Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasueruswhichreigned, fromIndiaevenuntoEthiopia, over an hundred and seven and twentyprovinces:)
In the thirdyear of his reign, he made a feastunto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, beingbefore him:
And whenthesedayswereexpired, the kingmade a feastunto all the peoplethatwerepresent in Shushan the palace, bothuntogreat and small, sevendays, in the court of the garden of the king’spalace;
Wherewerewhite, green, and blue, hangings, fastenedwithcords of finelinen and purple to silverrings and pillars of marble: the bedswere of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white, and black, marble.
And the drinking was according to the law; none did compel: for so the king had appointed to all the officers of his house, thattheyshould do according to everyman’spleasure.
On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merrywithwine, he commandedMehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the sevenchamberlainsthatserved in the presence of Ahasuerus the king,
And the nextunto him was Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the sevenprinces of Persia and Media, which saw the king’sface, and which sat the first in the kingdom;)
And Memucanansweredbefore the king and the princes, Vashti the queenhath not donewrong to the kingonly, but also to all the princes, and to all the peoplethat are in all the provinces of the kingAhasuerus.
For thisdeed of the queenshallcomeabroadunto all women, so thattheyshalldespisetheirhusbands in theireyes, when it shall be reported, The kingAhasueruscommandedVashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.
Likewiseshall the ladies of Persia and Media say this day unto all the king’sprinces, whichhaveheard of the deed of the queen. Thusshalltherearise too muchcontempt and wrath.
If it please the king, let there go a royalcommandmentfrom him, and let it be writtenamong the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, ThatVashticome no morebeforekingAhasuerus; and let the kinggive her royalestateuntoanotherthat is betterthan she.
And when the king’sdecreewhich he shallmakeshall be publishedthroughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wivesshallgive to theirhusbandshonour, both to great and small.
For he sentlettersinto all the king’sprovinces, intoeveryprovinceaccording to the writingthereof, and to everypeopleaftertheirlanguage, thatevery man shouldbearrule in his own house, and that it should be publishedaccording to the language of everypeople.