Esther A-5

Yes, A-5. My translation of the Bible (New American New Catholic translation) talks about various versions of the Book of Esther, Greek and Hebrew, and seems to cobble them together, producing a narrative that overlaps, doubles back occasionally, and can be difficult to follow at times. The lettered and numbered sections reflect the different versions spliced together.

I can't help, as I read this, thinking about Home for Purim, the movie within the movie For Your Consideration. FYC is a comedy by Christopher Guest/Eugene Levy, the brains behind This is  Spinal Tap!, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind, among others. If you haven't seen any of them, you should--laughter is a gift from God.

Esther, like Judith, is a strong, beautiful Jewish woman who plays a pivotal role in rescuing her people from a strong enemy, bent on their extermination. Esther is an orphan who is adopted by her uncle, Mordecai, a devout Jew. They live in Susa, a city in the Persian empire. Ahasuerus, King of Persia, is in search of a queen, having disposed of the previous one, Vashti, in anger, when she refused his command to come into his presence. The search proceeds like something out of Cinderella, as numerous young virgins are presented to the king, well, for his consideration. No mice, no pumpkin, no fairy godmother, and no evil stepmother. But there are court eunuchs who prepare Esther for the fateful meeting, during which the king is smitten by her.  And there is her kind stepfather, Mordecai, who encourages her to hide her Jewishness from the king. She does, and she becomes the queen.

Meantime, Haman appears on the scene. Haman is the king's second in command, leader of his forces. Think Holofernes, with a mean, anti-Semitic streak and a very large ego. Haman grows enraged that Mordecai will not kneel in homage to him, an act Mordecai refuses only out of respect for God. He believes it is wrong to kneel to anyone but God. In his anger at Mordecai, and notwithstanding that Mordecai had saved the king's life by thwarting a plot to kill him, Haman convinces the king to agree to issue an edict directing leaders of all lands under the king's authority to kill all the Jews in their countries on the same day. 

Mordecai goes to Esther to seek her help. Both she and he pray to God for help and guidance.  Esther fasts and mourns for three days, and then goes to see the king, who is moved by the state Esther is in. At her request, the king agrees to attend a banquet she prepares, and offers to grant any wish she might have. Esther's only wish is that the king attend a second banquet she will prepare the next day, and that he bring Haman with him.  The king agrees.