Greek Esther 1:1-9

Common English Bible

Addition A

Mordecai’s dream

A In the second year of the rule of Artaxerxes the Great, on the first day of Nisan,^[a] Mordecai had a dream. He was Jair’s son, Shimei’s grandson, and Kish’s great-grandson, from the tribe of Benjamin. ² He was a Jew living in the city of Susa, an important man serving in the royal court. ³ He was one of the prisoners of war whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had brought from Jerusalem along with Judea’s King Jeconiah.

⁴ This was his dream:

Look! Noise and confusion, thunder and earthquake, and chaos on the earth.

⁵ Look! Two mighty dragons came forward, both ready to fight, and they roared loudly. ⁶ At their roar every nation got ready for battle, to make war on the righteous nation.

⁷ Look! A day of darkness and gloom, misery and suffering, distress and chaos on the earth. ⁸ The entire righteous nation was thrown into a state of panic, dreading the evil that was coming against them.^[b] They expected to die. ⁹ So they cried out to God. Their cry was small at first, like a little spring, but soon it became loud as a mighty river, an abundance of water. ¹⁰ Then the sun with its light shone, the lowly were raised up high, and it devoured those who were held in honor. ¹¹ Then Mordecai, who had this dream and saw what God had planned to do, woke up and kept it secret. He wished to examine it in every detail before nightfall.

¹² Mordecai was relaxing in the courtyard with Gabatha and Tharra, two castrated men,^[c] attendants of King Artaxerxes who were guarding the courtyard. ¹³ He overheard their plans and investigated their intentions. He learned that they were preparing to attack King Artaxerxes, so he informed the king about them. ¹⁴ The king questioned the two eunuchs. Once they had confessed, they were taken away^[d] to be executed. ¹⁵ The king wrote these matters down so they would be remembered, and Mordecai also wrote about them. ¹⁶ The king appointed Mordecai to serve in the court and gave him gifts for his service. ¹⁷ But Haman, Hammedatha’s son, a Bougaean who was greatly respected by the king, sought to injure Mordecai and his people for the sake of the king’s two eunuchs.

Queen Vashti

1 After these events, this is what happened back during the rule of Artaxerxes, the very one who ruled as far as India, one hundred twenty-seven provinces in all. ² At that time, Artaxerxes ruled the kingdom from his royal throne in the city of Susa. ³ In the third year of his rule he hosted a feast for all his officials and those from other nations. The leaders of Persia and Media attended, along with his provincial dignitaries and officials. ⁴ He showed off the awesome riches and beautiful treasures of his kingdom as a reflection of how great he was. The event lasted a long time—six whole months, to be exact! ⁵ When the days of the wedding feast were over, the king held a six-day wine festival for everyone who remained in the city. They all met in the walled garden of the royal palace. ⁶ White linen and cotton curtains hung from shining white and red-purple ropes tied to gold and silver rings and marble posts. Gold and silver couches sat on a mosaic floor made of emerald, marble, and mother-of-pearl. ⁷ The cups were made of gold and silver. There was a miniature cup made of ruby, worth 1,710,000 pounds of silver.^[e] The king made sure there was plenty of the best wine, which he himself also drank. ⁸ The wine festival had no established rules, so the king ordered everyone serving wine in the palace to offer as much as each guest wanted. ⁹ At the same time, Queen Vashti also held a wine festival of her own for women in King Artaxerxes’ palace.