节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-03-14
难易度:Medium
关键字:empire, condemn, banquet, sentence, Purim, Persian Empire, gallows
Hello again.
Well, today's lesson is about the history behind a very important Jewish
festival called Purim.
The story of Queen Esther can be found in the Bible, and we have a summary of it
here today.
So far in our story we are introduced to King Xerxes, his queen, Esther, her
cousin, Mordecai,
and a very selfish man named Haman, who was second in command to the king.
The story is very dramatic.
And what makes it even better is that it's true.
So let's continue learning with the story.
Saved by the Queen.
So Haman fooled the king into condemning all the Jews to death.
Mordecai told Queen Esther about this, and she decided she must save her people.
She invited the king and Haman to a banquet.
During the banquet, the king asked Esther what she really wanted.
She simply invited them to another banquet.
At the second banquet, she told the king that someone planned to destroy her and
her people.
She also told Xerxes that Haman was responsible.
Immediately, the king sentenced Haman to die.
Haman was hanged on the same gallows that he had built for Mordecai.
(Chinese).
And now let's go back to our teachers.
Thanks, Michelle.
Well, we finished the story.
But if you really want to understand what happened in detail, I think you should
find a Bible and read it for yourself.
It is a very interesting story.
Well, at the end of this last section, we were just starting to learn about a
selfish man named Haman.
He had a lot of power and was a proud man.
He was so proud that he became angry at Mordecai for refusing to bow to him.
Now remember, Mordecai is Esther's cousin.
However, our lesson doesn't mention it, but Haman does not know that Esther and
Mordecai are related.
As a matter of fact, Haman doesn't even know that Esther is a Jew.
In the story, Mordecai even tells Esther to keep that fact a secret from her
husband, the king.
So all because Mordecai made Haman angry and Mordecai was a Jew, Haman came up
with a plan to destroy all the Jews.
We read here: Haman fooled the king into condemning all the Jews to death.
And you see that word from our Word Bank: condemn.
That is a very strong word, meaning to make a judgment against someone or
people.
So when Haman convinces the king to condemn the Jews to death, that means it
seems certain that the Jews will die.
So someone in power like a king can condemn someone to death.
But you might hear this phrase in other ways.
The judge in a courtroom might condemn someone to a period of time in jail or
prison.
Someone might be condemned to life in prison for something they did.
And Haman from our story fooled the king into condemning all the Jews to death.
He fooled the king into doing something.
Let's take a closer look at that phrase with Liz in the Grammar Gym.
Welcome to the Grammar Gym, friends.
How are you doing today?
My name is Liz.
In today's lesson we see this sentence:
So Haman fooled the king into condemning all the Jews to death.
That's our Grammar Tip sentence.
It just means the king condemned all the Jews to death, and this was because of
Haman.
Haman had fooled the king.
Notice the sentence pattern: [subject] [verbed] [someone] into doing
[something].
This is a great sentence pattern to use when you want to talk about how someone
is able to influence another person,
and either change that person's mind or cause that person to make a decision to
do something.
For example:
Uncle Thomas persuaded Ben into buying a piece of property.
Or: The school counselor convinced Sabrina into changing her major.
Now it's your turn to try.
Think of someone who has changed your mind or caused you to make a decision to
do something, and practice using this sentence pattern.
And if you need to look at some more example sentences, they're available in
today's Grammar Tip section in your Studio Classroom magazine.
That's it for today.
This is Liz from The Grammar Gym.
See you next time.
Thanks, Liz.
So we know Haman is not the hero of the story.
He definitely provides some conflict, though.
Next we read what Mordecai does.
Mordecai told Queen Esther about Haman's plan, and she decided she must save her
people.
Her people?
What does that mean?
Is that the people that she is in charge of?
Ah, no. But I can understand why someone might think that.
Any time you see the possessive pronoun her or his, the word after it is usually
something that they own.
But in our story, her people is referring to the Jews.
Right. Esther is a Jew, and so her people means other Jews like her.
Have you ever seen the movie The Prince of Egypt?
Yeah. That's a great animated movie based on the story of Moses.
Right. And there's a line in that movie, and in the Bible story, that is
repeated many times.
God says to the king of Egypt: Let my people go.
The Jews were the ones that God chose to be his children, so they are His
people.
So someone's people could be the people under them, or the phrase could just
mean people of the same race.
And that's what it means in this story.
Esther's people are of the same race.
Well, right now it's time for us to learn something more with a video.
This will help to explain the festival of Purim and the story of Esther.
Listen carefully. Let's watch it now.
Haman's challenge came at a crucial point in history.
His provocations were a test.
Was God still relevant in the post-biblical age when open miracles were no
longer common and prophecy was coming to an end?
In the end, the Jews were saved from Haman's plot but, pointedly, they were
saved in a non-miraculous way.
In the events of Purim, serendipitous happenings conspired to bring about
unexpected results.
Alone, each of these events could be seen as nothing more than a fortuitous
coincidence.
But, taken together, they weave a miraculous chain of events orchestrated by
God.
King Achashverosh holds a spectacular six-month feast in the capital city of
Shushan.
It just so happens that when Queen Vashti refuses to obey the King, he has her
eliminated.
And when a global beauty contest is held to replace her, it just so "happens"
that Esther, a Jewish girl, is chosen.
When palace guards plot to assassinate the King, Mordechai, Esther's relative,
"happens" to overhear and foil the plot.
One night, it just so "happens" that the King can't fall asleep, he asks for the
Book of Records,
which just so "happens" to open to the page recording Mordechai's long forgotten
act of loyalty.
At that moment, Haman "happens" to approach the King for permission to hang
Mordechai.
Instead, Achashverosh tells Hamman to dress Mordechai in the royal robes and
parade him on horseback through the streets of Shushan.
The heroics of Mordechai and Esther was in recognizing God's Hand in taking the
necessary action - no matter how challenging it may be.
When Esther fears approaching the King uninvited because one could be killed for
such presumptuousness,
Mordechai tells her, "It is certain that the Jewish people will be saved one way
or another.
God promised it will never be destroyed.
The only question, Esther, is if you will rise to the challenge God has given
you: enabling redemption to come through your hand.
This is your big moment, the reason for which you were born.".
We learn about the Jewish festival Purim today.
In the days of King Xerxes in 470 B.C., a story occurred that involved his
queen, Queen Esther, who was a Jew,
and her cousin, Mordecai, a government official and the second in command,
Haman.
Now Haman got mad at Mordecai because Mordecai would not bow down to him.
So Haman tricked the king into condemning all the Jews to death.
When Queen Esther found out, she made up a plan to save her people, involved
inviting both the king and Haman to two banquets.
At the second banquet, she told Xerxes the truth about what was about to happen
to her people and that Haman was responsible.
And what happened in the end?
Haman was hanged instead of Mordecai.
Thanks, Linda.
Well, I hope you've enjoyed our lesson today.
And we have more to learn about Esther and the festival of Purim tomorrow.
So come back to see us right here at Studio Classroom.