3
in the thirdyear of his reign he gave a banquet for all his princes and attendants, the army officers of Persia and Media, the nobles and the princes of his provinces being in his presence.
5
When thesedays were completed, the kinggave a banquet lasting sevendays for all the people who were present at the citadel in Susa, from the greatest to the least, in the court of the garden of the king'spalace.
6
There were hangings of finewhite and violetlinenheld by cords of finepurplelinen on silverrings and marblecolumns, and couches of gold and silver on a mosaicpavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and preciousstones.
8
The drinking was done according to the law, there was nocompulsion, for so the king had givenorders to eachofficial of his household that he should do according to the desires of eachperson.
10
On the seventhday, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commandedMehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seveneunuchs who served in the presence of KingAhasuerus,
14
and were close to him: Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan, the sevenprinces of Persia and Media who had access to the king'spresence and sat in the first place in the kingdom -
16
In the presence of the king and the princes, Memucansaid, "QueenVashti has wronged not only the king but also all the princes and all the peopleswho are in all the provinces of KingAhasuerus.
17
"For the queen'sconduct will becomeknown to all the women causing them to look with contempt on their husbands by saying, 'KingAhasueruscommandedQueenVashti to be brought in to his presence, but she did not come.'
18
"Thisday the ladies of Persia and Mediawho have heard of the queen'sconduct will speak in the same way to all the king'sprinces, and there will be plenty of contempt and anger.
19
"If it pleases the king, let a royaledict be issued by him and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti may no longer come into the presence of KingAhasuerus, and let the kinggive her royalposition to another who is moreworthythan she.
20
"When the king'sedictwhich he will make is heard throughout all his kingdom, great as it is, then allwomen will givehonor to their husbands, great and small."
22
So he sentletters to all the king'sprovinces, to eachprovince according to its script and to everypeople according to their language, that everyman should be the master in his own house and the one who speaks in the language of his own people.