ULT EST Chapter 1

1 Now it happened in the days of Ahasuerus (he was Ahasuerus, the one who ruled from India even as far as Ethiopia, 127 provinces); 2 in those days, as the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his royalty, which was in Susa the citadel: 3 in year three of his reign, he made a feast for all his officials and his administrators, the army of Persia and Media, the noblemen, and the officials of the provinces before his face, 4 when he displayed the wealth of the glory of his kingdom and the splendor of the beauty of his greatness for many days, 180 days.

5 And when those days were fulfilled, the king made a feast for all the people who were found in Susa the citadel, from the greatest even to the least, for seven days, in the courtyard of the garden of the palace of the king. 6 Linens cotton and blue were hanging by cords of byssus and purple on rings of silver and pillars of marble. Couches of gold and silver were on the pavement of porphyry and alabaster and pearl and precious stone. 7 And the serving was in vessels of gold, with vessels differing from other vessels, and the wine of royalty was abundant according to the hand of the king. 8 And the drinking was according to the law “There is no compulsion,” for thus the king had established for every overseer of his house to do according to the desire of man by man. 9 Also Vashti the queen made a feast of women in the palace of royalty that belonged to the king Ahasuerus.

10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was pleased by the wine, he said to Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Karkas (the seven eunuchs who served before the face of the king Ahasuerus), 11 to bring Vashti the queen to the face of the king in a crown of royalty in order to show the people and the officials her beauty, for she was pleasing of appearance. 12 But the queen Vashti refused to come at the word of the king that was by the hand of the eunuchs. Then the king became very angry, and his rage burned within him.

13 Then the king said to the wise men, who were knowers of the times (for thus was the manner of the king before the face of all those who were knowers of law and judgment, 14 and the ones near to him were Karshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Mersena, Memukan, seven officials of Persia and Media who were seers of the face of the king, the ones who sat first in the kingdom): 15 “According to law, what is to be done with the queen Vashti on account of this, that she did not perform the command of the king Ahasuerus by the hand of the eunuchs?”

16 And Memukan replied before the face of the king and the officials, “Not toward the king alone has Vashti the queen done wrong, but toward all the officials and toward all the peoples who are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus. 17 For the matter of the queen will go out to all the women in order to make their husbands despised in their eyes when they say, ‘The king Ahasuerus said to bring Vashti the queen before his face, but she did not come.’ 18 Now this day, the noblewomen of Persia and Media who have heard the matter of the queen will speak to all the officials of the king. And there will be contempt and wrath enough! 19 If it is good to the king, let a decree of royalty go out from before his face, and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media (which do not pass away) that Vashti shall never come before the face of the king Ahasuerus. And let the king give her royalty to her female neighbor, the woman who is better than she. 20 And the decree of the king will be heard that he will make for all his kingdom, though it is great. Then all the women will give honor to their husbands, from the greatest to the least.”

21 And the word seemed good in the eyes of the king and the officials. And the king acted according to the word of Memukan. 22 And he sent letters to all the provinces of the king, to province by province according to its own writing, and to people by people according to its own tongue: that every man should be ruling in his house and speaking according to the tongue of his people.

EST C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10