Esther 1

Now it came to pass in the days of ^aAhasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from ^bIndia even unto ^cEthiopia, over ^dan hundred and seven and twenty ^eprovinces:) ²that in those days, when the king Ahasuerus ^fsat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in ^gShushan the palace, ³in the third year of his reign, he ^hmade a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the ⁱnobles and princes of the provinces, being before him: ⁴When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and fourscore days. ⁵And when these days were expired, the king made a feast unto all the people that were present in Shushan the palace, both unto great and small, seven days, in the court of ^kthe garden of the king’s palace; ⁶Where were white, green, and blue hangings, fastened with cords of ^lfine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble: ^mthe beds were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white, and black marble. ⁷And they gave them drink in vessels of gold, (the vessels being diverse one from another,) and royal wine in abundance, according to the state of the king. ⁸And the drinking was according to the law; none did compel: for so the king had appointed to all the officers of his house, that they should do according to every man’s pleasure. ⁹Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus.

¹⁰On the seventh day, when ⁿthe heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, ^oHarbona, ^pBigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king, ¹¹to bring Vashti the queen before the king with the ^qcrown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on. ¹²But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him. ¹³Then the king said to the ^rwise men, ^swhich knew the times, (for so was the king’s manner towards all that knew law and judgment: ¹⁴and the next unto him was Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and ^tMemucan, the ^useven princes of Persia and Media, ^xwhich saw the king’s face, and which sat the first in the kingdom;) ¹⁵What shall we do unto the queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not performed the commandment of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains? ¹⁶And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, Vashti the queen hath not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the people that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus. ¹⁷For this deed of the queen shall come abroad unto all women, so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not. ¹⁸Likewise shall the ladies of Persia and Media say this day unto all the king’s princes, which have heard of the deed of the queen. Thus shall there arise too much contempt and wrath. ¹⁹If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the ^yMedes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she. ²⁰And when the king’s decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives shall ^zgive to their husbands honour, ^aboth to great and small. ²¹And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan: ²²for he sent letters into all the king’s provinces, into ^bevery province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language, that every man should bear rule in his own house, and that it should be published according to the language of every people.

II.