Chosen

by Ginger Garrett

  What people are saying about …

  Chosen

  “This book defies normal boundaries. It is not merely biblical fiction, nor is the diary structure all that important. What you have in your hands is a truly astonishing novel. Ginger Garrett shows great originality and even greater promise.”

  Davis Bunn, best-selling author

  “A story that is sure to be a classic! Exciting, dramatic, and filled with truth. A great read from the first page!”

  Bodie and Brock Thoene, best-selling authors of the Zion Covenant Series and the A.D. Chronicles

  “An exciting novel from a talented author.”

  Karen Kingsbury, best-selling author of Shades of Blue

  “Chosen is a richly detailed retelling of Queen Esther’s story. The brave Jewish woman comes alive on the pages of a diary that will leave you wondering if the words are actually the queen’s or Ms. Garrett’s. A gem of a read.”

  Carol Umberger, author of the award-winning Scottish Crown series

  “Ginger sweeps the sands of time from this figure of ancient history and gives her a voice once again—and what a compelling voice it is! To revisit this ancient story is to gain a vision for the contemporary world.”

  Siri L. Mitchell, author of Love’s Pursuit and Moon Over Tokyo

  CHOSEN

  Published by David C. Cook

  4050 Lee Vance View

  Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.

  David C. Cook Distribution Canada

  55 Woodslee Avenue, Paris, Ontario, Canada N3L 3E5

  David C. Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications

  Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England

  David C. Cook and the graphic circle C logo

  are registered trademarks of Cook Communications Ministries.

  All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes,

  no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form

  without written permission from the publisher.

  The Web site addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These Web sites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of David C. Cook, nor do we vouch for their content.

  This story is a work of fiction. All characters and events are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is coincidental.

  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

  LCCN 2009943354

  ISBN 978-1-4347-6801-8

  eISBN 978-0-7814-0427-3

  © 2010 Ginger Garrett

  Ginger Garrett is represented by MacGregor Literary.

  First edition published by NavPress in 2005 © Ginger Garrett, ISBN 1-57683-651-7

  The Team: Terry Behimer, Ramona Tucker, Amy Kiechlin, Jaci Schneider, Sarah Schultz, and Karen Athen

  Cover Design: DogEared Design, Kirk DouPonce

  Cover photos: iStockphoto, royalty-free

  Second Edition 2010

  Acknowledgments

  Many people have contributed to the effort to bring the diaries to the public: In addition to the team at David C. Cook, we wish to thank Rachelle Gardner, Nicci Jordan Hubert, and Andrea Christian. An Advisory Panel was established with Dale Slaton and Sherrill McCracken as first readers, and included numerous contributors. For everyone who contributed insight or expertise, thank you.

  Note to the Reader

  These diaries, reproduced here in their entirety, were dated using an ancient Babylonian calendar. Explanation must be given so that the modern reader is not confused. Three dates are given at the top of each entry, including: month, the year of the king’s reign, and the year after creation. Ancient calendars, of course, did not include the markers “BC,” “AD,” “BCE,” or “CE.” The “number of years after creation” was only a very rough estimate determined by early Jewish priests, using key historical dates given in the first inspired Scriptures.

  The months were lunar months. At the first report from two reliable witnesses that a full moon had risen, the first day of the next month was declared. The months correspond roughly to ours, although their New Year began later:

  Nisan

  April

  Iyyar

  May

  Sivan

  June

  Tammuz

  July

  Av

  August

  Elul

  September

  Tishri

  October

  Kheshvan

  November

  Kislev

  December

  Tevet

  January

  Shevat

  February

  Adar

  March

  Adar II

  A leap year, occurring approximately every 3 years

  In addition to understanding this dating system, we would like to call to your attention the special features we have added for further study and interest. The Persian Antiquities Authority has graciously allowed us to include news reports and academic commentary in an appendix to the diaries. We hope this will allow you, the reader, to better place these diaries in the context of Esther’s world, and your own. We’ve indicated these features with a footnote to direct you to the corresponding article in the appendix.

  INTRODUCTION

  In September 1939, Hitler launches an unprovoked attack in Poland and begins his reign of terror. His first public proclamation after the invasion closes all synagogues, effective on the first day of the festival of Purim. Purim is the Jewish holiday that celebrates the heroism of one woman, Esther, and her triumph against the evil of Jewish genocide. Hitler was crafting a horrific annihilation for his Jewish captives, and Purim would give them a shining hope that the courage of even one woman might still be enough to stop him.

  Hitler’s men raced against time to destroy the synagogues and wipe the festival of Purim from the mind of every Jew. “Unless Germany is victorious,” Hitler shrieked to his men, “Jews could then celebrate a second triumphant Purim festival!” Hitler may have hated the entire race, but he feared one woman. Even her dusty memory could threaten his bloody regime. Who was this woman who gave a madman pause? Could she even now call to her people across the centuries?

  FROM THEARTNEWSPAPER.COM, INTERNATIONAL EDITION

  LONDON AND PARIS MARKETS FLOODED WITH LOOTED IRANIAN ANTIQUITIES

  report on january 2001 discovery

  BY EDEK OSSER[1]

  JIROFT, IRAN. In January 2001 a group of Iranians from Jiroft in the southwest province of Kerman stumbled upon an ancient tomb. Inside they found hoards of objects decorated with highly distinctive engravings of animals, mythological figures, and architectural motifs.

  They did not realise it at the time, but they had just made one of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries in recent years.

 
A few weeks after the discovery, officials from Iran’s Ministry of Culture, vastly outnumbered by the local people, watched hopelessly as thousands systematically dug up the area. The locals set up a highly organised impromptu system to manage the looting: each family was allocated an equal plot of six-metres to dig.

  This organised pillaging continued for an entire year. Dozens of tombs were discovered, some containing up to 60 objects, and thousands of ancient objects were removed.

  [1] We wish to thank the Art Newspaper, International Edition, for its kind permission to use this excerpt.

  WAR ON TERROR CLAIMS UNINTENDED VICTIMS

  FEBRUARY 2003

  The war on terror is wreaking havoc on archaeology across the Middle East, threatening the oldest sites with destruction from both bombs and looters. Across the world, archaeologists of all faiths and political ideologies are banding together to protect the most valuable sites.

  “These sites contain historical artifacts dating back 5,500 years,” says one expert, who was struggling to guard an ancient grave that looters had already damaged. As he watched, a child sifted through a pile of rubbish, looking for smaller finds missed by the professional looters.

  The war on terror may be making the world a safer place, but it is destroying the written record of civilization. What bombs do not destroy, greed does. Governments focused on eliminating terrorists and protecting civilians do not have the additional resources to send armed guards to protect known archaeological digs. When a bomb hits an area and a relic is discovered in the rubble, looters arrive within hours to strip the site clean, often selling their finds on Internet auctions.

  One archaeologist has spent the last six months cataloging license plate numbers instead of relics. He hopes to one day bring justice to his country, and the antiquities back.

  “Cars and rented trucks hover around these sites like vultures,” he says, “even backing up right into the middle of the dig and loading up.”

  Archaeologists watch helplessly as these “artifact mercenaries,” sometimes armed with guns, saw up larger statues for easy transport, dumping gold jewelry and pottery alike into the beds of the trucks before speeding away.

  And people of all income levels are getting involved. To families ravaged by war, one artifact can put food on the table for months. For diplomats, a gift to a contributor’s private art collection can assure political support and continued financial contributions.

  U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (DCHA)

  OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)

  December 29, 2003

  On December 26, 2003, at 5:27 a.m. local time, an earthquake struck Kerman Province in southeastern Iran. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake measured 6.6 on the Richter scale and had a depth of 10 km. The epicenter was near the city of Bam, 180 km southeast of the provincial capital of Kerman and 975 km southeast of Tehran.

  The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) reports that an estimated 100,000 to 120,000 people live in Bam and the surrounding villages, all of whom have been affected by the earthquake.

  International media reports estimate that the earthquake has resulted in the deaths of 20,000 to 30,000 people.

  Government of Iran (GOI) officials estimate that 25,000 to 40,000 have been injured. GOI officials report that 80 percent of houses have been destroyed in the immediate area of Bam, and an estimated 70,000 residents are homeless.

  MARCH 4, 2004

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

  ANCIENT DIARIES OF QUEEN ESTHER ACQUIRED

  A twelve-year-old Iranian girl has offered for sale the publication rights to a box of antiquities, which include the sealed scrolls believed to be the personal diaries of Queen Esther, who ruled in Persia approximately 480–465 BC.

  The owner will not say how she came into possession of the artifacts. She was discovered by humanitarian workers after the December earthquake, wandering in the streets with the box and a few belongings. It was understood that her family was killed by the earthquake and she was seeking to sell the box to pay for transportation to another city to live with relatives.

  The diaries, which are recorded on scrolls in Aramaic, the adopted language of the ancient Persian Empire, could bring in at least $130 million at auction.

  Although it is difficult at this time to verify all details, media outlets have reported that the girl is now living outside of Iran, possibly in Paris with an unnamed relief worker, and has successfully negotiated with her former government to place the scrolls in Iran’s national museum. Conditional to the museum acquiring the scrolls, they will be duplicated and published for public review. All royalties will be payable to the girl, who will also retain all future publication rights.

  Prologue

  Fourth Day of the Month of Av

  Year 3414 after Creation

  If you have opened this, you are the chosen one.

  For this book has been sealed in the tomb of the ancients of Persia, never to be opened, I pray, until G-d[1] has put His finger on a new woman of destiny, a woman who will rise up and change her nation. But we will not talk of your circumstances, and the many reasons this book may have fallen into your hands. There are no mistakes with prayer. You have indeed been called. If this sounds too strange, if you must look around your room and question whether G-d’s finger has perhaps slipped, if you are not a woman with the means to change a nation, then join me on a journey. You must return with me now to a place without hope, a nation that had lost sight of G-d, a girl with nothing to offer, and no one to give it to.

  I must introduce myself first as I truly am: an exiled Jew, and an orphan. My given name was Hadassah, but the oppression of exile has stripped that too from me: I am now called Esther,[2] so that I may blend in with my captors. My people, the Hebrew nation, had been sent out of our homeland after a bitter defeat in battle. We were allowed to settle in the kingdom of Persia, but we were not allowed to truly prosper there. We blended in, our lives preserved, but our heritage and customs were forced underground. Our hearts, once set only on returning to Jerusalem, were set out to wither in the heat of the Arabian sun. My cousin Mordecai rescued me when I was orphaned and we lived in the capital city of Susa, under the reign of King Xerxes.[3] Mordecai had a small flock of sheep that I helped tend, and we sold their fleece in the market. If times were good, we would sell a lamb for someone’s celebration. It was always for others to celebrate. We merely survived. But Mordecai was kind and good, and I was not forced into dishonor like the other orphans I had once known. This is how my story begins, and I give you these details not for sympathy, but so you will know that I am a girl well acquainted with bitter reality. I am not given to the freedom in flights of fantasy. But how can I explain to you the setting of my story? It is most certainly far removed from your experience. For I suspect that in the future, women will know freedom. And freedom is not an easy thing to forget, even if only to entertain an orphan’s story.

  But you must forget now. I was born into a world, and into this story, where even the bravest women were faceless specters. Once married, they could venture out of their homes only with veils and escorts. No one yet had freed our souls. Passion and pleasure, like freedom, were the domain of men, and even young girls knew the wishes of their hearts would always be subject to a man’s desire for wealth. A man named Pericles summed up my time so well in his famed oration: “The greatest glory of a woman is to be least talked about by men, whether they are praising you or criticizing you.”

  Our role was clear: We were to be objects of passion, to receive a man’s attention mutely, and to respond only with children for the estate. Even the most powerful woman of our time, the beautiful Queen Vashti, was powerless. That was my future as a girl and I dared not lift my eyes above its horizo
n. That is how I enter this story. But give me your hand and let us walk back now, past the crumbling walls of history, to this world forgotten but a time yet remembered. Let me tell you the story of a girl unspared, plunged into heartache and chaos, who would save a nation.

  My name is Esther, and I will be queen.

  [1] Out of respect for God, Jews write the name of God without the vowels, believing that the name of God is too holy to be written out completely by a human. God is referred to as either “G-d” or “YHVH.”

  [2] The name Esther is related to the Persian name of Ishtar, a pagan goddess of the stars.

  [3] Esther refers to the king by his Persian name. In the Hebrew texts of antiquity, he is also referred to as Ahasuerus.

  1

  Eleventh Day of Shevat

  Third Year of the Reign of Xerxes

  Year 3394 after Creation

  Was it today that I became fully awake, or have I only now begun to dream? Today Cyrus saw me in the marketplace haggling gently with my favorite shopkeeper, Shethana, over the price of a fleece. Shethana makes the loveliest rugs—I think they are even more lovely than the ones imported from the East—and her husband is known for his skill in crafting metals of all kinds. When I turned fifteen last year, he fashioned for me a necklace with several links in the center, painted various shades of blue. He says it is an art practiced in Egypt, this inlaying of colors into metal shapes. I feel so exotic with it on and wear it almost daily. I know it is as close to adventure as Mordecai will ever allow.

  But as Shethana and I haggled over the fleece, both of us smiling because she knew I would as soon give it to her, Cyrus walked by eating a flatbread he had purchased from another vendor. He grimaced when he took a bite—I think he might have gotten a very strong taste of shallot—and I laughed. He laughed back, wiping his eyes with his jacket and fanning his mouth, and then, oh then, his gaze held my eyes for a moment. Everything in my body seemed to come alive suddenly and I felt afraid, for my legs couldn’t stand as straight and steady and I couldn’t get my mouth to work. Shethana noticed right away and didn’t conceal her grin as she glanced between Cyrus and me. I should have doubled the price of her fleece right then!