Esther 1

11a In the second year of the reign of the great King Artaxerxes, on the first day of Nisan, Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, the son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, had a dream. 1b He was a Jewish man living in the city of Susa, a great man who served in the court of the king. 1c He was from the captives Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had deported from Jerusalem with Jechoniah the king of Judah. 1d And this was his dream: Behold, there was noise and tumult, thunder and earthquake—confusion on the earth. 1e Two great dragons came forth, both ready for combat. A great roar came forth from them, 1f and at the sound of them, every nation prepared to wage war against the nation of the just. 1g And indeed, it was a day of gloom and of darkness, tribulation and anguish, oppression and great confusion upon the earth. 1h The entire upright nation was troubled, fearing the evils against them; they were prepared to perish, and they cried out to God. 1i And at their cry there came forth, as it were from a small spring, a great river having abundant water. 1j There was light, and the sun rose, and the lowly were exalted, and they devoured the esteemed.

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21k Mordecai, who had seen this vision and what God was planning to do, awoke. 1l He kept it in his heart and wished to ponder it until night.

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31m Then Mordecai rested in the courtyard with Gabatha and Tharra, the king's two eunuchs who guarded the courtyard. 1n He overheard their words and considered their anxieties, and he realized they were preparing to lay hands upon the king, and he informed the king about them. 1o Then the king interrogated the two eunuchs, and they confessed and were led away to be executed. 1p The king made a memorandum of these matters, and Mordecai also wrote about these matters. 1q And the king commanded Mordecai to serve in the court, and he gave him gifts for this service. 1r But Haman, the son of Hamadatha the Agagthite, was held in high honor before the king, and he sought for ways to bring harm to Mordecai and his people because of the two eunuchs of the king.

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4It came to pass, after these matters, in the days of Artaxerxes (this is the same Artaxerxes who reigned over the hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia),

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5in the days when King Artaxerxes sat on the throne in the city of Susa,

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6that in the third year of his reign he gave a feast for his friends and the rest of the nations, and for the nobles of the Persians and the Medes and the chiefs of the satraps.

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7And after these things, that is after he had displayed the wealth of his kingdom and the glory of the joy of his riches for one hundred eighty days,

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8when the days of the celebration were completed, the king set forth a banquet in the court of the king's palace for six days for the people living in the city.

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9The courtyard was adorned with fine white linen curtains stretched out on cords of purple and fastened to square gold and silver studs, on pillars of marble and stone. And the couches were of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of emerald stone, mother of pearl, and marble, and transparent coverings variously adorned with colorful flowers and encircled with embroidered roses.

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10There were gold and silver cups, and a ruby goblet set out, worth thirty thousand talents, and there was an abundance of sweet wine, which the king himself drank.

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11Now this banquet was not in keeping with established law; but this is what the king desired, and he ordered all the stewards of his household, those of his men, to do his will.

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12Queen Vashti also provided a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Artaxerxes.

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13Now on the seventh day, the king was merry and told Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas—the seven eunuchs, the servants of King Artaxerxes

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14to bring the queen before him, to enthrone her and to place the royal crown upon her, to show her beauty to the rulers and the nations, for she was beautiful.

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15But Queen Vashti did not heed his words and refused to come with the eunuchs. The king was distressed and angry.

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16The king said to his friends, 'Thus has Vashti spoken; follow the law and justice concerning this.'

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17And Arkesaios, Sarsathaios and Memucan, the nobles of the Persians and Medes, those near to the king and first in rank by the king, went to him.

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18They reported to him what according to the laws was to be done to the queen Vashti, because she did not do as commanded by King Artaxerxes by way of the eunuchs.

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19And Memucan said to the king and the princes, 'Queen Vashti has not only wronged the king, but also all the king's rulers and nobles.'

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20He reported the words of the queen, and how she contradicted the king, and how she disobeyed King Artaxerxes:

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21'Thus today the royal ladies of the rulers of the Persians and the Medes, hearing the words which were spoken to the king, will dare to dishonor their husbands in the same way.

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22If it pleases the king, let him make a royal decree, and let it be written according to the laws of the Persians and the Medes, and let it not be declared otherwise, that the queen no longer come before him, and let the king give her royal position to a woman better than she.

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23And let the decree of the king, which he shall have made, be proclaimed throughout his kingdom, and thus all wives will honor their husbands, from the poor to the rich.'

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24And the word pleased the king and the nobles, and the king did just as Memucan said.

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25He then sent out to his entire kingdom, throughout the provinces, according to their own language, that husbands be feared in their own houses.

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