Esther 1:2-4

Good News Translation

Queen Vashti Defies King Xerxes

1 ^(A)^1-2From his royal throne in Persia's capital city of Susa, King Xerxes ruled 127 provinces, all the way from India to Ethiopia.^[a]

³In the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his officials and administrators. The armies of Persia and Media were present, as well as the governors and noblemen of the provinces. ⁴For six whole months he made a show of the riches of the imperial court with all its splendor and majesty.

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Footnotes

Esther 1:1 Hebrew Cush: Cush is the ancient name of the extensive territory south of the First Cataract of the Nile River. This region was called Ethiopia in Graeco-Roman times, and included within its borders most of modern Sudan and some of present-day Ethiopia (Abyssinia).