031 Esther, Queen of Persia - A Bible Story for Children

Esther 2:2-8:17

In Shushan, the capital of Persia, there was once a king named Ahasuerus. During the third year of his reign, Ahasuerus gave a great banquet for all the princes of his kingdom. When everyone was celebrating, Ahasuerus called his queen, Vashti, to come to him, so all his guests could see how beautiful she was. But Vashti refused. Ahasuerus was so angry he ordered her to leave the palace, and told his servants to find a new queen for him.

Now a man named Mordecai also lived in Shushan, with his beautiful cousin, Esther. Mordecai was not a Persian, but a Jew, a follower of the Lord of Israel.

Ahasuerus's servants searched the whole empire, from India to Ethiopia, to find a new queen, but in the end they found no woman lovelier than Esther. So they brought her to the palace, with many other young women, and presented them all to King Ahasuerus. When the king saw Esther he loved her at once, and chose her to be his new queen. But Esther did not tell Ahasuerus that she was a Jew, for Mordecai had warned her that many Persians did not like Jews.

After Esther became queen, Mordecai often sat by the palace gate so he could see her. One day, as he sat there, he overheard two palace officers plotting to kill King Ahasuerus. Mordecai quickly told Esther, and she ran to the king, who had the two men arrested immediately. Ahasuerus ordered that the whole story be written down in the history of his kingdom.

Soon after this, Ahasuerus made Haman, a rich and proud man, his prime minister. This meant that Haman was the mot powerful man in the kingdom after Ahasuerus, and everyone bowed down before him--everyone but Mordecai, for Mordecai would bow down only before the God of Israel. When Haman learned this, he became very angry, and then when he found out that Mordecai was a Jew, he was so furious that he decided to destroy all the Jews in Persia. Haman went to Ahasuerus with his plan. "My lord," he said, "there are certain people who live in your kingdom who are different from us and who do not follow your laws. Why should we let this happen? Let me destroy these people, and I will give your treasury a fortune in silver."

"Do what you think is best," said Ahasuerus.

Immediately, Haman sent letters to every corner of Persia, telling the exact day on which the Jews should be killed.

As soon as Mordecai heard what Haman had done, he sent a messenger to Esther, telling her to go to the king and ask him to save her people. But Esther was afraid. She sent Mordecai a message telling him that anyone who entered the king's inner court without being invited was put to death, unless the king stretched out his scepter toward the person. When he heard this, Mordecai sent Esther another message. "Even you will not escape Haman's orders: he said. "You are the queen, but you are also a Jew, and you will not be saved."

Esther realized that Mordecai was right. "Give Mordecai this message," she told her servants. "Tell him to gather all the Jews in Shushan and ask them not eat or drink for three days. I will not eat or drink either. Then I will go to the king. If I die, I die."

On the third day, Esther put on her most beautiful dress and went to the king's inner court. Ahasuerus was pleased to see her, and pointed his scepter toward her.

"What do you want?" he asked. "It is yours, even if it is half my kingdom."

"If it pleases you, my lord," Esther answered, "I would like you and Haman to come to a fine dinner I have prepared for you." That night the king and Haman went to the dinner. When they had all finished eating, Ahasuerus again asked Esther what he could giver her. "If you enjoyed this evening, my lord," she answered, "come again with Haman tomorrow evening."

As Haman left the palace, he felt very happy. The king had made him prime minister just a short time ago, and now the queen had invited him to dinner a second time. Then Haman saw Mordecai standing by the palace gate, and forgot all his happiness. "I cannot be happy while that man live," Haman told his wife and friends when he returned home that night.

"Order a special gallows built on which to hang him," Haman's wife and friends said. "Then ask the king for permission to hang Mordecai tomorrow afternoon. That way you will be able to enjoy your dinner."

That night, King Ahasuerus could not sleep. To pass the time, he looked over the history of his kingdom. There he read again how Mordecai had saved his life by telling Esther of the plot against him. "What honor have we given to Mordecai to reward him?" Ahasuerus asked his servants.

"Nothing," they answered.

Just then Haman came to see the king. "Tell me," Ahasuerus asked Haman, "if the king wanted to reward someone, how should he do it?"

Haman, sure that the king was talking about him, answered, "The man should be given the king's robes, the king's crown, and the king's horses, and he should be paraded with honor through the streets of Shushan."

"Excellent!" said Ahasuerus. "Get my clothes, and see that all this is done for Mordecai the Jew. Do not forget anything."

Haman was very angry, but he had to do what the king wanted. Then he went to the dinner Queen Esther had prepared. After they had eaten, the king asked Esther for the third time what she wanted.

"O, my lord," Esther said, "please spare my life, and the lives of my people."

"What do you mean?" asked Ahasuerus. "Are you not my queen?"

"Yes, I am your queen," answered Esther, "but I am also a Jew, and there is a man in your kingdom who wants to kill all the Jews in Persia."

"Who is this man?" demanded the king.

"This wicked man is Haman," Esther answered.

When he heard this, Haman rushed to the queen to beg her for mercy. But the king thought Haman was trying to hurt Esther.

"Will you hurt my queen in my own palace?" Ahasuerus shouted. "Guards, take this man away."

"My lord," said one of the servants, "Haman has built a special gallows on which to hang Mordecai."

"Then hang Haman there," Ahasuerus ordered.

So Haman was hanged that night, on the same gallows he had built to hang Mordecai. The next day, Ahasuerus made Mordecai the prime minister, and gave him all the power that Haman had once held.

Then Esther told Ahasuerus about the letters that Haman had sent to all the princes in the kingdom. "Write to them all, and seal the letters with my ring," said Ahasuerus. "Tell them that all the Jews are to be spared and that they are to live in freedom in my kingdom."

So in this way Queen Esther saved her people, and brought joy and honor to the Jews of Persia.

Category: Children's Bible Stories