Esther 1
1 And it cometh to pass, in the days of Ahasuerus — he [is] Ahasuerus who is reigning from Hodu even unto Cush, seven and twenty and a hundred provinces —
And it came to pass in the days of Achashverosh, of the same Achashverosh who reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over a hundred and seven and twenty provinces,
2 in those days, at the sitting of the king Ahasuerus on the throne of his kingdom, that [is] in Shushan the palace,
In those days, when this king Achashverosh was sitting on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the capital,
3 in the third year of his reign, he hath made a banquet to all his heads and his servants; of the force of Persia and Media, the chiefs and heads of the provinces [are] before him,
That, in the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants, the army of Persia and Media, the nobles and the princes of the provinces who were near him:
4 in his shewing the wealth of the honour of his kingdom, and the glory of the beauty of his greatness, many days — eighty and a hundred days.
When he showed the riches and the glory of his kingdom, and the brilliance [and] the splendor of his greatness, during many days, a hundred and eighty days.
5 And at the fulness of these days hath the king made to all the people who are found in Shushan the palace, from great even unto small, a banquet, seven days, in the court of the garden of the house of the king —
And when these days were completed, the king made unto all the people that were found in Shushan the capital, unto every one, from the great even to the small, a feast of seven days, in the court of the garden of the king's palace;
6 white linen, white cotton, and blue, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on rings of silver, and pillars of marble, couches of gold, and of silver, on a pavement of smaragdus, and white marble, and mother-of-pearl, and black marble —
[Where were] white, green, and blue [hangings], fastened with cords of fine linen and purple, on rollers of silver and pillars of marble; couches of gold and silver, upon a pavement of green, and white, and yellow, and black marble.
7 and the giving of drink in vessels of gold, and the vessels [are] divers vessels, and the royal wine [is] abundant, as a memorial of the king.
And they gave them to drink in vessels of gold, —the vessels being diverse one from the other, —and the royal wine was in abundance, according to the ability of the king.
8 And the drinking [is] according to law, none is pressing, for so hath the king appointed for every chief one of his house, to do according to the pleasure of man and man.
And the drinking was, according to the [king's] order, without compulsion; for so had the king enjoined on all the officers of his house, to do according to the pleasure of every man.
9 Also Vashti the queen hath made a banquet for women, in the royal house that the king Ahasuerus hath.
Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women, in the royal house which belonged to king Achashverosh.
10 On the seventh day, as the heart of the king is glad with wine, he hath said to Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who are ministering in the presence of the king Ahasuerus,
On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Charbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcass, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of king Achashverosh,
11 to bring in Vashti the queen before the king, with a royal crown, to shew the peoples and the heads her beauty, for she [is] of good appearance,
To bring Vashti the queen before the king [ornamented] with the royal crown, to show the people and the princes her beauty; for she was handsome in appearance.
12 and the queen Vashti refuseth to come in at the word of the king that [is] by the hand of the eunuchs, and the king is very wroth, and his fury hath burned in him.
But queen Vashti refused to come at the word of the king brought by the hand of the chamberlains; and the king was very wroth, and his fury burnt in him.
13 And the king saith to wise men, knowing the times — for so [is] the word of the king before all knowing law and judgment,
Then said the king to the wise men, who knew [the occurrences of] the times; for so [came] every affair of the king before all acquainted with law and state institutions;
14 and he who is near unto him [is] Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, Memucan, seven heads of Persia and Media seeing the face of the king, who are sitting first in the kingdom —
And those next unto him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tharshish, Meress, Marsena, and Memuchan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who could see [at all times] the king's face, who sat in the first rank in the kingdom:
15 'According to law, what — to do with queen Vashti, because that she hath not done the saying of the king Ahasuerus by the hand of the eunuchs?'
What should according to law be done with queen Vashti; because she had not fulfilled the order of king Achashverosh by the hand of the chamberlains?
16 And Memucan saith before the king and the heads, 'Not against the king by himself hath Vashti the queen done perversely, but against all the heads, and against all the peoples that [are] in all provinces of the king Ahasuerus;
Then said Memuchan before the king and the princes, Not against the king alone hath Vashti the queen done wrong, but also against all the princes, and against all the people that are in all the provinces of king Achashverosh.
17 for go forth doth the word of the queen unto all the women, to render their husbands contemptible in their eyes, in their saying, The king Ahasuerus said to bring in Vashti the queen before him, and she did not come;
For the conduct of the queen will go abroad unto all the women, so that they will despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be reported, King Achashverosh ordered Vashti the queen to be brought into his presence, but she came not.
18 yea, this day do princesses of Persia and Media, who have heard the word of the queen, say [so] to all heads of the king, even according to the sufficiency of contempt and wrath.
And even this day will the ladies of Persia and Media, who have heard of the conduct of the queen, say this unto all the princes of the king; and there will arise too much contempt and quarrel.
19 'If to the king [it be] good, there goeth forth a royal word from before him, and it is written with the laws of Persia and Media, and doth not pass away, that Vashti doth not come in before the king Ahasuerus, and her royalty doth the king give to her companion who [is] better than she;
If it please the king, let there go forth a royal order from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that no one transgress it, That Vashti come no more before king Achashverosh: and let the king give her royal dignity unto another that is better than she.
20 and the sentence of the king that he maketh hath been heard in all his kingdom — for it [is] great — and all the wives give honour to their husbands, from great even unto small.'
And when the king's decree which he will make shall be published throughout all his kingdom, however great it is: all the wives will show respect to their husbands, unto every one, from the great even to the small.
21 And the thing is good in the eyes of the king, and of the princes, and the king doth according to the word of Memucan,
And the speech was pleasing in the eyes of the king and of the princes; and the king did according to the speech of Memuchan.
22 and sendeth letters unto all provinces of the king, unto province and province according to its writing, and unto people and people according to its tongue, for every man being head in his own house — and speaking according to the language of his people.
And he sent letters unto all the provinces of the king, unto every province according to its writing, and to every people according to its language, that every man should bear rule in his own house, however he may speak according to the language of his people.
