Interview with Esther Credit to: Jennifer Averett
Esther: Your request is granted.
Reporter: Thank you. My first question is concerning your place as queen of
Esther: That is true.
Reporter: How is it that a Jew managed to become the queen of
Esther: Well, my adopted father, Mordecai, who was working in the palace as a servant, suggested that I go before the king’s servant who was the keeper of the women. I was blessed to be included in the group of fair maidens that were presented to the king for selection of his new wife.
Reporter: According to my background check your adopted father, Mordecai, is actually your cousin - isn’t that true?
Esther: Yes. After my parents died he took me in and has treated my as his own child ever since.
Reporter: Now isn’t he the guy that caught two of the kings chamberlains plotting to kill the king - and exposed them?
Esther: That is correct.
Reporter: Now, I’m just guessing, but I take it the king didn’t know you were a Jew when you were chosen. Is that right?
Esther: I did keep it from him at first because of the direction of Mordecai. He felt is would be best to wait to tell the king.
Reporter: Now, before when you said “new wife”, it made me think that the king had a wife before you.
Esther: That is exactly right. Vashti was his first wife.
Reporter: Can you tell us what happened to her?
Esther: Well, he divorced her because she disobeyed him. During a time of great celebration and feasting, he called for her to come and present herself to the people to show her great beauty and she refused. Reporter: So, she lost out because of that?
Esther: The king cannot allow anyone to show disrespect- especially not his wife.
Reporter: And, knowing that he was that strict, you wanted to be the next queen?
Esther: I consider it a great blessing and opportunity and in fact, I’m sure that I wouldn’t have been able to save my people if I hadn’t been chosen as the queen.
Reporter: Whoa! Wait a minute. Save your people? The Jews? Save them from what?
Esther: The command to have all Jews put to death.
Reporter: I’m sorry but I’m not familiar with this event. It sounds like something the people watching out there would want to hear about. Do you have time to tell us this story? Would you be willing to?
Esther: I would be glad to. You see, as I told you, I was chosen from a group of maidens because the king thinks I’m beautiful and I was very pleasing to him.
Reporter: Well, I have to say I agree with him there!
Esther: That’s very kind of you. So, Mordecai was still serving at the palace. It wasn’t long before a man named Haman was promoted to be prince above all the other princes. He was a very wicked man. Mordecai keeps the commandments very closely and so he doesn’t believe in worshipping anyone but God. Haman required all others to bow down to him to reverence him.
Reporter: Don’t tell me, Mordecai refused to do so?
Esther: Yes. He refused to and it made Haman very angry. So angry that he not only plotted a way to have Mordecai killed, but also all of the Jews. So he went to the king and told him that the Jews had odd laws and might not obey the king. He said that all the Jews should be done away with. He got the king to send out a decree that on the 13th day in the 12th month all the Jews should be killed. Haman was so pleased with himself that he went out and had a huge gallows built to hang Mordecai.
Reporter: So how did you find out about it? And what did you do?
Esther: Well, all the Jews began to mourn and Mordecai went out into the streets and was mourning in the way of the Jews .
Reporter: That would be wearing sackcloth and ashes - right?
Esther: Right. And when my maids heard him, they came and told me. So I sent my servant to find out what had happened. Mordecai told him of the decree and asked him to tell me that I had to go in to the king and plead for all our lives. Reporter: This is amazing! That was a lot to ask wasn’t it? I mean, isn’t it true that anyone who just goes in before the king without being invited to do so would be killed?
Esther: That is true, except that if the king holds out the golden scepter then the person is considered “invited” and their life is spared.
Reporter: So you agreed to give it a try?
Esther: Well, not at first. I was very frightened to do so. I sent back a message to Mordecai that I was too afraid. But he sent another message that reminded me it was wrong to save my own life and not help my people. And he told me that perhaps that is why the Lord had made it possible for me to be chosen to be the queen. I thought he was right.
Reporter: So, is that when you went in to the king?
Esther: Not right away. I first sent another message to Mordecai to ask all the Jews to fast with me for 3 days. Even my maids fasted with me. I told Mordecai that then I would go in to the king, even though it was against the law.
Reporter: You thought you might have a chance because of the fasting?
Esther: Well, I hoped I would. But I told Mordecai “If I perish, I perish.”
Reporter: Wow! That’s a tremendous amount of courage. So, what happened when you went in to the king?
Esther: I obtained favor in the sight of the king and he held out the golden scepter to me. I went forward and put my hand on it as you must do. Then he asked what I wanted and told me I could have anything - even as much as half the kingdom.
Reporter: So, is that when you told him you are a Jew?
Esther: No, I wanted to expose Haman for the wicked man he was so I invited the king to a special dinner and asked that Haman come also.
Reporter: This is great stuff! What a plan!
Esther: So, I prepared the dinner. In the mean time, the king had remembered the deed Mordecai had done - saving him from the plot of the chamberlains. He sought to reward Mordecai. The night before the dinner, Haman was feeling very proud because he thought he had gained favor in the sight of the king since he was the only other one invited to the dinner. But, when he was commanded to bring Mordecai to the king, give him royal clothing, and seat him at the banquet with us, I think he began to doubt himself. It was then that I revealed the evil plot and told the king that it was Haman who had plotted against me and all the Jews.
Reporter: What was the reaction of the king? And did Haman try to deny the charges?
Esther: Well, Haman was very humiliated - there was no way for him to deny the plot and he did beg for his life. But, it was too late. The king ordered for Haman to be hanged on the very gallows he had built to hang Mordecai. And later, all of Haman’s sons were also put to death.
Reporter: So who got all of Haman’s riches?
Esther: The king gave them to me, but I set Mordecai over Haman’s household. When I told the king that Mordecai was my adopted father the king gave him his special ring.
Reporter: So that’s the end?
Esther: Not yet. I still had to go in to the king again to ask for the lives of all the Jews to be spared.
Reporter: Again you risked your life? But I suppose you felt more confident this time?
Esther: A little. He held out the golden scepter to me again and I asked that he would send out a decree that all the Jews were not to be killed after all. He told me that Mordecai and I could write what we wanted and sign his name and stamp his ring on the papers. So we did and the Jews were all saved.
Reporter: Well, that’s quite a story and it sure shows that you are more than just beautiful but also very faithful and courageous. Thank you for your time and your words.
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