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Esther
Also known as: Hadassah
Jewish orphan raised by her cousin Mordecai who became queen of Persia under King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). When Haman plotted to exterminate all Jews throughout the empire, Esther risked her life to approach the king uninvited and expose the conspiracy. Her courage—“If I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16)—saved her people from genocide. The festival of Purim celebrates this deliverance annually. Her book uniquely never mentions God’s name directly but demonstrates divine providence working through human courage.
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