Esther

Septuaginta. The Old Testament in Greek According to the Septuagint. Volume 2: I Chronicles-Tobit. Swete, Henry Barclay, editor. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1896.

Open Greek and Latin · CC BY-SA 4.0

Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.

This work is a dramatic story of faith and reversal, depicting the salvation of the Jewish people from the brink of annihilation under the Persian Empire. The narrative begins with Mordecai, a Jew, who envisions a prophetic dream of two fighting dragons and thwarts a conspiracy to assassinate the king, earning the hatred of the high official Haman. When Haman plots the complete eradication of the Jews, Mordecai's adoptive daughter Esther, who has become the new queen due to her beauty, must act. In their desperate struggle, Mordecai and Esther seek God's aid through fasting and fervent prayers, and Esther risks her life by appearing before the king unsummoned. Guided by divine intervention, the king's heart is softened; Haman is executed on the very gallows he prepared, and the Jews are granted the right to defend themselves. Ultimately, the Jews triumph over their enemies, the festival of Purim is established to commemorate this deliverance, and the story concludes with the realization of Mordecai's initial dream.