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A Jewish man called Mordecai lived in Susa. He was the son of Jair. Jair was the son of Shimei. Shimei was the son of Kish. Kish was a descendant of Benjamin. When Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon, he had taken Kish away from Jerusalem as a prisoner. That was the time when Nebuchadnezzar also took Jeconiah, king of Judah, away to Babylon as well as other Jews.[a]

Mordecai was taking care of a young cousin called Hadassah. She was also called Esther.[b] Esther's mother and father were no longer alive. She was the daughter of Mordecai's uncle. When her parents died, Mordecai took care of her, as if she was his own daughter. Esther was very beautiful.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:6 Judah was the south part of Israel.
  2. 2:7 Hadassah was a Hebrew name. Esther was a Persian name.