474 A SHORT VIEW Or SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 2. Q. Where was she educated ? A. She was brought up in Shushan; the palace of the king of Persia, by Mordecai her first cousin, for her father and mother were dead ; Verse 7. 3. Q. To what honour was she advanced ? A. King Ahasuerus took her into his royal house, and made her queen in the room of his former queen Vashti Verses 16, 17. Note, This Ahasuerus is supposed by Doctor Prideaux, and that with great probability, to be that second Artaxerxes, king of Persia, who was called Longimanus, and who, perhaps, being influenced by Esther and Mordecai, gave a decree for Ezra to promote the building Of the temple at Jerusalem, after the captivity in Babylon ; See Chap. xiii. questions 9, and 13. 4, Q. What was the occasion of Vashti's disgrace ? A. When the king had made a most Magnificent feast for all his nobles and princes, he sent for Vasliti, to show the princes her beauty, and to grace the festival, but she refused to come; Esther i. 10-12. 5. Q. What service did Mordecai do for the king, which laid a foundation for his future advancement ? A. He gave in- formation against two of the chamberlains who had conspired against the king, upon which they were tried and hanged ; Est. ii. 21-23. 6. Q. Who was made the king's chief favourite a little after this time ? A. Haman of the seed of Agag the Amalekite ; Est. iii. 1, 2. 7. Q. Wherein Did Mordecai offendHaman ? A. He re- fused to bow beforehim, and do reverence to him, as the king's servants did at court ; Verse 2. 8. Q. How did Haman attempt to revenge himself? A. By persuading the king to send orders to destroy all the Jews chat were in all his dominions ; Verses 6-15. 9. Q. What did Mordecai do on this occasion ? A. He desired Esther the queen to venture into the king's presence, though she were not called, in order to petition the king for the lives of her people the Jews ; Est. iv. 4 -9. 10. Q. Did Esther comply with his request? A. Though she knew it was death by the law to venture into the king's pre- sence, unless he heldout his golden sceptre to her, yet having first fasted and prayed to God three days, and appointed the .1 ews in Shushan to fast and pray, she ventured to approach the king Est. v. 1. 11. Q. What success did queen Esther find? A. The king held out his golden sceptre to her, and promised to grant her re- quest, even to the half of his kingdom ; Est. v. 1 -3. 12. Q. What was Esther's first request to the king? A. That the king and Haman would come to a banquet which the qqueen had . prepared for them; which request also she repeated the next day ; Est. v. 3 -8. 13. Q. 1-low Was Haman employed on that day ? A. He
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