"Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird."--_Prov.
1:17._
[Illustration]
THERE was a gentle Jewish girl, named Esther, who had been left an
orphan very young, and was brought up by her kind relation, Mordecai,
who was one of the Jews who had not gone back to Jerusalem, but still
lived in Persia.
One day there came a messenger from the king, to carry away poor Esther
from home. The king wanted all the maidens in his land to be brought
together, that he might choose the most beautiful of them all for his
queen, and the others would be kept for slaves.
All the other maidens dressed themselves up, and painted themselves to
try to look beautiful; but Esther did not ask for any ornaments, she
only put on what she was ordered to wear. Yet she looked so much the
most lovely of all, in her modest quietness, that the king chose her
and married her, and set the crown on her head, and made her his queen.
But she had a sad life, though she was queen. She was always shut up,
and could not see her kind friend Mordecai, and she could not even go
to her husband without his leave, or she would have been put to death.
[Illustration: QUEEN ESTHER The Golden Scepter At the banquet]
Her kinsman, Mordecai, used to sit in the palace gate every day, to
hear news of her. Now, there was a very bad man named Haman, who used
to pass by every day; and Mordecai never would bow to him, because
he was one of the people whom God had forbidden the Jews to have any
concern with.
Haman grew so angry at last that he resolved not only to get Mordecai
killed, but all the Jews besides. So he went to the king, and told him
a false story about the Jews, and persuaded him to give orders that
their enemies in all the lands round Jerusalem, and everywhere else,
should fall on them on a set day, and put them to death.
And the king was so foolish and so cruel as to consent to seal the
letters, saying that all the Jews were to be killed on one day. But
Mordecai heard about this cruel plot, and he sent secret word to Esther
that she must try to save her people, by telling the king that he had
been deceived by Haman.
Poor Esther was much afraid. She knew that if she went to the king
without leave, she would be put to death; but she thought it was
better for her to run the risk, than to let all the Jews perish. So she
dressed herself beautifully, as the king liked best to see her; and she
went to his court almost fainting with fear.
But when he saw her, he touched her with his golden sceptre. Then she
knew he would not put her to death; and when he asked why she had come,
and what she wanted, she said she wished to ask him to a banquet of
wine in her chamber.
[Illustration: QUEEN ESTHER CROWNED.--Esther 2:17.]
And when he came there, she was able to tell him of the cruel plan for
killing all her people, and how falsely Haman had spoken. The king was
very angry when he understood it all; and wicked Haman was hung upon
the very gallows he had meant for Mordecai. And so the Jews were saved
by the good queen, who was not afraid to risk her life for her people.