Esther 1
New Catholic Bible
Esther Chosen as Queen
Chapter 1
A Great Banquet.[a] 1 This took place in the days of Ahasuerus, the king who ruled over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia.[b] 2 At that time, King Ahasuerus was reigning from the royal throne of the citadel of Susa, 3 and in the third year of his reign, he threw a great banquet for all his nobles and officials. The military commanders of Persia and Media were present, and so were the princes and the nobles of the provinces.
4 For a full one hundred and eighty days the king showcased the wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. 5 When these days were over, he threw a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of his palace, for all the people, from the least to the greatest, who lived in the citadel of Susa.
6 The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. Gold and silver couches were on the pavement, which was of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and other costly stones. 7 Wine was served in golden goblets, each different from one another, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king’s beneficence. 8 By the order of the king, there were no limits on the drinks. For he instructed all the wine stewards to give everyone whatever was requested.
Queen Vashti Deposed. 9 Meanwhile, in the king’s royal palace, Queen Vashti[c] was giving a banquet for the women.
10 On the seventh day, when King Ahasuerus was merry with wine, he summoned the seven eunuchs who were his personal servants—Mehuman, Biztha, Har-bona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas. 11 He ordered them to bring the queen into his presence, wearing the royal crown, so he could show her off to the officials and all his guests, for she was lovely to look at. 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the official command issued through the eunuchs. This embarrassed the king and made him furious.
13 Since it was his custom to consult experts in matters of law and justice, the king consulted with the wise men who understood the laws. 14 He summoned Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven Persian and Median officials who had special access to the king and were highest in the kingdom.
15 The king asked, “What does the law say must be done about Queen Vashti, who disobeyed the command of King Ahasuerus issued through the eunuchs?”
16 It was Memucan, then, who replied in the presence of the king and the nobles: “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also all the nobles and peoples throughout the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17 For this behavior of the queen will become known to all the women, and they will disrespect their husbands and say, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded that Queen Vashti enter his presence, but she refused to come.’ 18 So this very day the Persian and Median women of the nobility who have learned about the queen’s behavior will react against the king’s nobles in like manner, resulting in no end of rancor and discord.
19 “Therefore, if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree inscribed in the laws of Persia and Media, which cannot be repealed,[d] to the effect that Vashti is nevermore to enter the presence of King Ahasuerus and that her position be given to someone more worthy than she is. 20 Then when the edict is published throughout his vast domain, all the women will respect their husbands, from the greatest to the least.”
21 The king and his nobles found this advice very acceptable, so the king acted upon Memucan’s words. 22 He sent dispatches to all parts of the kingdom—to every province in its own script and to each people in its own language—proclaiming in each people’s tongue that every man should be the master of his own house.[e]
Footnotes
- Esther 1:1 The extension of the power, luxuriousness of the palace, and weakness of morals correspond well with the reign of Ahasuerus, that is, Xerxes I (485–465 B.C.), the famous king defeated by Greece, of whom Herodotus says that he subsequently gave himself up to every type of debauchery. Liberal in the sphere of religion, he revised the ceremony to respect the customs of those invited (v. 8)—e.g., the Persian custom required guests to drink a certain amount of glasses of wine. However, St. Jerome thought Ahasuerus to be Artaxerxes II (405–362 B.C.), because the Greek text speaks constantly about “Artaxerxes,” and Plutarch tells us that this monarch kept in his harem a number of women corresponding to the days of a year.
- Esther 1:1 From India to Ethiopia: this phrase indicates the greatest extent of the Persian empire—that is, from western India to Upper Egypt—achieved under Darius the Great, who was the father of Ahasuerus.
- Esther 1:9 Queen Vashti: according to Herodotus, the wife of Ahasuerus was Amestris, a Persian woman.
- Esther 1:19 Laws . . . which cannot be repealed: according to the historian Siculus, the idea of irrevocable laws existed at the time of Darius III (335–331 B.C.), the last king of Persia (see Est 8:8).
- Esther 1:22 Among the many languages spoken in the Persian Empire, the principal ones were Persian, Aramaic, Babylonian, Egyptian, Elaite, Greek, and Phoenician, each of which had its own script.
Esther 1
New American Standard Bible
The Banquets of the King
1 Now it happened in the days of (A)Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned (B)from India to [a]Cush over (C)127 provinces, 2 in those days as King Ahasuerus (D)sat on his royal throne which was at the citadel in (E)Susa, 3 in the third year of his reign (F)he held a banquet for all his officials and attendants, the army officers of Persia and Media, the nobles and the officials of his provinces, in his presence. 4 [b]At that time he displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty for many days, 180 days.
5 When these days were finished, the king held a banquet lasting seven days for all the people who were present at the citadel in Susa, from the greatest to the least, in the courtyard of (G)the garden of the king’s palace. 6 There were curtains of fine white and violet linen held by cords of fine purple linen on silver rings and marble columns, and (H)couches of gold and silver on a mosaic floor of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and mineral stones. 7 Drinks were served in golden vessels of various kinds, and the royal wine was plentiful (I)in proportion to the king’s [c]bounty. 8 But the drinking was done according to the royal law; there was no compulsion, for so the king had given orders to each official of his household, that he was to do as each person pleased. 9 Queen Vashti also held a banquet for the women in the [d]palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus.
Queen Vashti’s Refusal
10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was (J)cheerful with wine, he ordered Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, 11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal (K)turban in order to display her beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful. 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s order [e]delivered by the eunuchs. So the king became very angry, and his wrath burned within him.
13 Then the king said to (L)the wise men (M)who understood the times—for it was the custom of the king to speak this way before all who knew Persian law and justice 14 and were close to him, namely, Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven officials of Persia and Media (N)who [f]had 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, since she did not [g]obey the command of King Ahasuerus [h]delivered by the eunuchs?” 16 And in the presence of the king and the other officials, Memucan said, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17 For the queen’s conduct will [i]become known to all the women so as to make their own husbands despicable in their sight, when they say, ‘King Ahasuerus [j]commanded that Queen Vashti be brought in to his presence, but she did not come.’ 18 And this day the wives of the officials of Persia and Media who have heard about the queen’s conduct will talk about it to all the king’s officials, and there will be plenty of contempt and anger. 19 If it pleases the king, let a royal [k]edict be issued by him and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so (O)that it cannot [l]be repealed, that Vashti may not come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to [m]another who is more worthy than she. 20 When the king’s edict which he will make is heard throughout his kingdom, [n]great as it is, then (P)all women will give honor to their husbands, great and small.”
21 Now this word pleased the king and the officials, and the king did [o]as Memucan proposed. 22 So he sent letters to all the king’s provinces, (Q)to each province according to its script and to every people according to their language, that every man was to (R)be the ruler in his own house and the one who speaks in the language of his own people.
Footnotes
- Esther 1:1 Or Ethiopia
- Esther 1:4 Lit When
- Esther 1:7 Lit hand
- Esther 1:9 Lit royal house
- Esther 1:12 Lit by the hand of the
- Esther 1:14 Lit saw the face of the king
- Esther 1:15 Lit do
- Esther 1:15 Lit by the hand of the
- Esther 1:17 Lit go forth
- Esther 1:17 Lit said to bring
- Esther 1:19 Lit word go forth from
- Esther 1:19 Lit pass by
- Esther 1:19 Lit her neighbor
- Esther 1:20 Lit for great is it
- Esther 1:21 Lit according to the word of
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