Esther
Introduction

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Women
Family Values
Cruelty and Violence
Sex
Injustice
Science and History
Interpretation
Good Stuff

Source Index
-Illustrations
-And Adam Knew Eve

Encyclopedia Articles
-Wikipedia
-Columbia Encyclopedia
-Catholic Encyclopedia

Other Versions
-K'tuvim
-NWT
-JST
-NRSV
-NIV
-Douay-Rheims
-NAB

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Esther for Skeptics

Esther is one of the two books in the Bible in which God is not even mentioned (the other is the Song of Solomon). Here's what Martin Luther had to say about it: "The book of Esther I toss into the Elbe. I am such an enemy to the book of Esther that I wish it did not exist, for it Judaizes too much and has in it a great deal of heathenish naughtiness.”

Here are some highlights.

• Queen Vashti (the real heroine of the Book of Esther) refuses to display herself in front of the king's drunken guests. 1:7-12

• For her refusal, Vashti is stripped of her crown. 1:13-19

• Because of Vashti's disobedience the king decrees that "all the wives shall give to their husbands honor" and "that every man should bear rule over his own house." 1:20-22

• "All the fair young virgins" throughout the kingdom are brought before the king and the one that "pleaseth" him the most will replace Queen Vashti. 2:2-4

• Esther wins the pleasing the king babe contest. 2:8-9

• But since women are dirty, she must be "purified" for twelve months before she can be made queen. 2:12

• Esther has two men hung on a tree. 2:23

• Esther has Hamam and his ten sons hung. 7:10, 9:13