< Esther 1 >
1 and to be in/on/with day Ahasuerus he/she/it Ahasuerus [the] to reign from India and till Cush seven and twenty and hundred province
King Xerxes ruled [a very big empire which had] 127 provinces. It extended from India [in the east] to Ethiopia [in the west].
2 in/on/with day [the] they(masc.) like/as to dwell [the] king Ahasuerus upon throne royalty his which in/on/with Susa [the] palace
He ruled the empire [while he lived] in the capital city, Susa.
3 in/on/with year three to/for to reign him to make: offer feast to/for all ruler his and servant/slave his strength: soldiers Persia and Media [the] noble and ruler [the] province to/for face: before his
During the third year that he ruled his empire, he invited all his administrators and [other] officials to a big banquet/feast. He invited all the commanders of the armies of Persia and Media to come to the banquet. He also invited the governors and other leaders of the provinces.
4 in/on/with to see: see he [obj] riches glory royalty his and [obj] preciousness beauty greatness his day many eighty and hundred day
[The celebration] lasted for six months. During that time the king showed his guests all his wealth and other things that showed how great his kingdom was (OR, how great a king he was).
5 and in/on/with to fill [the] day [the] these to make: offer [the] king to/for all [the] people [the] to find in/on/with Susa [the] palace to/for from great: large and till small feast seven day in/on/with court garden palace [the] king
At the end of those six months, the king invited people to another banquet. He invited to the banquet all the men who worked in the palace, including those who had important jobs and those who had unimportant jobs. [This celebration] lasted for seven days. It was in the courtyard of the palace in Susa.
6 white fine linen and blue to grasp in/on/with cord fine linen and purple upon circuit silver: money and pillar alabaster bed gold and silver: money upon pavement porphyry and alabaster and mother-of-pearl and stone
[In the courtyard] were beautiful blue and white curtains that were fastened by white and purple cords/ribbons to rings that were on pillars made from [expensive white stone called] marble. [The guests sat on] gold and silver couches. The couches were on a pavement/floor which had on top of it designs made from various kinds of expensive stones.
7 and to water: drink in/on/with article/utensil gold and article/utensil from article/utensil to change and wine royalty many like/as hand: to [the] king
[The guests] drank wine from gold cups. Each cup had a different design on it.
8 and [the] drinking like/as law nothing to compel for so to found [the] king upon all chief house: home his to/for to make: do like/as acceptance man and man
There was a lot of wine, because the king wanted the guests to drink as much as they wanted. But the king told the servants that they should not force anyone to drink more than he wanted.
9 also Vashti [the] queen to make: offer feast woman house: home [the] royalty which to/for king Ahasuerus
[At the same time, the king’s wife, ] Queen Vashti, invited the wives of the men who worked in the palace to a banquet [in another room in the palace].
10 in/on/with day [the] seventh like/as be pleasing heart [the] king in/on/with wine to say to/for Mehuman Biztha Harbona Bigtha and Abagtha Zethar and Carkas seven [the] eunuch [the] to minister with face: before [the] king Ahasuerus
On the last/seventh day of those banquets, when King Xerxes was partially drunk from drinking wine, he [summoned] seven of his personal servants. They were Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas.
11 to/for to come (in): bring [obj] Vashti [the] queen to/for face: before [the] king in/on/with crown royalty to/for to see: see [the] people and [the] ruler [obj] beauty her for pleasant appearance he/she/it
He told them to bring Queen Vashti to him, wearing her crown. He wanted his guests to see that she was very beautiful.
12 and to refuse [the] queen Vashti to/for to come (in): come in/on/with word [the] king which in/on/with hand: to [the] eunuch and be angry [the] king much and rage his to burn: burn in/on/with him
But when those servants told Vashti what the king wanted, she refused to go to the king [because she did not want to display her beauty in front of a group of half-drunk men]. So that caused the king to become very angry.
13 and to say [the] king to/for wise to know [the] time for so Chronicles [the] king to/for face: before all to know law and judgment
Immediately he had a meeting with the seven men who were the most important officials in Persia and Media. They were the men whom he often asked (for their advice/what he should do). And they were men who knew all the customs and laws [of Persia]. Their names were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan.
14 and [the] near to(wards) him Carshena Shethar Admatha Tarshish Meres Marsena Memucan seven ruler Persia and Media to see: see face [the] king [the] to dwell first in/on/with royalty
15 like/as law what? to/for to make: do in/on/with queen Vashti upon which not to make: do [obj] command [the] king Ahasuerus in/on/with hand: to [the] eunuch
The king said to them, “Queen Vashti has refused to obey me when I sent my servants [to tell her to come here]. What do our laws say that we should do to someone who [acts/behaves like that]?”
16 and to say (Memucan *Q(k)*) to/for face: before [the] king and [the] ruler not upon [the] king to/for alone him to pervert Vashti [the] queen for upon all [the] ruler and upon all [the] people which in/on/with all province [the] king Ahasuerus
While the other officials were present, Memucan told the king, [“Your majesty], Queen Vashti has (insulted/done wrong against) you, but she has also insulted all your officials and everyone else (in your empire/that you rule over).
17 for to come out: speak word: deed [the] queen upon all [the] woman to/for to despise master: husband their in/on/with eye: appearance their in/on/with to say they [the] king Ahasuerus to say to/for to come (in): bring [obj] Vashti [the] queen to/for face: before his and not to come (in): come
All the women [throughout the empire] will hear what she has done, and they will say, ‘The king commanded Queen Vashti to come to him, and she refused.’ [So they will not obey their husbands. Instead, ] they will begin to not respect their husbands.
18 and [the] day: today [the] this to say princess Persia and Media which to hear: hear [obj] word: deed [the] queen to/for all ruler [the] king and like/as sufficiency contempt and wrath
Before this day ends, the wives of all us officials in Persia and Media will hear what the queen did, and they also will refuse to obey their husbands. They will not respect us, and they will cause us to become very angry.
19 if upon [the] king pleasant to come out: come word royalty from to/for face: before his and to write in/on/with law Persia and Mede and not to pass which not to come (in): come Vashti to/for face: before [the] king Ahasuerus and royalty her to give: give [the] king to/for neighbor her [the] pleasant from her
So if it pleases you, O king, you should write a law. Like all the other laws of Persia and Media, it will be a law that (no one can change/cannot be changed.) Write a law that states that Queen Vashti will never be allowed to see you again [and will not continue to be the queen]. Then you can choose another woman to be queen, a woman who deserves to be queen more than Vashti does.
20 and to hear: proclaim edict [the] king which to make in/on/with all royalty his for many he/she/it and all [the] woman to give: give preciousness to/for master: husband their to/for from great: large and till small
Then, when everyone in your empire hears what you have commanded, all the women, including those who are important and those who are not important, will respect and obey their husbands.”
21 and be good [the] word in/on/with eye: appearance [the] king and [the] ruler and to make: do [the] king like/as word Memucan
The king and the other officials liked what Memucan suggested, so he [did that. He wrote a law] proclaiming that.
22 and to send: depart scroll: document to(wards) all province [the] king to(wards) province and province like/as writing her and to(wards) people and people like/as tongue: language his to/for to be all man to rule in/on/with house: household his and to speak: speak like/as tongue: language people his
Then he sent letters to all the provinces, stating that all men should have complete authority over their wives and their children. He wrote the letters in every language and type of writing/alphabet that was used in each province.