The fall of Queen Vashti
1
📚Now it happened in the days of Ahasuerus (this is the Ahasuerus 📖 who reigned from India to Ethiopia 📖, over a hundred and twenty seven provinces), 2 📚in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan 📖 the palace, 3 📚in the third year of his reign, that he made a feast for all his princes and those who served him. The military officers of Persia and Media 📖, the nobles and princes of the provinces were in his presence. 4 📚At that time he displayed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty for many days, a total of a hundred and eighty days. 5 📚And when these days were over, the king made a feast for seven days for all the people who were present in Shushan the palace, for both great and small, in the garden courtyard of the king’s palace, 6 📚where there were white, green and blue hangings, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and marble pillars. The couches were of gold and silver, on a pavement of red and blue and white and black marble. 7 📚And they gave them drinks in golden cups (the cups were each different from one another), and royal wine in abundance, in accordance with the king’s bounty. 8 📚And the drinking was according to their law. There was no compulsion, for the king had ordered all the officials of his house that they should do according to each one’s wish.
9 📚Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to King Ahasuerus.
10 📚On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carcas, the seven eunuchs 📖 who served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king, 11 📚to bring Vashti the queen into the king’s presence, with her royal crown, to display her beauty to the people and the princes, for she was beautiful in appearance. 12 📚But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command through his officials. Therefore the king was enraged, and his anger burned in him.
1:12 No reason is given for Vashti’s refusal to obey the king. It was done at a public function and was a great and deliberate insult to the king. Certainly the king considered it an arrogant blow at the traditional order of things existing between husband and wife in his empire.⚜
13 📚Then the king said to the wise men, who understood the times (for this was the king’s custom toward all who knew law and justice;
1:13 Vashti’s disobedience involved matters of law and justice in the Persian empire (v 15).⚜
14 📚those next to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media who saw the king’s face and who were highest in the kingdom),
15 📚“What shall we do to Queen Vashti, according to law, because she has not obeyed the command of King Ahasuerus through the officials?”
16 📚And Memucan answered in the presence of the king and the princes, “Vashti the queen has done wrong not only to the king, but also to all the princes, and to all the people who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17 📚For this action of the queen will become known to all women, so that their husbands will be despised in their eyes, when it is reported that King Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she did not come. 18 📚This very day the ladies of Persia and Media will say to all the king’s princes that they have heard of the action of the queen. So there will be much contempt and anger.
1:18 Their fear was that Vashti’s example would be followed by many women in the empire, resulting in social upheaval.⚜
19 📚“If it pleases the king, let a royal command proceed from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it will not be altered, that Vashti can no longer come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. 20 📚And when this decree 📖 of the king which he makes is published throughout his whole empire (for it is great), all the wives will honour their husbands, both great and small”.
21 📚And this word pleased the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Memucan, 22 📚for he sent letters to all the king’s provinces, to each province in accordance with its script, and to each people in their language, that every man should rule his own house, and he published it in the language of each people.