Mordecai*s dream
1 In the days of Ahasuerus 每 the Aha suerus whose empire stretched from
India to Ethiopia and comprised one hundred twenty-seven provinces 每
2 when he occupied the royal throne in the citadel of Susa,
3 in the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his officers and
ministers, the Persian and Median aristocracy, chiefs of the army, the
nobles and the governors of the provinces.
4 For a hundred and eighty days, he displayed the riches and splendor of his
empire and the wealth and pomp of his royal estate.
5 At the close of this period, the king gave a banquet lasting seven days at
the palace garden for all the people, great and lowly, living in Susa.
6 There were white cotton curtains and blue hangings fastened with cords of
fine linen and purple to silver rings on marble pillars. On a mosaic
pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and colored stones were gold
and silver couches.
7 Drinks were served in a variety of gol den goblets, and the royal wine
flowed freely, in keeping with the king*s gene rosity.
8 By the king*s order, each guest was allowed to drink as he pleased; all
the stewards had been instructed to serve each guest according to his own
wishes.
9 Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King
Aha suerus.
10 Merry with wine on the seventh day, the king ordered the seven eunuchs
who served him as chamberlains 每 Mahuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha,
Zethar, and Carkas 每
11 to bring into his presence Queen Vashti with her royal crown, for she was
very lovely and he wished to display her beauty to the people and nobles.
12 Queen Vashti, however, refused to come at the order of the king
transmitted by the eunuchs; the king was very displeased and burned with
rage.
13 As was his procedure, the king consulted experts in law and justice.
14 He summoned the seven nobles of Persia and Media who were in his personal
service and held first rank in the kingdom 每 Car shena, Shethar, Admatha,
Tar shish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan.
15 He ask ed them, ※According to law, what is to be done with Queen Vashti
for disobeying the king*s order issued through the eunuchs?§
16 In the presence of the king and no bles, Memucan replied, ※It is not the
king alone that Queen Vashti has wronged but all the nobles and the whole
populace in the provinces of King Ahasuerus.
17 All the women will soon know what she did, and so they will despise their
husbands and say: &King Aha suerus ordered his wife to be brought before him
but she refused.*
18 When the Persian and Median ladies hear of that, they will treat the
royal officials in the same manner. So there will be no end to this kind of
disrespect. Dn 6,8
19 If it pleases the king, therefore, let an irrevocable royal decree be
issued and included among the laws of Persia and Media, that Vashti is never
again to come into the presence of King Ahasue rus, and that the king is
authorized to give her royal position to someone else more worthy than she.
20 When this decree of the king is proclaimed throughout his vast kingdom,
all wives will honor their husbands, from the least to the greatest.§
21 This proposal pleased the king and his offi cials; so the king acted on
Me mu can*s advice.
22 He sent letters to all parts of the kingdom, to each province in its own
script and to each people in their own language, declaring that every
husband should be master in his own household.