Queen Esther
Mordecai, Esther’s cousin, learned that a law had been sent out against the Jewish people. He tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly.
Esther heard about it and was in great distress. She sent clothes for Mordecai to wear instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them.
Esther sent a servant to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why. The servant came back with the whole story: a man named Haman had planned to destroy the Jewish people, and the king had agreed to the plan. The law had already been sent out to every province.
Mordecai sent back a message to Esther. He asked her to go to the king and beg for mercy for her people.
But there was a law: anyone who went to the king in the inner court without being summoned would be put to death, unless the king held out his gold scepter to them. And Esther said, “Thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”
Esther is the queen. But even the queen cannot walk into the king’s room and speak to him whenever she wants. If she goes without being summoned, she could die.
What would you do if you were Esther? What would you be worried about?
Turn the page and see what Mordecai said to her.
Mordecai sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house, you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
“Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Esther could have stayed silent. Going to the king was dangerous. What do you think she decided to do?
Turn the page and find out.
Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.
On the third day, Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne, facing the entrance.
When he saw Queen Esther standing there, he was pleased with her. And he held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand.
So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.
The king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you.”
Esther replied, “If it pleases the king, let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him.”
The king accepted. And the story goes on from there.
How to Talk About This Story With Your Child
This is not a miracle story. There is no sea, no fire, no flood of oil. The wonder of Esther is a person: a queen who had a safe, quiet life and a people in danger, and who chose to walk into a room where she could have been put to death.
The turning point is a question, not a flash of power: “Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Esther did not know the king would hold out the scepter. She had no promise it would work. She said it plainly: “If I perish, I perish.” She went anyway.
For a child, the important thing is not the full court politics of the book of Esther. It is the moment a person moves from fear to a decision, and walks forward without knowing the outcome.
Pray Together
You do not have to use these exact words. You can tell God what you think about the story in your own words. Or you can pray this together:
Thank You, God, for the story of Queen Esther. Thank You that she chose to do something hard even though it was risky. Help us be brave when we need to be, and help us do the right thing even when no one can promise how it will end. Amen.
Esther learned that her people were in danger. A law had gone out against them, and the only way to help was to go to the king without being summoned, which could mean death.
Mordecai asked her: “Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Esther said, “If I perish, I perish.” She went to the king. And the king held out to her the gold scepter.
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