Contemplative Bible Reading

Esther 2:8 (New Living Translation)

As a result of the king’s decree, Esther, along with many other young women, was brought to the king’s harem at the fortress of Susa and placed in Hegai’s care.

This verse has bothered me for years. Esther, the good Jewish woman, entered the king’s harem. Perhaps something is lost in translation or in history or something, but the first definition I find for harem is:

the separate part of a Muslim household reserved for wives, concubines, and female servants.

Esther enters the harem as a concubine?

Why would she do that? That is immoral, right? Why didn’t she and her family flee or go into hiding or something?

I know how the story ends: Esther is able to do great things for her people, but that is not how the story begins, and there is no guarantee at the beginning that the ending will be good. Still, this is what we have.

From a human perspective, which is quite lacking, how do we judge Esther on this verse? From a human perspective, still quite lacking, how do we judge anything?