v. 11 "All the king's officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king."

v. 12 When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai,

v. 13 he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape.

v. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

v. 15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:

v. 16 "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."

v. 17 So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther's instructions.

Come on! You can't stop now! Over the next few days, read the rest of the story: Esther 5-10

*See note in #2 Investigate It! and in #4 Share It!

#2—Investigate it!

Click on the highlighted words to find out their meaning. Check out the word origin. Record your findings on your WordStudy Sheet. Compare the meanings of words in the passage. Find definitions of any other words you don't know in a dictionary or search for them here. Learn more about it: Look up Haman and Purim.

-» Online or in your own Bible, look back over the previous chapters to answer as many of the following questions as you can. (Hint: Check the first chapter or the verses just preceding the passage, headings, footnotes, and/or other notations.)

Who wrote it?
To whom was it written?
When was it written?
Where was it written?
Why was it written?
Other facts.

You can learn even more by looking in a Bible commentary. Or try looking up key words in a concordance to find other scriptures where the word is used.

#3—Write it!

On your WordStudy Sheet, tell in your own words what you think each verse means. Use the information you gathered above to guide you as you think through each verse. Describe any new understanding of the story you get from learning the background information.

#4—Apply it!

Now that you have an idea what the verses are saying, how could they apply to you? On your WordStudy Sheet write what you think each verse could mean in your life. Is there something you should do? Or something you need to change? Get "up-close-and-personal" as you think about it!

#5—Pray!

Ask God to help you do the things you learned about in today's study. Be specific! When we pray specifically, God answers specifically!

#6—Share it!

Share your study with your parents or your teacher and get their feedback on your conclusions.

Learn more about it: Find out more about Purim celebrations.