Esther 1–10

Vashti Angers the King

1These events took place during the days of Ahasuerus, ^abwho ruled 127 provinces ^cfrom India ^dto Cush. ²In those days King Ahasuerus reigned from his royal throne ^ein the fortress at Susa. ^f3He held a feast ^gin the third year of his reign for all his officials and staff, the army of Persia and Media, ^hthe nobles, ⁱand the officials from the provinces. ⁴He displayed the glorious wealth of his kingdom and the magnificent splendor of his greatness ^jfor a total of 180 days.

⁵At the end of this time, the king held a week-long banquet ^kin the garden courtyard ^lof the royal palace ^mfor all the people, from the greatest to the least, ⁿwho were present in the fortress of Susa. ^o6White and violet linen hangings were fastened with fine white and purple linen cords to silver rods on marble ^pcolumns. Gold and silver couches ^qwere arranged on a mosaic pavement of red feldspar, ^rmarble, ^smother-of-pearl, and precious stones.

⁷Beverages were served in an array of gold goblets, ^teach with a different design. Royal wine flowed freely, according to the king’s bounty ^u8and no restraint was placed on the drinking. The king had ordered every wine steward in his household to serve as much as each person wanted. ⁹Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women of King Ahasuerus’s palace.

¹⁰On the seventh day, when the king was feeling good from the wine, ^vAhasuerus commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, ^wBigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas, the seven eunuchs ^xwho personally served him, ¹¹to bring Queen Vashti before him with her royal crown. He wanted to show off her beauty to the people and the officials, because she was very beautiful. ^y12But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command that was delivered by his eunuchs. The king became furious and his anger burned within him. ^z

The King’s Decree

¹³The king consulted the wise men ^awho understood the times, ^bcfor it was his normal procedure to confer with experts in law and justice. ¹⁴The most trusted ones ^dwere Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan. They were the seven officials ^eof Persia and Media ^fwho had personal access to the king ^gand occupied the highest positions in the kingdom. ^h15The king asked, “According to the law, what should be done with Queen Vashti, since she refused to obey King Ahasuerus’s command that was delivered by the eunuchs?”

¹⁶Memucan said in the presence of the king and his officials, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king, but all the officials and the peoples who are in every one of King Ahasuerus’s provinces. ⁱ¹⁷For the queen’s action will become public knowledge to all the women and cause them to despise their husbands and say, ‘King Ahasuerus ordered Queen Vashti brought before him, but she did not come.’ ¹⁸Before this day is over, the noble women of Persia and Media who hear about the queen’s act will say the same thing to all the king’s officials, resulting in more contempt and fury.

¹⁹“If it meets the king’s approval, he should personally issue a royal decree. Let it be recorded in the laws of Persia and Media, so that it cannot be revoked: ^jVashti is not to enter King Ahasuerus’s presence, and her royal position is to be given to another woman who is more worthy than she. ^k20The decree the king issues will be heard throughout his vast kingdom, ^lso all women will honor their husbands, ^mfrom the least to the greatest.” ⁿ

²¹The king and his counselors approved the proposal, and he followed Memucan’s advice. ²²He sent letters to all the royal provinces, to each province in its own script and to each ethnic group in its own language, ^othat every man should be master of his own house and speak in the language of his own people.

Search for a New Queen

2Some time later, ^pwhen King Ahasuerus’s rage ^qhad cooled down, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what was decided against her. ^r2The king’s personal attendants ^ssuggested, “Let a search be made for beautiful young women for the king. ^t3Let the king appoint commissioners ^uin each province of his kingdom, so that they may assemble all the beautiful young women to the harem at the fortress of Susa. ^vPut them under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, ^wwho is in charge of the women, ^xand give them the required beauty treatments. ⁴Then the young woman who pleases the king ^ywill become queen instead of Vashti.” ^zThis suggestion pleased the king, and he did accordingly.

⁵In the fortress of Susa, there was a Jewish man named Mordecai ^ason of Jair, son of Shimei, ^bson of Kish, ^ca Benjaminite. ⁶He had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the other captives when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took King Jeconiah ^dof Judah into exile. ^e7Mordecai was the legal guardian of his cousin ^fHadassah (that is, Esther), because she didn’t have a father or mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was extremely good-looking. When her father and mother died, Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter. ^g

⁸When the king’s command and edict became public knowledge, many young women gathered at the fortress of Susa under Hegai’s care. Esther was also taken to the palace and placed under the care of Hegai, who was in charge of the women. ⁹The young woman pleased him and gained his favor ^hso that he accelerated the process of the beauty treatments and the special diet that she received. He assigned seven hand-picked female servants to her from the palace and transferred her and her servants to the harem’s best quarters.

¹⁰Esther did not reveal her ethnic background or her birthplace, because Mordecai had ordered her not to. ¹¹Every day Mordecai took a walk in front of the harem’s courtyard to learn how Esther was doing and to see what was happening to her.

¹²During the year before each young woman’s turn to go to King Ahasuerus, the harem regulation required her to receive beauty treatments with oil of myrrh for six months and then with perfumes and cosmetics for another six months. ¹³When the young woman would go to the king, she was given whatever she requested to take with her from the harem to the palace. ¹⁴She would go in the evening, and in the morning she would return to a second harem under the supervision of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. ⁱShe never went to the king again, unless he desired her and summoned her by name. ^j

Esther Becomes Queen

¹⁵Esther was the daughter of Abihail, ^kthe uncle of Mordecai who had adopted her as his own daughter. When her turn came to go to the king, she did not ask for anything except what Hegai, the king’s trusted official in charge of the harem, suggested. Esther won approval in the sight of everyone who saw her. ^l

¹⁶She was taken to King Ahasuerus in the royal palace in the tenth month, the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. ^m17The king loved Esther more than all the other women. She won more favor and approval from him than did any of the other young women. He placed the royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti. ⁿ¹⁸The king held a great banquet for all his officials and staff. ^oIt was Esther’s banquet. He freed his provinces from tax payments and gave gifts worthy of the king’s bounty. ^p

¹⁹When the young women ^qwere assembled together for a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the King’s Gate. ^r20Esther still had not revealed her birthplace or her ethnic background, as Mordecai had directed. She obeyed Mordecai’s orders, as she always had while he raised her.

Mordecai Saves the King

²¹During those days while Mordecai was sitting at the King’s Gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two eunuchs ^swho guarded the king’s entrance, became infuriated and planned to assassinate ^tKing Ahasuerus. ²²When Mordecai learned of the plot, he reported it to Queen Esther, and she told the king on Mordecai’s behalf. ^u23When the report was investigated and verified, both men were hanged on the gallows. ^vThis event was recorded in the Historical Record in the king’s presence.

Haman’s Plan to Kill the Jews

3After all this took place, King Ahasuerus honored Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite. ^wHe promoted him in rank and gave him a higher position than all the other officials. ^x2The entire royal staff at the King’s Gate ^ybowed down and paid homage to Haman, because the king had commanded this to be done for him. But Mordecai would not bow down or pay homage. ^z3The members of the royal staff at the King’s Gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king’s command?” ⁴When they had warned him day after day ^aand he still would not listen to them, they told Haman to see if Mordecai’s actions would be tolerated, since he had told them he was a Jew.

⁵When Haman saw that Mordecai was not bowing down or paying him homage, he was filled with rage. ^b6And when he learned of Mordecai’s ethnic identity, Haman decided not to do away with ^cMordecai alone. He planned to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, ^dthroughout Ahasuerus’s kingdom. ^e

⁷In the first month, the month of Nisan, ^fin King Ahasuerus’s twelfth year, ^ghPur (that is, the lot) was cast before Haman for each day in each month, and it fell on the twelfth month, ⁱthe month Adar. ^jk8Then Haman informed King Ahasuerus, “There is one ethnic group, scattered throughout the peoples in every province of your kingdom, ^lyet living in isolation. Their laws are different from everyone else’s and they do not obey the king’s laws. ^mIt is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. ⁿ⁹If the king approves, let an order be drawn up authorizing their destruction, and I will pay 375 tons of silver to ^othe accountants for deposit in the royal treasury.” ^p

¹⁰The king removed his signet ring ^qfrom his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jewish people. ^r11Then the king told Haman, “The money and people are given to you to do with as you see fit.”

¹²The royal scribes were summoned ^son the thirteenth day of the first month, and the order was written exactly as…