Xerxes’ Royal Feast

1And it will be in the days of Ahasuerus, (this Ahasuerus reigned from India and even to Cush; seven and twenty and one hundred provinces:) 2In those days, when king Ahasuerus sat upon the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the fortress, 3In the third year to his reign he made a drinking to all his chiefs and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and chiefs of the provinces before him: 4In his causing to see the riches of the glory of his kingdom, and the honor of his great splendor many days, eighty and one hundred days.

5And in these days being completed the king made to all the people being found in Shushan the fortress, a drinking to the great and even to the small, seven days, in the enclosure of the garden of the king's house; 6Splendid fine white linen, and cerulean purple, made fast with cords of byssus and purple, upon rings of silver and pillars of marble: couches of gold and silver upon a tesselated pavement of marble, and marble and pearl and spotted marble. 7And giving drink in vessels of gold and vessels different from vessels, and wine of the kingdom, an abundance, according to the hand of the king. 8Giving to drink according to the edict; none compelling, for thus the king appointed to all the multitude of his house to do according to the desire of man and man.

Queen Vashti’s Refusal

9Also Vashti the queen made a drinking to the women of the house of the kingdom which was to king Ahasuerus.

10In the seventh day, as the heart of the king being good with wine, he said to Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs serving the face of king Ahasuerus, 11To bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown of the kingdom, to cause the people and the chiefs to see her beauty: for she was good of appearance. 12And the queen Vashti will refuse to come in at the word of the king which was by the hand of the eunuchs: and the king will be angry greatly, and his wrath burnt in him.

Queen Vashti Deposed

13And the king will say to the wise knowing the times, (for thus spake the king before all knowing the edict and judgment: 14And there drew near to him Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, Memucan, seven chiefs of Persia and Media, seeing the face of the king, sitting the first in the kingdom;) 15According to the edict what to do against the queen Vashti, for that she did not the word of the king Ahasuerus by the hand of the eunuchs? 16And Memucan will say before the king, Not against the king alone did Vashti the queen do evil, but against all the chiefs and against all the peoples that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus. 17For the word of the queen will go forth ball the women to cause their husbands to be despised in their eyes, in their saying, The king Ahasuerus said to bring in Vashti the queen before him, and she came not. 18And this day shall the chief ladies of Persia and Media say, which heard the word of the queen to all the chiefs of the king, and according to contempt and reproach. 19If good to the king, the word of the kingdom shall go forth from before him, and it shall be written in the edict of the Persians and Medea, and it shall not pass away, that Vashti shall not come before the king Ahasuerus; and the king shall give her kingdom to her companion good above her. 20And the decree of the king which he shall make being heard in all his kingdom, (for it is great,) and all the women shall give honor to their husbands, to the great and even to the small.

21And the word will be good in the eyes of the king and the chiefs; and the king will do according to the word of Memucan. 22And he will send letters to all the provinces of the king, to provinces and provinces, according to its writing, and to people and people, according to their tongue, for every man to be ruling in his house; and being spoken according to the tongue of his people.