Esther

King Artaxerxes held a grand feast, during which his queen, Vashti, refused to appear before him, leading to her removal and replacement by Esther, a Jewish woman. Esther's cousin Mordecai discovered a plot to kill the king and reported it, but later refused to bow down to the king's advisor Haman, who then plotted to destroy all Jews in the kingdom. Esther, with Mordecai's urging, risked her life to approach the king and eventually revealed Haman's plot, leading to his execution and the issuance of a new decree allowing the Jews to defend themselves. The Jews then gathered and killed their enemies, and the king granted Esther's request to allow the Jews to continue their defense the next day. The events ultimately led to the establishment of the festival of Purim, commemorating the Jews' deliverance from their enemies, and Mordecai became second in authority after the king, attributing the events to God's salvation.