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Esther / Ahasuerus' Banquet and Vashti's Removal
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Ahasuerus' Banquet and Vashti's Removal

Esther 1:1-22

1
Chapter 1
1 Now it was in the days of Ahasuerus—this Ahasuerus the king—who ruled from Cush to Cush, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces. 2 In the days when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Susa the capital. 3 In the third year of his reign he made a feast for all his officials and servants, the army of Persia and Media, the nobles and the officials of the provinces before him. 4 When he showed the wealth of the glory of his kingdom and the preciousness of the splendor of his greatness for many days—eighty and a hundred days. 5 And when these days were fulfilled, the king made a feast for all the people found in Susa the citadel, from great to small, for seven days in the court of the garden of the king's palace. 6 White cotton and blue, held by cords of fine linen and purple, on silver pillars and pillars of fine linen; couches of gold and silver on a pavement of porphyry, fine linen, marble, and mother-of-pearl. 7 And they gave drink in vessels of gold and vessels of different kinds, and abundant wine of the kingdom according to the hand of the king. 8 And the drinking was according to the law; there was no forcing, for the king had established it for all the multitude in his house to do according to each man's desire. 9 Also Queen Vashti made a drinking feast for the women in the house of the kingdom of King Ahasuerus. 10 On the seventh day, when the king's heart was merry with wine, he said to Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs serving before King Ahasuerus. 11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king with the royal crown to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she is beautiful in appearance. 12 And Queen Vashti refused to come at the word of the king, which was by the hand of the eunuchs. And the king was greatly furious, and his wrath burned in him. 13 And the king said to the wise ones, knowers of the times, "For in this way is the word of the king before all knowers of law and judgment." 14 And the ones approaching him: Karshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, Memukan, seven officials of Persia and Media who saw the king's face, the ones sitting first in the kingdom. 15 According to law, what is to be done with Queen Vashti on account of which she did not do the word of King Ahasuerus by the hand of the eunuchs? 16 Memucan said before the king and the officials: "The queen has not erred against the king alone by getting drunk, but against all the officials and all the peoples in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus." 17 For the queen's word has gone out to all the women, so that they despise their husbands in their eyes, saying, "King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she did not come." 18 And today the princesses of Persia and Media who have heard the word of the queen will say the same to all the king's princes, and there will be contempt and wrath. 19 If it is good to the king, a decree of the kingdom goes out from before him, and he writes it in the laws of Persia and Media, which do not pass away, that Vashti does not come before King Ahasuerus, and the king gives her kingdom to her neighbor who is better than she. 20 And the king's decree that he issues will be heard throughout all his kingdom, for it is great, and all the women will give honor to their husbands, from great to small. 21 The word was good in the eyes of the king and the officials, and the king did according to the word of Memucan. 22 And he sent letters to all the king's provinces, to each province according to its script, and to each people according to its language, so that every man should be ruler in his own house and speak according to the language of his people.