Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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Queen Vashti Defies King Xerxes
1
2 From his royal throne in Persia's
capital city of Susa, King
Xerxes ruled 127 provinces, all the
way from India to Sudan. note
3 In the third year of his reign he
gave a banquet for all his officials
and administrators. The armies of
Persia and Media were present, as
well as the governors and noblemen
of the provinces.
4 For six whole
months he made a show of the
riches of the imperial court with all
its splendor and majesty.
5 After that, the king gave a banquet
for all the men in the capital
city of Susa, rich and poor alike. It
lasted a whole week and was held in
the gardens of the royal palace.
6 The
courtyard there was decorated with
blue and white cotton curtains, tied
by cords of fine purple linen to silver
rings on marble columns. Couches
made of gold and silver had been
placed in the courtyard, which was
paved with white marble, red feldspar,
shining mother-of-pearl, and
blue turquoise.
7 Drinks were served
in gold cups, no two of them alike,
and the king was generous with the
royal wine.
8 There were no limits on
the drinks; the king had given orders
to the palace servants that everyone
could have as much as he wanted. note
9 Meanwhile, inside the royal palace
Queen Vashti was giving a banquet
for the women.
10 On the seventh day of his banquet
the king was drinking and feeling
happy, so he called in the seven
eunuchs who were his personal servants,
Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona,
Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas.
11 He ordered them to bring in
Queen Vashti, wearing her royal
crown. The queen was a beautiful
woman, and the king wanted to
show off her beauty to the officials
and all his guests.
12 But when the
servants told Queen Vashti of the
king's command, she refused to
come. This made the king furious.
13 Now it was the king's custom to
ask for expert opinion on questions
of law and order, so he called for his
advisers, who would know what
should be done.
14 Those he most often
turned to for advice were Carshena,
Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish,
Meres, Marsena, and Memucan—
seven officials of Persia and Media
who held the highest offices in the
kingdom.
15 He said to these men, “I,
King Xerxes, sent my servants to
Queen Vashti with a command, and
-- --
she refused to obey it! What does
the law say that we should do with
her?”
16 Then Memucan declared to the
king and his officials: “Queen Vashti
has insulted not only the king but
also his officials—in fact, every man
in the empire!
17 Every woman in the
empire will start looking down on
her husband as soon as she hears
what the queen has done. They'll
say, ‘King Xerxes commanded
Queen Vashti to come to him, and
she refused.’
18 When the wives of
the royal officials of Persia and Media
hear about the queen's behavior,
they will be telling their husbands
about it before the day is out. Wives
everywhere will have no respect for
their husbands, and husbands will
be angry with their wives.
19 If it
please Your Majesty, issue a royal
proclamation that Vashti may never
again appear before the king. Have
it written into the laws of Persia and
Media, so that it can never be
changed. Then give her place as
queen to some better woman.
20 When your proclamation is made
known all over this huge empire,
every woman will treat her husband
with proper respect, whether he's
rich or poor.”
21 The king and his officials liked
this idea, and the king did what Memucan
suggested.
22 To each of the
royal provinces he sent a message in
the language and the system of writing
of that province, saying note that
every husband should be the master
of his home and speak with final authority.
Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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