Esther 1
1 And it came to pass after these things in the days of Artaxerxes, —(this Artaxerxes ruled over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India)—
In the daies of kyng Assuerus, that regnede fro Ynde `til to Ethiopie, on an hundrid and seuene and twenti prouynces, whanne he sat in the seete of his rewme,
2 in those days, when king Artaxerxes was on the throne in the city of Susa,
the citee Susa was the bigynnyng of his rewme.
3 in the third year of his reign, he made a feast to his friends, and the other nations, and to the nobles of the Persians and Medes, and the chief of the satraps.
Therfor in the thridde yeer of his empire he made a greet feeste to alle hise princes and children, the strongeste men of Persis, and to the noble men of Medeis, and to the prefectis of prouynces, bifor him silf,
4 And after this, after he had shown to them the wealth of his kingdom, and the abundant glory of his wealth during a hundred and eighty days,
to schewe the richessis of the glorie of his rewme, and the gretnesse, and boost of his power in myche tyme, that is, an hundrid and `foure scoor daies.
5 when, [I say], the days of the marriage feast were completed, the king made a banquet to the nations who were present in the city six days, in the court of the king's house,
And whanne the daies of the feeste weren fillid, he clepide to feeste al the puple that was foundun in Susa, fro the moost `til to the leeste; and he comaundide the feeste to be maad redi bi seuene daies in the porche of the orcherd and wode, that was set with the kyngis ournement and hond.
6 [which was] adorned with [hangings] of fine linen and flax on cords of fine linen and purple, fastened to golden and silver studs, on pillars of Parian marble and stone: [there were] golden and silver couches on a pavement of emerald stone, and of pearl, and of Parian stone, and open-worked coverings variously flowered, [having] roses worked round about;
And tentis of `the colour of the eir, and of gold, and of iacynct, susteyned with coordis of bijs, and of purpur, hangiden on ech side, whiche weren set in cerclis of yuer, and weren vndur set with pilers of marble; also seetis at the maner of beddis of gold and of siluer `weren disposid on the pawment arayede with smaragde and dyuerse stoon; which pawment peynture made fair bi wondurful dyuersite.
7 gold and silver cups, and a small cup of carbuncle set out of the value of thirty thousand talents, abundant and sweet wine, which the king himself drank.
Sotheli thei, that weren clepid to meet, drunkun in goldun cuppis, and metes weren borun in with othere `and othere vessels; also plenteuouse wiyn, and `the best was set, as it was worthi to the greet doyng of the kyng.
8 And this banquet was not according to the appointed law; but so the king would have it: and he charged the stewards to perform his will and that of the company.
And `noon was that constreynede `men not willynge to drynke; but so the kyng hadde ordeyned, `makynge souereyns of hise princes `to alle boordis, that ech man schulde take that, that he wolde.
9 Also Astin the queen made a banquet for the women in the palace where king Artaxerxes [lived].
Also Vasthi, the queen, made a feeste of wymmen in the paleis, where kyng Assuerus was wont to dwelle.
10 Now on the seventh day the king, being merry, told Aman, and Bazan, and Tharrha, and Barazi, and Zatholtha, and Abataza, and Tharaba, the seven chamberlains, servants of king Artaxerxes,
Therfor in the seuenthe dai, whanne the kyng was gladdere, and was hoot of wiyn aftir ful myche drinkyng, he comaundide Nauman, and Baracha, and Arbana, and Gabatha, and Zarath, and Abgatha, and Charchas, seuene oneste and chast seruauntis, `that mynistriden in his siyt,
11 to bring in the queen to him, to enthrone her, and crown her with the diadem, and to show her to the princes, and her beauty to the nations: for she was beautiful.
that thei schulden brynge in bifor the kyng the queen Vasti, with a diademe set on hir heed, to schewe hir fairnesse to alle the puplis and prynces; for sche was ful fair.
12 But queen Astin listened not to him to come with the chamberlains: so the king was grieved and angered.
And sche forsook, and dispiside to come at the comaundement of the kyng, which he hadde sent bi the oneste and chast seruauntes. Wherfor the kyng was wrooth, and kyndlid bi fulgreet woodnesse; and he axide the wise men,
13 And he said to his friends, Thus have Astin spoken: pronounce therefore upon this [case] law and judgement.
whiche bi the `kyngis custom weren euere with hym, and he dide alle thingis bi the counsel of hem, kunnynge the lawis and ritis of grettere men;
14 So Arkesaeus, and Sarsathaeus, and Malisear, the princes of the Persians and Medes, who were near the king, who sat chief [in rank] by the king, drew near to him,
forsothe the firste and the nexte weren Carsena, and Sechaaba, Admatha, and Tharsis, and Mares, and Marsana, and Manucha, seuene duykis of Persis and of Medeis, that sien the face of the kyng, and weren wont to sitte the firste aftir hym;
15 and reported to him according to the laws how it was proper to do to queen Astin, because she had not done the things commanded of the king by the chamberlains.
`the kyng axide hem, to what sentence the queen Vasthi schulde be suget, that nolde do the comaundement of kyng Assuerus, which he hadde sent bi the onest and chast seruauntis.
16 And Muchaeus said to the king and to the princes, Queen Astin has not wronged the king only, but also all the king's rulers and princes:
And Manucha answeride, in audience of the kyng and of the pryncis, The queen Vasthi hath not oneli dispisid the kyng, but alle the pryncis and puplis, that ben in alle prouynces of kyng Assuerus.
17 for he has told them the words of the queen, and how she disobeyed the king. As then, [said he], she refused [to obey] king Artaxerxes,
For the word of the queen schal go out to alle wymmen, that thei dispise her hosebondis, and seie, Kyng Assuerus comaundide, that the queen Vasthi schulde entre to hym, and sche nolde.
18 so this day shall the other ladies of the chiefs of the Persians and Medes, having heard what she said to the king, dare in the same way to dishonour their husbands.
And bi this saumple alle the wyues of prynces of Persis and of Medeis schulen dispise the comaundementis of hosebondis; wherfor the indignacioun of the kyng is iust.
19 If then it seem good to the king, let him make a royal decree, and let it be written according to the laws of the Medes and Persians, and let him not alter [it]: and let not the queen come in to him any more; and let the king give her royalty to a woman better than she.
If it plesith to thee, `a comaundement go out fro thi face, and `be writun bi the lawe of Persis and of Medeis, which it is vnleueful to be passid, that Vasthi entre no more to the kyng, but anothir womman, which is betere than sche, take `the rewme of hir.
20 And let the law of the king which he shall have made, be widely proclaimed, in his kingdom: and so shall all the women give honour to their husbands, from the poor even to the rich.
And be this puplischid in to al the empire of thi prouynces, which is ful large, that alle wyues, both of grettere men and of lesse, yyue onour to her hosebondis.
21 And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did as Muchaeus had said,
His counsel pleside the kyng and the prynces, and the kyng dide bi the counsel of Manucha;
22 and sent into all his kingdom through the several provinces, according to their language, in order that men might be feared in their own houses.
and he sente pistlis bi alle the prouyncis of his rewme, as ech folk myyte here and rede, in dyuerse langagis and lettris, that hosebondis ben prynces and the grettere in her housis; and `he sente, that this be pupplischid bi alle puplis.
