Esther
Background
Esther is a slave of the Hur family. Her father is Simonides.
During the events of Ben-Hur (1959) played by Haya Harareet
Esther returns to the home of Ben-Hur with her father to ask Ben-Hur's permission to get married to a merchant named David son of Mathias and Ben-Hur gives Esther her freedom as a wedding present. That night she relays a story of how she prayed for him one time when he was injured. They kiss and Ben-Hur takes her ring and tells her he will wear it until the day he gets married. After Ben-Hur and his family are arrested, Esther and Simonides go to Messala and tell him that Ben-Hur is innocent. Messala then has Esther and Simonides put into prison. Ben-Hur eventually returns and finds Esther living and hiding in his old home with Simonides and Malluch. That night Ben-Hur and Esther talk and then hug and kiss and she tells him she didn't get married because Simonides needed her and she notices he is still wearing her ring. She tells him that she has heard of a rabbi that talks of forgiveness. One night she hears a noise and discovers Miriam and Tirzah who tell her to stay away due to their leprosy. They then ask her not to tell Ben-Hur about them and she tells Ben-Hur that she saw them dead when she was in prison. Later, Ben-Hur catches her and Malluch bringing food to Miriam and Tirzah in the Valley of the Lepers and she tells him she lied to him to keep a promise she made to Miriam and Tirzah. On their way back to the house, Esther goes to hear Jesus' Sermon on the Mound. She tells Ben-Hur of the teaching of Jesus, but he rejects them. During another visit to the Valley of the Lepers, Miriam tells Esther that Tirzah is dying and she helps Ben-Hur bring Tirzah out of the valley. They go to seek help from Jesus but find him condemned to die by the Romans. Esther is at home when Ben-Hur returns to find Miriam and Tirzah cured of their leprosy.