Quotes About Courage

and his followers Gabbai and Sallai—928 men.

and his associates—128 mighty men of valor. Zabdiel son of Haggedolim was their overseer.

Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed,

Now there was at the citadel of Susa a Jewish man from the tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish.

Esther did not reveal her people or her lineage, because Mordecai had instructed her not to do so.

Now Esther was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle from whom Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter. And when it was her turn to go to the king, she did not ask for anything except what Hegai, the kingís trusted official in charge of the harem, had advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of everyone who saw her.

She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the kingís gate.

Esther still had not revealed her lineage or her people, just as Mordecai had instructed. She obeyed Mordecaiís command, as she had done under his care.

In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the kingís gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the kingís eunuchs who guarded the entrance, grew angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.

When Mordecai learned of the plot, he reported it to Queen Esther, and she informed the king on Mordecaiís behalf.

All the royal servants at the kingís gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, because the king had commanded that this be done for him. But Mordecai would not bow down or pay homage.

Then the royal servants at the kingís gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the command of the king?”

Day after day they warned him, but he would not comply. So they reported it to Haman to see whether Mordecaiís behavior would be tolerated, since he had told them he was a Jew.

When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or pay him homage, he was filled with rage.

And when he learned the identity of Mordecaiís people, he scorned the notion of laying hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he sought to destroy all of Mordecaiís people, the Jews, throughout the kingdom of Xerxes.

Then Esther summoned Hathach, one of the kingís eunuchs appointed to her, and she dispatched him to Mordecai to learn what was troubling him and why.

So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square in front of the kingís gate,

and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money that Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury in order to destroy the Jews.

Mordecai also gave Hathach a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for the destruction of the Jews, to show and explain to Esther, urging her to approach the king, implore his favor, and plead before him for her people.

So Hathach went back and relayed Mordecaiís response to Esther.

Then Esther spoke to Hathach and instructed him to tell Mordecai,

“All the royal officials and the people of the kingís provinces know that one law applies to every man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned—that he be put to death. Only if the king extends the gold scepter may that person live. But I have not been summoned to appear before the king for the past thirty days.”

When Estherís words were relayed to Mordecai,