Greek Esther 1
1
Queen Vashti Defies King Xerxes
18-19 #Ezra 4.6These things happened in the time of King Xerxes, who ruled over 127 provinces, all the way from India to Sudan, from his royal throne in Susa, Persia's capital city. 20 In the third year of his reign, the king gave a banquet for all his advisers, the representatives of other countries, the noblemen from Persia and Media, and the governors of the provinces. 21 For six whole months he made a show of the riches of the imperial court with magnificent and expensive celebrations.
22 After the feast#1.5 feast; some manuscripts have wedding feast. the king gave a banquet for the people of other nations who were in the city. It lasted a week and was held in the palace courtyard, 23 which was decorated with linen and cotton curtains, held by cords of purple linen attached to silver and gold blocks on marble and stone columns. Couches made of gold and silver had been placed in the courtyard, which was paved with green and white marble and mother-of-pearl. The couches were spread with a fine, thin fabric of many colours, with roses round the edges. 24 There were gold and silver cups, and one of them, decorated with jewels worth more than a thousand tonnes of silver, had been set out for display. There was plenty of good wine from the king's own supply. 25 There were no limits on the drinks. The king had given orders to the palace servants that they should provide him and his guests with as much as they wanted.
26 Meanwhile, inside the royal palace Queen Vashti was giving a banquet for the women.
27 On the seventh day of his banquet the king was feeling happy, so he called in the seven eunuchs who were his personal servants, Haman, Bazan, Tharra, Boraze, Zatholta, Abataza, and Tharaba. 28 He ordered them to bring in the queen, so that he could place the royal crown on her head and show her off to the officials and all his guests, for she was a beautiful woman. 29 But Queen Vashti refused to obey and would not come with the servants. This embarrassed the king and made him furious.
30 He told his advisers about Vashti's reply and asked them to give a legal opinion about what he should do. 31-32 Three of them, who were closest to the king and held the highest offices, came and told him what the law required and what should be done to Queen Vashti for disobeying the command he had given her through his servants. They were Arkesaeus, Sarsathaeus, and Malesear, officials of Persia and Media.
33 Then the king told his officials and the governors of Media and Persia how the queen had defied him. So Muchaeus said to the king and everyone present: “Queen Vashti has insulted not only you but all of us as well. 34-35 As soon as our wives hear what the queen has done, they will be bold enough to defy their husbands and treat them with disrespect in the same way that Vashti has treated you. 36 If, then, it please Your Majesty, issue a royal proclamation that Vashti may never again appear before the king. Let it be written into the laws of Media and Persia. Then give her place as queen to some better woman. There is no other way. 37 When your proclamation is made known all over this empire, then every woman will treat her husband with proper respect, whether he is rich or poor.”
38 The king and his officials liked this idea, and the king did as Muchaeus suggested. 39 To each of the royal provinces he sent a message in the language of that province, saying that every husband must be respected in his own home.
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Greek Esther 1: GNBDC
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.