1:1 Now it happened in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to ①Cush over 127 provinces,
▷ ①Or Ethiopia
1:2 in those days as King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne which was at the citadel in Susa,
1:3 in the third year of his reign he held a banquet for all his officials and attendants, the army officers of Persia and Media, the nobles and the officials of his provinces, in his presence.
1:4 ①At that time he displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty for many days, 180 days.
▷ ①Lit When
1:5 When these days were finished, the king held a banquet lasting seven days for all the people who were present at the citadel in Susa, from the greatest to the least, in the courtyard of the garden of the king’s palace.
1:6 There were curtains of fine white and violet linen held by cords of fine purple linen on silver rings and marble columns, and couches of gold and silver on a mosaic floor of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and mineral stones.
1:7 Drinks were served in golden vessels of various kinds, and the royal wine was plentiful in proportion to the king’s ①bounty.
▷ ①Lit hand
1:8 But the drinking was done according to the royal law; there was no compulsion, for so the king had given orders to each official of his household, that he was to do as each person pleased.
1:9 Queen Vashti also held a banquet for the women in the ①palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus.
▷ ①Lit royal house
1:10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was cheerful with wine, he ordered Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus,
1:11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal turban in order to display her beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful.
1:12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s order ①delivered by the eunuchs. So the king became very angry, and his wrath burned within him.
▷ ①Lit by the hand of the
1:13 Then the king said to the wise men who understood the times—for it was the custom of the king to speak this way before all who knew Persian law and justice
1:14 and were close to him, namely, Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven officials of Persia and Media who ①had access to the king’s presence and sat in the first place in the kingdom—
▷ ①Lit saw the face of the king
1:15 “According to law, what is to be done with Queen Vashti, since she did not ①obey the command of King Ahasuerus ②delivered by the eunuchs?”
▷ ①Lit do ②Lit by the hand of the
1:16 And in the presence of the king and the other officials, Memucan said, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.
1:17 For the queen’s conduct will ①become known to all the women so as to make their own husbands despicable in their sight, when they say, ‘King Ahasuerus ②commanded that Queen Vashti be brought in to his presence, but she did not come.’
▷ ①Lit said to bring ②Lit go forth
1:18 And this day the wives of the officials of Persia and Media who have heard about the queen’s conduct will talk about it to all the king’s officials, and there will be plenty of contempt and anger.
1:19 If it pleases the king, let a royal ①edict be issued by him and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot ②be repealed, that Vashti may not come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to ③another who is more worthy than she.
▷ ①Lit word go forth from ②Lit pass by ③Lit her neighbor
1:20 When the king’s edict which he will make is heard throughout his kingdom, ①great as it is, then all women will give honor to their husbands, great and small.”
▷ ①Lit for great is it
1:21 Now this word pleased the king and the officials, and the king did ①as Memucan proposed.
▷ ①Lit according to the word of
1:22 So he sent letters to all the king’s provinces, to each province according to its script and to every people according to their language, that every man was to be the ruler in his own house and the one who speaks in the language of his own people.