Esther 1:1–8:17
1 And it happened in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Cusha—over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces.b 2 In those days as King Ahasuerus was sitting on the throne of his kingdom, which was in the citadel of Susa, 3 he gave a banquet in the third year of his reign for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and officials of the provinces were in his presence 4 as he displayed the wealth of the glory of his kingdom and the glorious splendor of his greatness for many days, one hundred and eighty daysc.
5 And when those days were completed, the king gave for all the people that were present at the citadel of Susa, both great and small, a banquet in the courtyard of the king’s palace garden that lasted seven days. 6 There were curtains of finely woven linen and blue cloth tied with cords of fine white linen and purple cloth to silver curtain rings and pillars of alabaster, and couches of gold and silver on a paved floor of alabaster, precious stone, mother-of-pearl, and costly stones.d 7 Drinks were served in goblets of gold and ⌊goblets of different kinds⌋,e and there was ⌊plentiful royal wine according to the bounty of the king⌋.f 8 There were no restrictions on the drinking, for the king had instructed every official of his palace to do as each one pleased. 9 Furthermore, Queen Vashti gave a banquet for the women in ⌊the palace⌋g that belonged to King Ahasuerus.
Queen Vashti Refuses the King’s Request
10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he said to Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, seven of the eunuchs attending King Ahasuerus, 11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king ⌊with her royal crown⌋h to show the people and the officials her beauty, ⌊for she was very attractive⌋.i 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the word of the king that was ⌊conveyed by⌋j the eunuchs. And the king became very angry, and his anger burned in him.
13 And the king said to the wise men, ⌊the ones who know the times⌋k—for it was the procedure of the king before all those who knew [law and rights];l 14 and those next to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, Memucan, the seven officials of Persia and Media who ⌊had access to the king⌋m and sat first in the kingdom— 15 “According to the law, what is to be done with Queen Vashti, because she has not done the command of King Ahasuerus ⌊conveyed by⌋n the eunuchs? 16 And Memucan said before the king and the officials, “Not only has Queen Vashti done wrong to the king, but to all the officials and all of the people who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17 For this deed of the queen ⌊will be known⌋o to all the women, causing them ⌊to look with contempt on their husbands⌋,p as they will say, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him but she did not come!’ 18 This day the women of nobility from Persia and Media who have heard this deed of the queen will respond the same way to all the officials of the king and there will be no end to contempt and anger. 19 ⌊If it pleases⌋q the king, let ⌊a royal edict⌋r go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of Persia and Media so that it will not be altered, that Vashti cannot come before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to her neighbor who is better than she. 20 And let the king’s decree that he will make be proclaimed in all his kingdom, because it is vast and all the women will honor their husbands, great and small.”s
21 ⌊This advice pleased the king⌋t and the officials, and the king acted according to the word of Memucan. 22 And he sent letters to all the provinces of the king, to each province according to its own script, and to every people in their own ⌊language⌋,u that every man should be the master of his house and who speaks in the ⌊language⌋v of his people.
2 After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. 2 And the king’s servants attending him said, “Let them seek attractive young virgins for the king. 3 Let the king appoint chief officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, and let them gather every attractive young virgin to the ⌊harem⌋a in the citadel of Susa ⌊under the care of⌋b Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let him give them their beauty treatment. 4 And let the young woman ⌊who is pleasing⌋c in the king’s eyes become queen in place of Vashti.” The thing was good in the king’s eyes, and he acted accordingly.
5 There was a Jew in the citadel of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 6 who was deportedd from Jerusalem with the exilese who were deportedf with Jeconiahg the king of Judah, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had deported.h 7 Hei was raising Hadassah, that is Esther, his uncle’s daughter,j for she did not have a father or a mother; the young woman had a beautiful figure and was very attractive. When her father and mother died, Mordecai had taken her as his daughter. 8 And it happened, at the proclaiming of the edict of the king and his law, when many young women were being gathered to the citadel of Susa ⌊under Hegai’s care⌋,k Esther was taken to the ⌊king’s palace⌋l ⌊under the care of⌋m Hegai who was in charge of the women. 9 ⌊The young woman pleased him⌋n and she won favor in his presence, and he quickly provided for her beauty treatment and her portion of food, with seven chosen maids to give to her from the ⌊king’s palace⌋,o and he advanced her and her maids to the best part of the ⌊harem⌋.p 10 Esther did not disclose her people and her family because Mordecai had charged her that she must not tell. 11 And every day Mordecai would walk up and down in front of the courtyard of the ⌊harem⌋q to learn ⌊how Esther was doing⌋.r
12 When the turn came for each girl to go to King Ahasuerus, after the end of twelve months of being under the regulations of the women—for the days of their beauty treatments had to be filled, six months with the oil of myrrh and six months with perfumes and women’s cosmetics—13 in this way, the girl goes to the king and all that she asks is given to her ⌊to take⌋s with her from the ⌊harem⌋t to the ⌊king’s palace⌋.u 14 In the evening she would go and in the morning she would return to the ⌊second harem⌋v ⌊under the care of⌋w Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. She would not go back to the king unless the king delighted in her and she was called by name.
15 When the turn came near for Esther daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as a daughter, to go to the king, she did not ask anything except what Hegai the eunuch of the king who was in charge of the women, advised. And Esther carried favor in the eyes of everyone that saw her. 16 Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, to his ⌊palace⌋,x in the tenth month that is Tebeth in the seventh year of his reign. 17 And the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won his favor and loyalty more than all the virgins, so he put a ⌊royal crown⌋y on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 And the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his officials and servants. And he granted a tax amnestyz to the provinces and he gave gifts with royal liberality.
19 When the virgins were gathered a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the gate of the king. 20 Esther had not made known her family and her people, just as Mordecai had instructed her; for Esther ⌊did what Mordecai told her⌋,a just as when she was brought up by him. 21 In those days Mordecai was sitting at the gate of the king. Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs from the keepers of the threshold, became angry and they conspired ⌊to assassinate⌋b King Ahasuerus. 22 And the matter became known to Mordecai and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told it to the king in the name of Mordecai. 23 And the matter was investigated and found to be so; and the two of them were hanged on the gallows, and it was written in the scroll of the events of the days before the presence of the king.
3 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and he exalted him and set ⌊his position⌋a above all the officials who were with him. 2 And all of the king’s servants who were at the gate of the king were kneeling and bowing down to Haman; for so the king had commanded concerning him, but Mordecai did not kneel and bow down. 3 And the king’s servants who were at the gate of the king said to Mordecai, “Why are you transgressing the command of the king?” 4 They spoke to him day after day, but he did not listen to them, and they informed Haman to see if ⌊Mordecai’s resolve would prevail⌋;b for he had told them that he was a Jew. 5 And Haman saw that Mordecai was not kneeling and bowing down to him, and he was filled with wrath. 6 But ⌊he considered it beneath him⌋c to lay hands on Mordecai only, for they told him of Mordecai’s people, and Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were in the kingdom of Ahasuerus.
7 In the first month, that is, the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasurus, he cast pur—that is, the lot—before the presence of Haman ⌊for the day and for the month⌋,d untile the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar. 8 And Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and separated among the peoples in all of the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from every other people, and they do not ⌊observe⌋f the laws of the king; it is not appropriate for the king to tolerate them. 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will payg ten thousand talentsh of silver to those who do the job, to bring to the treasury of the king.” 10 So the king removed his