Esther 1:9–22

⁹Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the ¹palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus.

Queen Vashti’s Refusal

¹⁰On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was ^amerry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus,

¹¹to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal ^acrown in order to display her beauty to the people and the princes, for she was beautiful.

¹²But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command delivered by the eunuchs. Then the king became very angry and his wrath burned within him.

¹³Then the king said to ^athe wise men ^bwho understood the times—for it was the custom of the king so to speak before all who knew law and justice

¹⁴and were close to him: Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media ^awho ¹had access to the king’s presence and sat in the first place in the kingdom—

¹⁵“According to law, what is to be done with Queen Vashti, because she did not ¹obey the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?”

¹⁶In the presence of the king and the princes, Memucan said, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also all the princes and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.

¹⁷“For the queen’s conduct will ¹become known to all the women causing them ²to look with contempt on their husbands by saying, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought in to his presence, but she did not come.’

¹⁸“This day the ladies of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen’s conduct will speak in the same way to all the king’s princes, and there will be plenty of contempt and anger.

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king, let a royal ¹edict be issued by him and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so ^athat it cannot ²be repealed, that Vashti may no longer come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to ³another who is more worthy than she.

²⁰“When the king’s edict which he will make is heard throughout all his kingdom, ¹great as it is, then ^aall women will give honor to their husbands, great and small.”

²¹This word pleased the king and the princes, and the king did ¹as Memucan proposed.

²²So he sent letters to all the king’s provinces, ^ato each province according to its script and to every people according to their language, that every man should ^bbe the master in his own house and the one who speaks in the language of his own people.