Esther 1
Legacy Standard Bible
The Feasts of the King and Queen
1 Now it happened in the days of (A)Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned (B)from India to [a]Ethiopia 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 feast for all his princes and servants, the military officers of Persia and Media, the nobles and the princes of his provinces being in his presence, 4 [b]while he displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty for many days, 180 days.
5 And when these days were fulfilled, the king held a feast lasting seven days for all the people who were present at the citadel in Susa, from the greatest to the least, in the court of (G)the garden of the king’s palace. 6 There were hangings of fine white and [c]blue linen held by cords of fine purple linen on silver rings and marble pillars, and (H)couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones. 7 And drinks were served in golden vessels of various kinds, and the royal wine was plentiful (I)according to the king’s hand. 8 And the drinking was done according to the law; there was no compulsion, for so the king had established it for each official of his household—that he should do according to what pleased each person. 9 Queen Vashti also held a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to King Ahasuerus.
Queen Vashti’s Refusal
10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was (J)merry with wine, he said for Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who attended to the presence of King Ahasuerus, 11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal (K)crown in order to display her beauty to the people and the princes, for she was [d]beautiful in appearance. 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the word of the king which was delivered by the hand of the eunuchs. Then the king became exceedingly furious, and his wrath burned within him.
13 Then the king said to (L)the wise men (M)who knew the times—for it was the custom of the king thus to speak before all who knew law and justice 14 and were close to him: Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media (N)who [e]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, because she did not do the declaration of King Ahasuerus delivered by the hand of the eunuchs?” 16 Then in the presence of the king and the princes, Memucan said, “Queen Vashti has committed iniquity against not only the king but also against all the princes and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17 For the word about the queen will get out to all the women causing them to despise their husbands in their eyes by saying, ‘King Ahasuerus said for 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 word about the queen will speak in the same way to all the king’s princes, and there will be plenty of spite and indignation. 19 If it seems good to the king, let a royal word go forth from him, and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so (O)that it cannot [f]be repealed, that Vashti may no longer come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to [g]another who is better than she. 20 And the king’s sentence, which he will make, will be heard throughout all his kingdom, for it is [h]vast, and (P)all women will give respect to their husbands, great and small.”
21 And this word was good in the eyes of the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Memucan. 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 tongue, that every man should (R)be the ruler in his own house and the one who speaks in the tongue of his own people.
Footnotes
- Esther 1:1 Or Cush, cf. Gen 10:6
- Esther 1:4 Lit when
- Esther 1:6 Or violet
- Esther 1:11 Lit good, so in Esth
- Esther 1:14 Lit saw the face of the king
- Esther 1:19 Lit pass away
- Esther 1:19 Lit her neighbor
- Esther 1:20 Lit great
Esther 1
Common English Bible
Queen Vashti
1 This is what happened back when Ahasuerus lived, the very Ahasuerus who ruled from India to Cush—one hundred twenty-seven provinces in all. 2 At that time, Ahasuerus ruled the kingdom from his royal throne in the fortified part of Susa. 3 In the third year of his rule he hosted a feast for all his officials and courtiers. The leaders of Persia and Media attended, along with his provincial officials and officers. 4 He showed off the awesome riches of his kingdom and beautiful treasures as mirrors of how very great he was. The event lasted a long time—six whole months, to be exact! 5 After that the king held a seven-day feast for everyone in the fortified part of Susa. Whether they were important people in the town or not, they all met in the walled garden of the royal palace. 6 White linen curtains and purple hangings were held up by shining white and red-purple ropes tied to silver rings and marble posts. Gold and silver couches sat on a mosaic floor made of gleaming purple crystal, marble, and mother-of-pearl. 7 They served the drinks in cups made of gold, and each cup was different. The king made sure there was plenty of royal wine. 8 The rule about the drinks was “No limits!” The king had ordered everyone serving wine in the palace to offer as much as each guest wanted. 9 At the same time, Queen Vashti held a feast for women in King Ahasuerus’ palace.
10 On the seventh day, when wine had put the king in high spirits, he gave an order to Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who served King Ahasuerus personally. 11 They were to bring Queen Vashti before him wearing the royal crown. She was gorgeous, and he wanted to show off her beauty both to the general public and to his important guests. 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come as the king had ordered through the eunuchs. The king was furious, his anger boiling inside. 13 Now, when a need arose, the king would often talk with certain very smart people about the best way to handle it. They were people who knew both the kingdom’s written laws and what judges had decided about cases in the past. 14 The ones he talked with most often were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan. They were seven very important people in Persia and Media who, as the kingdom’s highest leaders, were in the king’s inner circle. So the king said to them, 15 “According to the law, what should I do with Queen Vashti since she didn’t do what King Ahasuerus ordered her through the eunuchs?”
16 Then Memucan spoke up in front of the king and the officials. “Queen Vashti,” he said, “has done something wrong not just to the king himself. She has also done wrong to all the officials and the peoples in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17 This is the reason: News of what the queen did will reach all women, making them look down on their husbands. They will say, ‘King Ahasuerus ordered servants to bring Queen Vashti before him, but she refused to come.’ 18 This very day, the important women of Persia and Media who hear about the queen will tell the royal officials the same thing. There will be no end of put-downs and arguments. 19 Now, if the king wishes, let him send out a royal order and have it written into the laws of Persia and Media, laws no one can ever change. It should say that Vashti will never again come before King Ahasuerus. It should also say that the king will give her royal place to someone better than she. 20 When the order becomes public through the whole empire, vast as it is, all women will treat their husbands properly. The rule should touch everyone, whether from an important family or not.”
21 The king liked the plan, as did the other men, and he did just what Memucan said. 22 He sent written orders to all the king’s provinces. Each province received it written in its own alphabet and each people received it in its own language. It said that each husband should rule over his own house.
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