Ahasuerus was king of Persia. Esther, a Jewess, was his queen. Haman was
next to the king. He was a cruel man, and hated the Jews because one of
them, a servant of the king, would not bow down to him. So he got the
king to make a law that all the Jews in his kingdom should be killed.
Esther felt very sorry for her people. She made up her mind to save them
if she could. But first she spent three days in fasting and prayer. Then
she went to the king and begged him to save the Jews. The king loved
Esther so much that he did what she asked. So the Jews were saved from
the cruel decree of the king Ahasuerus.
[Illustration: ESTHER BEFORE THE KING.]