Original subtitles

After the destruction of Jerusalem nearly six centuries...

before the birth of Christ...

the Jews were taken into captivity in Babylon.

But 60 years later, Babylon's territories were conquered...

by the Persian Army, and engulfed in a new vast empire.

By edict of King Cyrus,

all captive peoples were set free,

and allowed to return to their own lands.

But not all the Jews returned to Judea.

Many decided to remain in the Persian empire,

the capital of which was the magnificent city of Susa.

Stop! Stop! Thief!

Come here, you! Hold it!

- Let me go! - That's all!

That wretched man will have his hand cut off.

It's the harsh law of the Persians.

It's not the harshness, Ezra, it's the absence of clemency.

We Jews should remember when we write our own law...

People of Susa! Make way for the counselor of your king!

Just look at him.

Ever since the kingdom of Saul, every Jew has known...

as long as there's one Amalekite on earth, we are in danger.

It's been so many years. Will this feud never end?

Maybe, but I still refuse to bow before him.

Come, Ezra,

we must try to do nothing which can bring harm to our people.

Haman is just looking for an excuse to strike us all.

Why can't we get through? You stupid idiots!

Bow your heads before Haman,

who brings gifts for the great King of Persia and Media.

- How dare he? - What is it, my lord?

Nothing.

His riches have opened too many doors at court.

Soon he may even win the king's favor.

Well, you know the king.

- He may have his indulgences, but... - Well then,

it might not be as hard as we thought to rid ourselves,

of that impostor.

You make me so proud, Hadassah!

You've a true gift for languages, and you learn so quickly.

Well, I do have the best teacher in Susa, cousin.

She's so generous and obedient. That's because she has the blood,

of King Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, flowing in her veins.

- Thank you, Ezra. - But heed my words...

don't let her marry a foreigner.

- Has someone asked for my hand? - No one!

Haven't you some...

some chores to do?

Mordecai...

you shouldn't treat her like the orphan you took in many years ago.

She's a woman now. You have to accept that.

I know, I know. But she is a special girl.

She deserves a man who is worthy of her.

If it be the will of the Lord.

Hadassah,

what is this about a man?

So...

should someone be asking for your hand?

Is it... anyone in particular?

I don't know...

The man of my dreams, perhaps?

But I'll accept whomever you choose for me.

You know me well, and you're a wise man. I know you'll make,

- the right decision. - Today, with Haman,

I was neither wise nor prudent...

Hadassah, Ezra is not wrong.

Living among the Persians so long, we have become like them.

But we are still Jews. We are different.

But you've taught me that what matters is what's in a man's heart,

not his blood.

Your father might not have taught you so.

No father is more dear to me than you are.

Nehemia! What are you doing?

The king's jewels, booty from all over the kingdom.

But they are better off here than in their original places.

Like that gold basin.

It comes from the Temple in Jerusalem.

The Jews used it to gather the blood during the sacrifices.

- Have you washed? - No.

Everything must be purified before one of the most important banquets,

ever offered by the king. Wash!

Tend to the wine.

And taste it before offering it to the king.

- What if I die? - You can...

but not the Great King Ahasuerus. Come!

Parathael, are you instructing him well?

Remember that at court, a false move could cost him dearly.

Come with me, Nehemia.

Here's the wine you requested, my king.

To the health of our wise king.

May he live forever,

by the grace of the god Ahuramazda,

for the eternal joy of his loyal subjects.

If you, my subject, are so full of joy,

why do you look so sad?

Won't you reply?

My lord...

I was thinking that this feast will soon end.

Your servant Haman is sad because he cannot make it last longer.

You cannot, but your king has this power.

I, Ahasuerus, King of Persia and Media...

declare...

that every man here assembled shall drink

without restraint, each to his own desire.

You spoke well, but answer this:

Which of the king's jewels would you desire for yourself?

They're all equally magnificent, Shetar.

I wouldn't know which one to choose.

My king, this man finds none of your jewels worthy of praise.

How brazen!

Haman, you say that the King of Kings...

doesn't own a jewel splendid enough to...

reflect his glory?

My lord,

the king's most beautiful jewel isn't among these.

Where is it, then? Let it be brought!

A man's most precious jewels are his wife's grace and honor.

There's no other beauty in your empire...

that can rival that of Queen Vashti.

Ishtar, the goddess of love and war...

she must have her way, and she is pleased when she sees...

the beautiful princess and the valiant warrior...

fall in love.

But other gods conspire against the match.

Ishtar, moved to pity,

begins to blow, and blow, and blow...

until the offending gods are swept away.

Love triumphs and the enemies of love...

are turned into ugly pigs.

Why do I bother to bring artists and dancers from faraway lands...

if my guests refuse to show interest in them?

My queen, we are not used to plays that ridicule our king's gods.

We are... confused.

I'm not one of those foolish courtiers...

that prostrate themselves in order to obtain favors.

I am the queen,

and I do as I please in my chambers.

Harbona, the king's eunuch, asks to be received.

Don't just stand there, Harbona, speak.

The king requires my lady's presence.

For what purpose?

He makes display of his most treasured objects.

Am I such an object?

The most beautiful of all, my queen!

It does not befit a lady, much less a queen,

to be displayed before a man quite drunk...

after too many days of feasting.

The king wills it. You are to wear the royal crown.

Say to the king that I refuse.

Queen Vashti...!

Queen Vashti wrongs the king by refusing my command.

Not only the king, but the officials,

and the whole people in every province.

- A royal command must be obeyed. - What does the law require?

If it pleased the king, let a royal order go out that Vashti...

be sent away from palace life and never return before the king again.

Let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes

so that it might not be revoked.

My king, when word gets out,

all women will look upon their husbands with contempt.

Let her royal position be given to another who is better than she.

Very well, Memucan.

Scribe!

Let it be written to every province in its own script...

...and to every people in its own language.

Let it be sent by swift couriers to every province in the empire...

that I declare by royal decree...

that the king no longer recognizes Vashti as his queen,

due to her disobedience,

as she dared oppose an explicit order by the king.

Harbona, go bring the queen to me.

- There is no queen, my lord. - A decision made in haste.

It was the wine. I revoke my command.

Bring Vashti. I want her here.

I want to restore her crown.

It was a royal decree, my lord. By law, it cannot be revoked.

And not even the king can go against the law...

What is your advice?

If it pleases the king...

Speak, Haman.

Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king.

And let the king appoint commissioners in all the provinces...

to gather the virgins to the harem in the citadel.

And let the girl who pleases the king...

be queen in Vashti's place.

This suggestion...

pleases the king. Let it be as Haman has proposed.

Search every house in the town!

What are they doing? That's my house!

- Wait! Wait! Wait! - Break it down.

Hurry up! Search those houses over there!

- Come on, come on, hurry. - Don't worry, Mother.

Hurry up! Bring them all to the palace!

Hadassah!

Any resistance will be punished!

You must obey the king's order!

Look in that direction! Move on to the next street!

- Hadassah? - Mordecai?

Thank God you're here. Quickly, quickly,

- you must hide! - Why?

- They're taking girls... - What for?

For the harem of the king! Hurry! Hurry! Get in here!

Do you want to spend the rest of your life in a harem? Get in!

Be still!

Open the door! In the name of King Ahasuerus!

I will send them away.

Come on, open up!

Yes, yes, yes...

Your daughter must come with us.

Daughter? I have no daughter.

Your neighbor says there is a young girl here,

a very beautiful young girl.

My neighbor is old. He doesn't see well.

You Jews, you think you can outwit...

a chamberlain of the Great King of Persia?

Perhaps it was a servant girl he saw.

She just cooks for me, she doesn't live here.

Look for yourself...

No daughter? What is this?

- Sir, you were lying to me. - It's not what it seems.

Keep searching and bring her to me.

- Come on, up, up... - Please...

- Leave me. - Let's go. Hurry.

She's an orphan and a kinswoman.

See here, perhaps we can discuss...

...an arrangement.

Say goodbye to your "kinsman. "

Goodbye, my dear cousin.

May the God of our ancestors reward you...

for all your kindnesses.

Tell no one you're a Jew.

You cannot even use your name.

Call yourself "Esther", you know what it means.

Forget your name,

but never forget you're a Jew...

except in the silence of your heart.

Be brave, my child.

This way. Quick, quick!

Come on!

Separate them! Find rooms for them away from the others from Babylon!

Come, come. Enter, my beauties. Don't be afraid.

Jews.

I am Hegai,

in whose charge you'll remain until you move on to the second harem.

Welcome to your new home.

Today, we shall begin transforming you...

for your encounter with the great king in the royal bedchamber.

Don't be upset. We'll begin the prescribed treatments...

with oil of myrrh, and later with perfumes...

- Little one, no need to cry. ... and cosmetics.

You will be taught palace etiquette...

and how to conduct yourself in the presence of the king.

So that, when your turn comes,

you could even become a queen.

What is this commotion?!

- Make her be quiet! - Lf only she could be with her sister,

who was also brought to the palace...

- You know this girl? - Not until now...

Then she is no concern of yours.

But her distress is my concern,

and easily remedied by a man of authority here.

Men?

You won't find any men here.

I know a man's real strength,

and by your eyes, I see more strength in you, Hegai,

than in an army of warriors.

Who...

who are you?

- I am Esther. - Esther?

A Babylonian name.

- Your people are from Babylon? - No, I'm from Susa.

Well, Esther of Susa...

out, everyone out! To the second wing, with the Babylonians!

This is the full tribute of ebony?

Six hundred talents, yes. And next we have incense.

Not you, again!

I told you, don't bother me today.

What happens in the harem is of no concern to me,

nor of any man, save the king.

If you want a long life, my friend, forget the girl...

I am charged by her family to see if she is well.

Please.

What's this?

Frankincense, sir.

You call this incense? This is second rate.

You know people in the court.

You know the eunuchs. You could ask them.

You made an error.

How? What are you talking about?

Here.

- So I did. - It's because you need an assistant.

Appoint me. I am a scribe.

I can read and speak Aramaic, Babylonian, and Persian.

- I could be of great help to you... - All because you know how to count?

That incense...

- it isn't actually second rate... - Enough.

My assistant...

perhaps you will sit within the palace gate.

You're a clever man, Mordecai the Jew.

The king will tell you to rise.

Watch...

You will not bow with your head, but with your heart.

You will walk lightly, as if on water.

And when you do bow, you will smile...

but keep your eyes lowered.

Silence!

It is forbidden to look the king in the eyes,

save for the royal princes and his closest advisors.

It is forbidden to rise without the king's permission.

It is forbidden to dress carelessly,

and it is forbidden...

to scratch yourself.

Forget whatever you have done up until now.

When it is your night to go to the king,

you may ask for anything you want to take with you.

I will ask for a necklace of pearls that will reach to my feet.

I will have only a fan of white feathers.

Perhaps the king will never send me away!

Maimuna,

why has no girl ever returned from the king?

The first harem is only for virgins.

And after our first night, what then?

In the morning, Shaagaz will take you to the second harem,

the eunuch in charge of the concubines.

There you will remain, unless the king delights in you

and calls for you by name.

Maimuna?

My lady?

What is it like?

I mean,

to make love to a man?

That depends on the man.

The murder of the governor of the southlands is clearly an offense.

Even the king's life could be in danger.

The assassins must be found and punished!

Memucan's concern is justified.

We must send someone there immediately.

This is a very serious matter.

Perhaps you should go, Carshena.

Everyone knows you've been coveting the idea of a governorship...

in those rich lands.

That is a lie!

Let me go!

I bring a message to the great king from the governor of the southlands.

That's impossible. The governor is dead.

Boy, don't you know no one comes unsummoned before the king?

The penalty is death.

- It's the law. - But I was summoned.

By whom?

He was supposed to be here, my lord.

I don't see him,

but I know his name. It's...

it's... Carshena.

Carshena?

And where... is he now?

I don't see him!

- Execute him! - I'm innocent, my lord.

- I don't want to die. - Be brave.

Your death shall not go unpunished.

If one of you sent for this man, his blood is on your hands.

There will be an investigation of this "Carshena".

Esther, what will you wear when you go into the king?

You have seen to my every need, Hegai. You decide.

But it is customary to request something to take in with you.

Well, in that case, I'll rely on your wisdom.

I should bring whatever you think I require.

It's for tonight.

May the god, Ahuramazda, be with you.

Tell us your name.

I'm called... Esther.

Esther.

The name of the goddess Ishtar, the goddess of love, yes?

In the tongue of my people, it has another meaning.

It means "hidden".

So you hide behind a veil?

Are you that ugly?

Rise, so I can see you.

Are you a... Mede?

Are you lonian? Assyrian?

My people are loyal subjects of the King of Persia, my lord.

That's not an answer.

Silence is a rare gift in a woman,

but I command you...

look at me.

What do you see?

My king...

I see a man with courage and beauty in his eyes.

You're all the same.

You're lying to me, just like they taught you to.

Well, let us do what has to be done.

You picked a rose in the garden.

Is it a gift for your king?

My lord, I picked it for myself.

Forgive me for taking it.

You are different. You are courageous.

You're not like the others.

Perhaps.

The truth is that I've always been afraid of the unknown.

And I've never known a man.

Esther, no one will hurt you.

Rise, Esther,

Queen of Persia and Media.

Hail to the Queen! Hail!

Long life and happiness to Queen Esther!

You're a Jew who bows before a pagan king.

Esther is crowned Queen of all Persia. Rejoice!

How can I rejoice when a Jewish girl is wed to an uncircumcised heathen...

king or no king?

Our sons and daughters are mixing our precious seed with...

with foreigners, and they take for themselves foreign names like "Esthe

Perhaps there is a hidden design in this turn of events.

There's one way for us, the way that leads us back to Jerusalem.

All guards, two steps forward, march!

- Are you afraid? - It's not the first time...

- I've killed a man. - It's set then. Tomorrow night.

Here is the poison. To slip into his drink.

You have the dagger?

Tomorrow night.

Hathach!

Send for Harbona! I must speak with the king immediately!

- It's a question of life or death. - Yes, my queen.

How came this evil news to you?

The man they call Mordecai the Jew,

who sits within your palace gate, sent word to me.

A Jew?

Cannot the ears of a Jew be trusted to save the life of our king?

Go on.

Mordecai overheard Teresh and Bigthan planning to kill you.

My lady, it's the word of a stranger...

against that of two noble members of the king's household.

Harbona, then why don't you show the king your precious dagger?

I can't, my lady. I mislaid it several days ago.

It's by the fountain in the garden. It was to be Bigthan's murder weapon.

But everyone was to believe Harbona was the real assassin.

And then Teresh was to feign Harbona's suicide with poison.

You wanted to poison me?!

- And kill my king? - It's a lie!

- We are falsely accused, my king! - Enough!

Memucan...

Memucan, you conduct a search immediately. Guards!

Hold these men prisoner pending an investigation!

- No! - No, please!

It will be done, my lord, it will be done.

So they are guilty.

But why did they want to kill me?

This investigation of yours doesn't say why.

They refused to explain their reasons.

I had entrusted them with my life!

They had my complete trust!

Who is behind this, Memucan?

When will I see an end to all these intrigues?

Execute them, and let it be written in the annals.

Let it be written...

in the annals of Ahasuerus, the Great King,

that in the month of Tebeth, Bigthan and Teresh...

My lord, Haman is here.

...and that the plot was discovered...

- Let him in. ... by Mordecai the Jew,

who did save the life of the king...

with much alacrity and courage.

My king...

If you bring nothing but bad news, Haman,

you may go.

One can hide nothing from you, my lord.

Your stupid gifts will get you nowhere.

I'm patient, Chamberlain.

And most of all, I've time to wait.

Memucan...

Memucan, I commanded you not to die.

How dare you leave me?!

My lady, no one is able to make him see reason.

No, my lady, no one may come unsummoned before the king,

not even the queen. The penalty is death.

The queen requests to be received.

She's worried about your health.

Get away, all of you!

He is in pain, my lady. He will overcome it.

No one can...

My lord,

you have mourned him for three whole days.

Do you want Memucan to come back from the valley of death...

to remind you of your duty?

You must go back to governing again.

If the queen has lost the king's favor,

there will be sad days ahead.

Haman...

- What do you want? - Help me win back the king's favor.

Speak to him.

I'm not in a position to do so.

You think you can get away with this?

I got rid of Carshena for you, and this is how you repay me?

What's the trouble?

What was that all about?

Shut up, you foolish woman!

What more do you want?

The king is about to appoint me his new Lord Chamberlain.

Are you mad?

You show no respect for the king's right hand man?

Never will I bow to that man.

The king commands it.

Who are you to disobey?

A Jew who prostrates himself only before the Lord.

It's not so easy as it looks. It takes time.

It seems I have plenty of time.

If you ask me, our king should pay more attention to his beautiful queen.

You know what the king should do better than the king himself?

Can't you see how she suffers since she lost his affection?

- My queen... - Hegai,

am I not still the same Esther you took under your wing?

Yes...

It seems I have lost favor with the king.

That cannot be.

If I have done anything, anything that has displeased him...

Why should you think so?

He's not sent for me in weeks.

Please, Hegai, tell me... what shall I do?

Be patient.

The king attends to many urgent matters.

He instructs a new Lord Chamberlain besides.

Haman.

This man alone does not show respect to Your Lordship.

His superiors speak to him day after day, but he does not listen.

Pay him no heed. The man is mad.

I cannot be bothered by such foolishness.

I want to talk to the Jew.

Him!

Bow your head!

You know I can make you do it.

You know that!

He despises me. He insults me.

He turns the sweet honey in my mouth to bitter bile.

You exercise the power of the king. Do something.

- Kill him. - It's beneath me to lay hands on him.

Jews! They cheat us,

then hoard their wealth to flaunt before us.

They think themselves better than the rest.

Jews!

I don't want to hear anything more about them!

We should destroy them.

Destroy every man, woman, and child among them!

All of them...

all at once.

Forgive me, my lord, forgive me.

Haman requests to speak with you.

Let him in.

My lord,

a most urgent matter that must be discussed...

away from indiscreet ears.

A certain people,

scattered and dispersed among the populace in all the provinces...

Yes, yes, yes, come to the point!

Their laws are different.

There can be only one law.

One day in seven they refuse to work. They hoard money...

and cheat on their taxes.

How do you suggest we solve the problem?

Eliminate the problem.

If it pleases the king,

let a decree be issued for their destruction.

I cannot destroy my own subjects!

If lawbreaking is tolerated, others will follow.

Tributes and tax revenues decline.

Be logical, Haman.

The dead yield no taxes.

It's not a question of taxes.

I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the king's treasury if need be.

My lord,

the stability of the entire kingdom is in danger.

These people are capable of far worse.

They can conspire against us.

They occupy important positions in every city of the kingdom.

That's why I insist we rid ourselves of them.

If what you say is true,

we must act.

Who might these people be?

A small, insignificant clan, my king.

If my king trusts me,

I'll take care of the details personally.

There is no one else I can trust.

You will be granted all the powers.

I want to know nothing about the matter.

The lot falls to the 13th day.

And now the month...

The month of Adar is propitious.

The 13th of Adar...

Men cast the lots but the gods decide.

The gods decide. I shall make ready.

Scribes!

To every province in its own script,

and to every people in its own language,

by a royal decree of Ahasuerus:

Let them destroy, kill and annihilate

all the Jews,

young and old, women and children...

Young and old, women and children in one day?

The 13th day of the twelfth month,

which is the month of Adar; and to plunder their goods...

And let this decree be issued in every province by proclamation,

calling on all the peoples to prepare and make ready for that day.

Your Persian king is going to kill us!

No, no.

It cannot be. We have lived here for years.

They are our friends... They won't allow this to happen.

They won't.

We must leave before it's too late. Take this and go.

Hey you, girl...

- Come here! Come on! - Leave me alone!

- You know we can do what we like. - Help! Somebody help me!

Jew!

Leave him be. We'll deal with him later.

Oh, my God!

Have you forgotten us, Lord?

Have you forgotten us?

Woe to the Jews!

Woe to the children of Israel! We are undone!

Our enemies sit in ambush.

Woe to the Jews!

Woe to the children of Israel!

We are undone!

Why does our God...

why does our Lord not save us?

- Get away, you filthy wretch! - Katare!

Mordecai, be quiet.

Get a hold of yourself.

- We are undone! - Quiet, my friend.

- No, no! - Quiet, quiet!

You want to make things worse for you and your people?

You must not play the fool.

Get a hold of yourself!

- He's still there! - But he's been howling for hours...

Who?

It is the Jew, my lady. Such a racket.

He wails night and day without ceasing.

He dresses in sackcloth and ashes and sits outside the king's gate.

- What Jew? - His name is...

It's the man who warned you of the plot against the king.

Are you sure?

The queen commands you to make yourself presentable.

He refused them? Why?

Hathach, return to him, please, and ask him what afflicts him.

Ten thousand talents of silver,

that is the price of our lives for the king!

Tell the queen that Mordecai charges her to go before the king...

and plead with him for her people.

But why?

Why was I not informed of this decree?

My lady, these are affairs of the king...

I don't know what gives this Mordecai the right...

"Plead for her people... "

But it is forbidden to go before the king without being called!

On penalty of death, my queen.

But if the king holds out the golden scepter that person may live.

Maybe the king remembers the sweet nights he spent with you.

If there ever was such a time that he felt such tenderness for me,

it is over.

It has been so long since he sent for me.

I must go to Mordecai myself. I must make him understand.

If you are found outside the harem, outside the palace gates,

in the company of a man...

Do not think that in the King's palace you will escape...

any more than all the other Jews.

Because if you keep silent at such a time,

relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter.

But you, and with you, your father's family, will perish.

Hadassah,

perhaps you have come to royalty

for such a time as this.

Those were his words.

But, I beg of you, my queen, do not risk your life.

Seize him.

Come on!

Wait...

Mordecai...

Mordecai...

- Mordecai... - Hadassah!

I'm Esther. Go.

Gather all the Jews to be found in Susa.

Fast on my behalf.

Neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day.

Esther, if only I could have spared you with...

Do as I command.

I and my handmaids will fast also. Then, I will go to the king,

though it is against his law.

If I perish, I perish.

May the Lord protect you, Esther...

Come in aid of Your servants...

We are in overwhelming danger.

Father, You who chose our fathers...

You who punished us...

and turned us over to our enemies because we have sinned against You...

...still not happy, they want us to be completely annihilated.

Do not allow them to triumph, Lord, but turn their plans against them,

and strike the first of our persecutors.

Put the words...

that will touch the heart of my king into my mouth.

Let them remind him of the love he once felt for me...

and turn his heart against those who hate and battle against us.

Let him be the one to yield.

Free me...

Free me...

Deliver me from my anguish, O Lord!

Maimuna, I need to bathe and dress. Please, lay out my robes.

I'm ready.

Next, Great King, we have the trade delegation from Bactria.

Have they paid their tribute?

Not yet, Majesty.

Let them wait! I've been waiting...

I've been waiting for months! I have no intention...

Do not fear, Esther.

If it pleases the king...

What is your request, Beloved Queen?

It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.

Let the king...

and Haman...

come today to the banquet I have prepared in my quarters...

for the king.

Let it be...

as our queen desires.

Now, my delectable queen,

what is your petition?

Come, come. Tell me.

What is your request? It shall be fulfilled.

If I have found favor with you,

and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request...

then let the king and Haman come again tomorrow...

to the banquet I shall prepare for them.

- This woman tries our patience. - Indeed, my lord, as do they all.

Then I shall tell my wish...

as my king desires.

Bow before the great Haman!

All this does me no good...

as long as I see that insolent Jew...

refusing to acknowledge me!

Vultures will feast on his insolence soon enough, Father.

Not soon enough for me.

Then build a gallows...

fifty cubits high. Get the king's consent...

- and hang Mordecai upon it. - I'll have to build it immediately.

- My lord? - I cannot sleep.

Shall I call a scribe, with your permission, my lord?

His readings will help you fall a sleep.

In the 10th month, two eunuchs of the threshold...

did conspire to assassinate the king.

By the grace of the god, Ahuramazda, the Wise Lord,

the plot was discovered and exposed...

...by a certain Mordecai, the Jew, who sat within the gates...

and by whose brave action did save the life of the king.

Is that all?

The eunuchs were executed under the laws of Persia.

Harbona!

Ah, my lord, the king wants to see you immediately.

- Do you know what he wants? - I believe he owes...

a debt of gratitude to someone.

I am yours to command, King of Kings.

Tell me,

what shall be done for a man the king wishes to honor?

To the man whom the king wishes to honor...

let royal robes be brought...

and the king's horse, with a royal crown on its head, and...

let him be conducted on horseback through the open square of the city.

Good!

Thus shall be done for a man the king wishes to honor.

I am brought low.

The gods are surely envious of my glory to so sorely mock me.

What scoundrel invented my father's misfortune?

It was I!

I knew not that the king meant to honor that foul toad.

I thought he wished to honor me!

And thus I proposed a fitting tribute,

which he then charged me to execute in favor of my enemy!

If that Mordecai is part of the Jewish people,

I fear this is but the beginning of your downfall.

What?

- Open in the name of the King! - Open up.

My Lord Chamberlain, are you ready?

The queen's banquet is prepared.

You see, good wife? I'm still the king's right hand man.

The fowl was excellent.

My lord, the queen looks like a goddess.

Even if she were to feed me poison, I would die a happy man.

Take care how you flatter my wife, Lord Chamberlain.

Your king is a jealous man.

I intend only to praise my lord's impeccable taste.

Enough.

Now, you promised to tell me your petition and your request.

And it shall be granted?

Even to the half of my kingdom.

If I have won your favor, and if it pleases the king,

let my life be given me.

- That is my petition. - Your life?

And the lives of my people. That is my request.

She ensnares me in riddles.

I know nothing about your people.

We are to be sold, I and my people, not merely as slaves,

for then I would have held my peace.

You cannot be sold. You're mine.

We have been sold...

to be destroyed, to be killed...

- to be annihilated! - My lord, perhaps I can explain...

And no enemy can compensate for this damage to our king.

Speak clearly, woman. What damage? What enemy?

Haman. Through his enmity towards my kinsman, Mordecai.

- Your kinsman? - Your kinsman!

Haman has decreed death to all the Jews,

every man, woman, and child.

My lady, I beg you...

I had no wish to harm you... how could I know?

Have mercy on me, I beseech you,

for the sake of my sons.

I will be your slave but spare my life!

Guards! Eunuchs!

Will he assault the queen in my house, in my presence?!

It's a misunderstanding, I can explain...

He insults the queen and plots to destroy her people!

The penalty is death!

A gallows 50 cubits high stands at Haman's house.

He prepared it for Mordecai, who saved the king!

- Hang him on that! - Great Queen, save me!

Tell them the truth!

Wait!

My ring!

No! Have mercy! Tell them the truth!

Please!

Please, don't bow before me, cousin.

You are the most powerful woman in the kingdom.

But that doesn't change the way I see you.

Mordecai,

you know me well, remember?

This is the Hadassah I know.

The Lord has granted my request.

But let us not rejoice too soon.

It's not over yet.

Yes, that is why the Jews put their trust in you.

Let them keep their faith.

The king has come back to me with his love.

I shall go to him and ask him to revoke Haman's decree.

I will not let our people down.

Approach, Mordecai.

Give us your hand.

The trust which we unwisely placed in the hands of your enemy,

we now confer on you.

My dear cousin, as my king sees fit to trust you,

so do I, with all my heart.

I give unto you my property,

and set you over the house of Haman.

So shall it be.

And now, if there be no other urgent matters...

If it pleases the king and if I have won his favor...

- Yes? - My lord,

how can I bear to see calamity come on my people?

My own kindred.

Let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the Agagite...

in which he decreed to destroy the Jews in all the provinces.

It was a royal decree. It cannot be revoked.

It is the law.

The laws are made by the king, surely they can be unmade by the king,

An edict sealed with the King's ring can't be revoked.

Not even by the king himself.

Mordecai,

you have shown yourself to be both wise and clever.

Please, please, please! Just one at a time!

If we all speak at once, then nobody listens.

- He's right. Listen to me. - Why you? First listen to me!

No, no, please stop,

because by the time you decide who is to speak first,

it will be the 13th of Adar and we shall all be dead.

Now, you said that the Lord has abandoned us.

What I say is... we have turned away from the Lord.

Ezra is right.

How can the Lord hear our prayer so far from Jerusalem?

We should return while there is yet time.

What safety is there in Jerusalem?

The walls lie in ruins.

Listen! Listen, friends! Please! Please listen to what I have to say.

- You're not one of us! - I am a Jew, just like you!

But how could I survive at the Persian court if I told them?

- He's Nehemia, the king's cup bearer. - Let him speak.

Ezra is not wrong.

One day, the Jews must return to Jerusalem, but...

But?

Is it so easy to give up what we have struggled to build?

Our homes and our families are here.

Our fathers and grandfathers lie buried in this ground.

- Listen to me! Listen to me! - No, you must let him speak!

Listen! Listen...

The king has given authority to Queen Esther and Mordecai,

to find a solution. Give them time. Have faith a little longer.

Have faith? In the laws of Persia?

Or have faith in the Lord?

Salvation for the Jews... our very survival...

dwells in the land promised to Abraham.

I would sooner live in a city with no walls...

than in the richest empire that has no true faith.

How will we find a way to save us?

Oh Lord, why have you turned away from us?

Please, put the right words into my mouth and turn his heart...

Turn his heart...

Turn the heart of he who battles against us! Turn! Can't you see?

We have asked the Lord to turn our fate against our enemies,

and in His goodness,

He has given us the means to do so.

The law.

To every province in its own script,

and to every people in its own language.

And to the Jews in our script and our language,

by royal decree of Ahasuerus, King of Kings,

to all his governors and officials:

Let the Jews in every city assemble and defend their lives,

to destroy, kill and annihilate any armed force of any people

that might threaten them on a single day:

The 13th day of the 12th month of Adar.

Let this decree be published in every province,

and issued to all peoples,

and let the Jews prepare and make ready for that day.

Ezra!

Ezra, have you heard the edict?

It doesn't promise triumph, only bloodshed.

There's no guarantee we will win.

At least we can defend ourselves, if all we have is tools and stones.

Is this battle the right way?

This battle will keep the Jews alive.

Let us begin...

Blessed art Thou, O Lord,

Whose hand is gracious to those who seek You.

Protect and defend Your people tomorrow on the day of battle,

and deliver us from our enemies...

The Jews have defended themselves well.

Hundreds of people have been killed, on both sides.

We are still awaiting reports from the provinces.

I wanted to tell you myself.

Rejoice, my queen.

You have saved your people.

It's over, Esther.

The peril. The blood. It's all over.

Now I have a request for you.

And I ask you to listen to me...

if I have found favor in your eyes...

Be my queen.

Share my kingdom, my nights...

Be the light of my life.

I shall be your lover when you desire me,

and your counsel when you need me...

I've never given a woman the love I feel for you.

It shall be so.

I, Esther, Queen of Persia, decree that each year...

the Jews will commemorate the 14th and 15th days of Adar,

because this was the month in which their despair was turned into joy,

their mourning into a feast of celebration,

with exchanging of gifts and almsgiving to the poor.

And to remember how their fate, or Pur, was turned around,

it shall be called The Feast of Purim.

While many Jews still remained in Persia,

others decided, under the leadership of Ezra,

to return to the land from which their ancestors had been deported.

They were sustained on their long journey

by the desire to rebuild a nation of their own.

In the Temple of Jerusalem, which rose again after the destruction,

they would pray together with those of the Jews

who had returned after King Cyrus' edict years before.

The walls of Jerusalem would rise again too,

under the wise ruler, Nehemia,

who was appointed Governor of Judea by the Persian King.

Ezra, the scribe and priest,

became the spiritual leader of the people of Israel,

and helped them to preserve the divine word of the Bible

at the center of their lives and at the heart of their faith.

"In the beginning,

God created the heaven and the earth.

And the earth was without form,

and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters,

and God said, 'Let there be light',

and there was light... "