Esther Saves Her People

Esther was a young Jewish woman living in Persia who became queen through a remarkable set of events. Her uncle Mordecai had raised her after her parents died. When a wicked official named Haman convinced the king to sign a decree ordering the death of all Jews in the kingdom, Mordecai sent word to Esther. He said, "Who knows if you came to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

Esther faced a terrifying choice. To approach the king without being called meant death — even for the queen — unless the king extended his golden scepter to spare her. She asked all the Jewish people to fast for three days on her behalf. Then she said the brave words: "I will go to the king, though it is against the law — and if I perish, I perish."

The king extended his scepter. Esther revealed Haman's plot and begged for the lives of her people. The king was outraged at Haman's wickedness. Haman was executed on the very gallows he had built for Mordecai, and the Jewish people were saved. Esther's courage and faith in fasting and prayer changed history. The Coptic Church greatly honors her example of courage, fasting, and intercession.