The Jews had been captives of the Babylonians and the Persians. A new Persian king gave the Israelites their freedom. Only about 50,000 of them elected to return to Jerusalem. Many, including Esther and her relatives, chose to stay in Persia. God knows everything. He knew that in time those who remained could be destroyed. To preserve them, he would use Esther, a Jewish girl. - Read this first.