Xerxes’ Royal Feast
And it happened in the days of Ahasuerus — that Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Cush, a hundred and twenty-seven provinces —
in those days, when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which is in Susa the fortress,
in the third year of his reign he made a feast for all his officials and his servants — the army of Persia and Media, the nobles and officials of the provinces before him —
when 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.
And when these days were filled, the king made for all the people found in Susa the fortress, from great to small, a feast of seven days, in the court of the garden of the king’s pavilion.
White cotton and blue, held with cords of fine linen and purple, on rods of silver and pillars of marble; couches of gold and silver on a pavement of porphyry and marble, mother-of-pearl and dark stone.
And they gave drink in vessels of gold — vessels differing from vessels — and royal wine in abundance, according to the hand of the king.
And the drinking was by law: no one compelling. For so the king had founded it upon every steward of his house, to do according to the pleasure of each man.
Queen Vashti’s Refusal
Vashti the queen also made a feast for the women, in the royal house that belonged to King Ahasuerus.
On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was good with wine, he said to Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas — the seven eunuchs who served before the face of King Ahasuerus —
to bring Vashti the queen before the king in the crown of the kingdom, to show the peoples and the officials her beauty; for she was good of appearance.
But Vashti the queen refused to come at the word of the king that was by the hand of the eunuchs. And the king was very angry, and his wrath burned in him.
Queen Vashti Deposed
And the king said to the wise men who knew the times — for so was the king’s manner, before all who knew law and judgment;
and those near to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, Memucan, the seven officials of Persia and Media who saw the king’s face, who sat first in the kingdom —
“By law, what is to be done with Vashti the queen, because she has not done the word of King Ahasuerus by the hand of the eunuchs?”
And Memucan said before the king and the officials, “Not against the king alone has Vashti the queen done wrong, but against all the officials, and against all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.
For the word of the queen will go out to all the women, to make their husbands contemptible in their eyes, when they say, ‘King Ahasuerus said to bring Vashti the queen before him, and she did not come.’
And this very day the noblewomen of Persia and Media who have heard the word of the queen will say the same to all the king’s officials — and there will be contempt and anger enough.
If it is good to the king, let a royal word go out from before him, and let it be written among the laws of Persia and Media, and let it not pass away: that Vashti shall not come before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her queenship to another, better than she.
And the king’s edict which he makes will be heard in all his kingdom — for it is great — and all the wives will give honor to their husbands, from great to small.”
And the word was good in the eyes of the king and the officials, and the king did according to the word of Memucan.
And he sent letters to all the provinces of the king, to province and province according to its writing, and to people and people according to its tongue: that every man should be master in his own house, and speak according to the tongue of his own people.