“Then I will go in to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.”
–Esther 4:16b

When Queen Vashti refused the request of the Persian king Ahasuerus to display herself to his guests, Esther was one of many young women brought to the palace for the king to choose Vashti’s replacement.

Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, raised her after her parents…