1And it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus — he is the Ahasuerus who reigned from India even to Cush, seven and twenty and a hundred provinces —
2in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Susa the citadel,
3in the third year of his reign, he made a feast for all his princes and his servants; the army of Persia and Media, the nobles and the princes of the provinces being before him;
4when he showed the riches of the glory of his kingdom and the honor of the splendor of his greatness, many days, a hundred and eighty days.
5And when these days were fulfilled, the king made for all the people present in Susa the citadel, from great even to small, a feast of seven days, in the court of the garden of the king's palace.
6There were white linen, cotton, and blue, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple upon rods of silver and pillars of marble; couches of gold and silver upon a pavement of porphyry and marble and mother-of-pearl and dark stone.
7And drink was given in vessels of gold — the vessels being diverse from vessels — and royal wine in abundance, according to the hand of the king.
8And the drinking was according to the decree (dat): none compelling; for so the king had founded upon every chief of his house, to do according to the pleasure of each man (ish) and man (ish).
9Also Vashti the queen made a feast of women (ishah) in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus.
10On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was good with wine, he said to Mehuman, Bizzetha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who ministered before the face of king Ahasuerus,
11to bring Vashti the queen before the king with the royal crown, to show the peoples and the princes her beauty; for she was good of appearance.
12But the queen Vashti refused to come at the word of the king which was by the hand of the eunuchs; and the king was very wroth, and his fury burned in him.
13And the king said to the wise men who knew the times — for so was the king's word before all who knew decree (dat) and judgment (din);
14and the nearest to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face, who sat first in the kingdom:
15"According to decree (dat), what is to be done with the queen Vashti, because she did not do the command of the king Ahasuerus by the hand of the eunuchs?"
16And Memucan said before the king and the princes: "Not against the king alone has Vashti the queen done wrong, but against all the princes and against all the peoples that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus.
17For the word of the queen will go forth to all the women (ishah), to make their husbands contemptible in their eyes, when they say: The king Ahasuerus said to bring Vashti the queen before him, but she did not come.
18And this day the princesses of Persia and Media who have heard the word of the queen will say the like to all the king's princes; and there will be enough contempt and wrath.
19If it is good to the king, let a royal word go forth from before him, and let it be written among the decrees (dat) of Persia and Media, that it not pass away, that Vashti come no more before the king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royalty to her companion who is better than she.
20And when the king's edict which he shall make is heard in all his kingdom — for it is great — all the wives (ishah) will give honor to their husbands, from great even to small."
21And the word was good in the eyes of the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan.
22And he sent letters to all the king's provinces, to every province according to its writing, and to every people according to its tongue, that every man (ish) should be ruling in his own house and speaking according to the tongue of his people.