Eve is the first woman, first wife and first mother of the Bible. Created by God in His image, Eve became Adam’s wife and mother of Cain, Abel, Seth and “other sons and daughters.”  Eve was the first to encounter Satan and was tempted by him to disobey God’s command  and eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. She and Adam were evicted from the Garden of Eden. Although shamed, Eve kept her hope alive and persevered in faith. God’s grace allowed Eve to avoid complete destruction and bear children. She rejoiced because of God’s compassion and forgiveness. Eventually, her descendants included, Jesus, the Savior of the world

Here is Eve’s life story from the Bible:

• The first woman created by God
Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[a] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. (Genesis 2:22)

• Eve is Adam’s wife
 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” (Genesis 2:23, NIV)

• Eve lived with Adam in the garden of Eden
Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. (Genesis 2:8, NIV)

• Eve was deceived by Satan and disobeyed God
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. (Genesis 3:4-6, NIV)

• Eve immediately took responsibility for her sin
Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:13, NIV)

• Eve suffered painful consequences for her actions
To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;  with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband,  and he will rule over you.” (Genesis 3:16, NIV)

• Eve and Adam are banished from the garden
So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side[a] of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:23-24, NIV)

• Adam and Eve experienced God’s grace
The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. (Genesis 3:31, NIV)

• Eve is hopeful for the future after the birth of her son Cain
Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth man.” (Genesis 4:1, NIV)

• Eve gave birth to Abel
Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. (Genesis 4:2, NIV)

Read 10 Remarkable Women of the Bible.

Esther was a beautiful young woman who was chosen by King Ahasuerus to be queen. King Ahasuerus did not know that Esther was Jewish. The Jews had been driven out of Israel, about 70 years earlier and exiled in Persia.  Esther’s stepfather, Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman, an advisor and high official of the king. Because of this lack of respect, Haman plotted to destroy all the Jews. When Esther found out that this was to happen she wanted intercede, but  feared doing so because anyone who entered the king’s throne room without permission could be put to death. She prayed and fasted for three days and found the courage to approach her husband, the king.  She told him of her Jewish ancestry and pleaded for her people. Ahasuerus was persuaded by his love for Esther and ordered Haman to be hanged on the very gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.

Read Esther’s life story in Bible verses:

• Esther is a beautiful, orphaned Jewish girl
Then the king’s personal attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king. (Esther 2:2, NIV)

• She is the adopted daughter of her cousin Mordecai
Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died. (Esther 2:7, NIV)

• Esther is a God-fearing woman living in a pagan court
She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.  Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. And the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality. When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up. (Esther 2:16-20, NIV)

• Esther was chosen by King Ahasuerus to be queen
 Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. (Esther 2:17, NIV)

• Esther finds out that the Jews were to be executed by Haman
But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai. (Esther 2:22)

• She fasts and prays for three days and then risked death by approaching the king
Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.” (Esther 4:10-11, NIV)

On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance.  When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.  (Esther 5:2, NIV)

• She prepared a banquet for the king and Haman
 “If it pleases the king,” replied Esther, “let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him.” (Esther 5:4, NIV)

• She asked the king for a new edict
“If it pleases the king,” she said, “and if he regards me with favor and thinks it the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces. (Esther 8:5, NIV)

•  Esther’s delivery of God’s people is still celebrated by Jews during Purim
Esther’s decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, and it was written down in the records. (Esther 9:32, NIV)

For more on Purim, read: The Hidden Miracles of Purim

Read 10 Remarkable Women of the Bible.

Elizabeth was the wife of Zechariah, cousin of Mary and mother of John Baptist. Elizabeth was unable to have children and was well beyond child bearing years when amazingly she conceived a son. Her husband, Zechariah, was visited by the Angel Gabriel and given the blessed news in the temple. Unable to fully believe what he was hearing, Zechariah was made mute. While Elizabeth was pregnant, she was visited by Mary, the expectant mother of Jesus. Upon hearing Mary speak, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leapt for joy. Elizabeth gave birth to a son who they named John as the Angel Gabriel had commanded and Zechariah’s  ability to speak returned.  Their son John became John the Baptist, the prophet who foretold the coming of Jesus.

Here is Elizabeth’s remarkable life story from the Bible:

• Elizabeth was the childless wife of Zechariah
In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. (Luke 1:5-7, NIV

• An angel appeared to Zechariah while serving in the temple, saying their prayers would be answered and they would have a son
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,  for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. ¹⁶ He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:11-17)

• Elizabeth conceived and was in seclusion for five months
After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.(Luke 1:24, NIV)

• Elizabeth was visited by her cousin Mary who was pregnant with Jesus
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. (Luke 1:39-40, NIV)

• Elizabeth and her unborn child recognized Jesus in Mary’s womb
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!  But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.  Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (Luke 1:41-45, NIV)

• Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist, whom Jesus called the greatest of all men
Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (Matthew 11:11, NIV)

Read 10 Remarkable Women of the Bible.