1 A nd it cometh to pass, in the days of Ahasuerus -- he Ahasuerus who is reigning from Hodu even unto Cush, seven and twenty and a hundred provinces --

This is what happened in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who ruled over 127 parts of the nation from India to Ethiopia.

2 i n those days, at the sitting of the king Ahasuerus on the throne of his kingdom, that in Shushan the palace,

In those days King Ahasuerus sat on the king’s throne in the city of Susa.

3 i n the third year of his reign, he hath made a banquet to all his heads and his servants; of the force of Persia and Media, the chiefs and heads of the provinces before him,

In the third year of his rule, he gave a special supper for all his princes and leaders. The army captains of Persia and Media, the important men and princes of the many parts of the country were there with him.

4 i n his shewing the wealth of the honour of his kingdom, and the glory of the beauty of his greatness, many days -- eighty and a hundred days.

For 180 days he showed the great riches and honor and power that were his as king of the nation.

5 A nd at the fulness of these days hath the king made to all the people who are found in Shushan the palace, from great even unto small, a banquet, seven days, in the court of the garden of the house of the king --

When all the days were over, the king gave a supper lasting seven days for all the people from the greatest to the least who were in the city of Susa where he ruled. The supper was given in the open space of the garden of the king’s special house.

6 w hite linen, white cotton, and blue, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on rings of silver, and pillars of marble, couches of gold, and of silver, on a pavement of smaragdus, and white marble, and mother-of-pearl, and black marble --

There were curtains of fine white and blue linen held by ropes of fine purple linen on silver rings and marble pillars. There were seats of gold and silver on a floor made of small glass-like pieces, marble, mother-of-pearl, and stones of much worth.

7 a nd the giving of drink in vessels of gold, and the vessels divers vessels, and the royal wine abundant, as a memorial of the king.

Drinks were served in different kinds of gold cups, and there was much wine, because the king was very able and willing to give it.

8 A nd the drinking according to law, none is pressing, for so hath the king appointed for every chief one of his house, to do according to the pleasure of man and man.

Drinking was done by the law. No one was made to drink. The king had told all the workmen of his house that they should give each person what he wanted.

9 A lso Vashti the queen hath made a banquet for women, in the royal house that the king Ahasuerus hath.

Queen Vashti also gave a special supper for the women in the beautiful house that belonged to King Ahasuerus.

10 O n the seventh day, as the heart of the king is glad with wine, he hath said to Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who are ministering in the presence of the king Ahasuerus,

On the seventh day the heart of the king was happy with wine. And he told Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas, the seven servants who served King Ahasuerus,

11 t o bring in Vashti the queen before the king, with a royal crown, to shew the peoples and the heads her beauty, for she of good appearance,

to bring Queen Vashti to the king with her crown. He wanted to show her beauty to the people and the princes, for she was beautiful.

12 a nd the queen Vashti refuseth to come in at the word of the king that by the hand of the eunuchs, and the king is very wroth, and his fury hath burned in him.

But Queen Vashti would not come when the king sent his servants to bring her. So the king became very angry and his anger burned within him.

13 A nd the king saith to wise men, knowing the times -- for so the word of the king before all knowing law and judgment,

Then the king spoke to the wise men who understood the times. For it was the king’s way to speak with all who knew law and what was right and fair.

14 a nd he who is near unto him Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, Memucan, seven heads of Persia and Media seeing the face of the king, who are sitting first in the kingdom --

These men next to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media. They were allowed to visit with the king and were next to the king in the nation.

15 ` According to law, what -- to do with queen Vashti, because that she hath not done the saying of the king Ahasuerus by the hand of the eunuchs?'

He asked them, “By the law, what is to be done with Queen Vashti, because she did not obey what King Ahasuerus sent the servants to tell her?”

16 A nd Memucan saith before the king and the heads, `Not against the king by himself hath Vashti the queen done perversely, but against all the heads, and against all the peoples that in all provinces of the king Ahasuerus;

Then Memucan said in front of the king and the princes, “Queen Vashti has done wrong not only to the king, but to all the princes and all the people in the lands of King Ahasuerus.

17 f or go forth doth the word of the queen unto all the women, to render their husbands contemptible in their eyes, in their saying, The king Ahasuerus said to bring in Vashti the queen before him, and she did not come;

For what the queen has done will become known to all the women, and will make them hate their husbands. They will say, ‘King Ahasuerus told Queen Vashti to be brought to him, but she would not come.’

18 y ea, this day do princesses of Persia and Media, who have heard the word of the queen, say to all heads of the king, even according to the sufficiency of contempt and wrath.

This very day the ladies of Persia and Media who have heard what the queen has done will speak in the same way to all the king’s princes. And there will be much hate and anger.

19 ` If to the king good, there goeth forth a royal word from before him, and it is written with the laws of Persia and Media, and doth not pass away, that Vashti doth not come in before the king Ahasuerus, and her royalty doth the king give to her companion who better than she;

If it pleases the king, let word be sent by him, and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media which cannot be changed, that Vashti should not come again to King Ahasuerus. Let the king give the place of queen to another who is better than she.

20 a nd the sentence of the king that he maketh hath been heard in all his kingdom -- for it great -- and all the wives give honour to their husbands, from great even unto small.'

Then the king’s word will be heard through all his great nation, and all women will give honor to their husbands, from the greatest to the least.”

21 A nd the thing is good in the eyes of the king, and of the princes, and the king doth according to the word of Memucan,

What was said pleased the king and the princes, and the king did as Memucan said.

22 a nd sendeth letters unto all provinces of the king, unto province and province according to its writing, and unto people and people according to its tongue, for every man being head in his own house -- and speaking according to the language of his people.

So he sent letters to all parts of the king’s nation, to each land in its own writing and to every people in their own language. The letters said that every man should rule in his own house and speak there in the language of his own people.