows the Jews to defend themselves. Haman is executed on the gallows he built for Mordecai. The Jewish festival of Purim is established to commemorate the rescue.