Esther 1
1:1And it came to pass in the days of Artaxerxes. This Artaxerxes held a hundred twenty-seven regions from India.
1:2And in those days when king Artaxerxes was enthroned in Shushan the city,
1:3in the third year of his reign, he made a banquet to his friends, and to the rest of the nations, and to the Persians and Medes -- the honorable ones, and to the rulers of the satrapies.
1:4And after these things, after the showing to them the riches of his kingdom, and the glory of his gladness for a hundred eighty days,
1:5and when the days were fulfilled of the wedding, the king made a banquet for the nations, to the ones found in the city, for six days, in the courtyard of the house of the king,
1:6being adorned in fine linen, and cotton being stretched upon lines of fine linen and of purple, upon cube studs of gold and silver, upon columns of Parian marble, and stones, with beds of gold and silver upon a stone pavement of emerald stone, and mother of pearl, and Parian marble stone, and transparent strewn beds being decorated variously,
1:7with cups of gold and silver, wine abundant and agreeable, which the king himself drank.
1:8But this banquet took place not according to the law being situated; but thus the king wanted, and he gave orders to the managers to do his will, and for the men.
1:9And Vashti the queen made a banquet for the women in the palace where king Artaxerxes was.
1:10And on the seventh day the king being with pleasure, said to Mehuman, and Biztha, and Harbona, and Bigtha, and Abagtha, and Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs of king Artaxerxes,
1:11to bring in the queen to him, to give her reign, and to put on her the diadem, and to show her to all the rulers and to the nations of her beauty, for she was beautiful.
1:12And queen Vashti did not listen to him to come with the eunuchs. And the king fretted, and he was provoked to anger.
1:13And he said to his friends, Thus these things Vashti spoke, you deal then concerning this law and judgment!
1:14And came forward to him Carshena, and Shethar and Admatha, and Tarshish, and Meres and Marsena and Memucan seven rulers of the Persians and Medes, the ones near the king, the ones foremost being seated near the king.
1:15And they reported to him according to the laws as what Vashti the queen must do, for she had not done the things having been assigned by the king, through the eunuchs.
1:16And Memucan said to the king and to the rulers, Not only queen Vashti wronged the king, but also all the rulers, and the leaders of the king,
1:17(for he described to them the sayings of the queen) and how ever she contradicted the king, as then she did contradict to king Artaxerxes,
1:18so today, the wives of the sovereigns of the rest of the rulers of the Persians and Medes hearing the things having been said against the king by her, they shall dare in like manner to dishonor their husbands.
1:19If then it seems good to the king, let him assign a royal decree, and let him write it according to the laws of the Medes and Persians! and not otherwise treat nor let the queen any longer enter to him, and let the king give her royalty to a woman better than her!
1:20And let the law by the king be heard! which ever he should make for his kingdom. And thus all the women shall invest honor to their own husbands, from poor unto rich.
1:21And the word pleased the king and the rulers. And the king did as Memucan said.
1:22And he sent letters into all the kingdom, according to place, according to their form of speech, so as to be fearing them in their households.