1
Now it
took place in the
days of
Ahasuerus, the
Ahasuerus who
reigned from
India to
Ethiopia over * * provinces,
.$el{M;h vw{rew.v;x]avwrwvxa a.Wh vw{rew.v;x]a yemyiB yih.y;w ? h'nyid.m h'aem.W ~yir.f,[.w<#st06242 [;b,v v.WK -d;[.w .WD{hem
2
in
those days as
King Ahasuerus sat on his
royal throne which was at the
citadel in
Susa,
l;[ vw{rew.v;x]a .$,l,M;h t,b,v.K ~eh'h ~yim'Y;B ? h'ryiB;h !;v.Wv.B r,v]a w{t.Wk.l;m aeSiK
3
in the
third year 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.
wy'r'f -l'k.l h,T.vim h'f'[ w{k.l'm.l vw{l'v t;n.viB ? yer'f.w ~yim.T.r;P;h y;d'm.W s;r'P lyex wy'd'b][;w ? wy'n'p.l tw{nyid.M;h
4
And he
displayed the
riches of his
royal glory and the
splendor of his
great majesty for
many days,
180 * days.
r'q.y -t,a.w w{t.Wk.l;m dw{b.K r,v{[ -t,a w{t{a.r;h.B ? t;a.m.W ~yinw{m.v ~yiB;r ~yim'y w{t'L.Wd.G t,r,a.piT ? ~w{y
5
When
these days were
completed, the
king gave a
banquet lasting
seven days 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's palace.
~'['h -l'k.l .$,l,M;h h'f'[ h,Lea'h ~yim'Y;h taw{l.mib.W ? !'j'q -d;[.w lw{d'Gim.l h'ryiB;h !;v.Wv.B ~yia.c.miN;h ? .$,l,M;h !;tyiB t;NiG r;c]x;B ~yim'y t;[.biv h,T.vim
6
There were hangings of
fine white and
violet linen held by
cords of
fine purple linen on
silver rings and
marble columns, and
couches of
gold and
silver on a
mosaic pavement of
porphyry,
marble,
mother-of-pearl and
precious stones.
#.Wb -yel.b;x.B z.Wx'a t,lek.t.W s;P.r;K r.Wx ? vev yed.WM;[.w @,s,k yelyil.G -l;[ !'m'G.r;a.w ? vev'w -j;h;B t;p.cir l;[ @,s,k'w b'h'z tw{Jim ? t,r'x{s.w r;d.w
7
Drinks were
served in
golden vessels of
various kinds, and the
royal wine was
plentiful according to the
king's bounty.
~yinw{v ~yileKim ~yilek.w b'h'z(the(the yel.kiB tw{q.v;h.w ? .$,l,M;h d;y.K b'r t.Wk.l;m !yey.w
8
The
drinking was done according to the
law,
there was
no compulsion, for
so the
king had
given orders to
each official of his
household that he should
do according to the
desires of
each person.
d;SIy !ek -yiK sen{a !yea t'D;k h'Yit.V;h.w ? vyia'w -vyia !w{c.riK tw{f][;l w{tyeB b;r -l'K l;[ .$,l,M;h
9
Queen Vashti also gave a
banquet for the
women in the
palace which belonged to
King Ahasuerus.
tyeB ~yiv'n heT.vim h't.f'[ h'K.l;M;h yiT.v;w ~;G ? vw{rew.v;x]a .$,l,M;l r,v]a t.Wk.l;M;h
10
On the
seventh day, when the
heart of the
king was
merry with
wine, he
commanded Mehuman,
Biztha,
Harbona,
Bigtha,
Abagtha,
Zethar and
Carkas, the
seven eunuchs who
served in the
presence of
King Ahasuerus,
!Iy'Y;B .$,l,M;h -bel bw{j.K yi[yib.V;h ~w{Y;B ? a't.g;b]a;w a't.giB a'nw{b.r;x a't.ZiB !'m.Wh.mil r;m'a ? ~yit.r'v.m;h ~yisyir'S;h t;[.biv s;K.r;k.w r;tez ? vw{rew.v;x]a .$,l,M;h yen.P -t,a
11
to
bring Queen Vashti before the
king with her
royal crown in order to
display her
beauty to the
people and the
princes, for she was
beautiful.
.$,l,M;h yen.pil h'K.l;M;h yiT.v;w -t,a ayib'h.l ? ~yir'F;h.w ~yiM;['h tw{a.r;h.l t.Wk.l;m r,t,k.B ? ayih h,a.r;m t;bw{j -yiK H'y.p'y -t,a
12
But
Queen Vashti refused to
come at the
king's command delivered by the
eunuchs. Then the
king became very angry and his
wrath burned within him.
.$,l,M;h r;b.diB aw{b'l yiT.v;w h'K.l;M;h !ea'm.T;w ? d{a.m .$,l,M;h @{c.qiY;w ~yisyir'S;h d;y.B r,v]a ? w{b h'r]['B w{t'm]x;w
13
Then the
king said to the
wise men who
understood the
times -for it was the
custom of the
king so to speak
before all who
knew law and
justice
!ek -yiK ~yiTi['h$lm ye[.d{y ~yim'k]x;l .$,l,M;h r,ma{Y;w ? !yid'w<#st01779 t'D ye[.d{y -l'K yen.pil .$,l,M;h r;b.D
14
and were
close to him:
Carshena,
Shethar,
Admatha,
Tarshish,
Meres,
Marsena and
Memucan, the
seven princes of
Persia and
Media who had
access to the
king's presence and
sat in the
first place in the
kingdom -
vyiv.r;t a't'm.d;a r'tev a'n.v.r;K ]wy'lea b{r'Q;h.w ? y;d'm.W s;r'P yer'f t;[.biv !'k.Wm.m a'n.s.r;m s,r,m ? t.Wk.l;M;B<04438)> h'n{vair ~yib.v{Y;h .$,l,M;h yen.P yea{r
15
"According to
law,
what is to be
done with
Queen Vashti,
because * she did not
obey the
command of
King Ahasuerus delivered by the
eunuchs?"
r,v]a l;[ yiT.v;w h'K.l;M;B tw{f][;L -h;m t'd.K ? vw{rew.v;x]a .$,l,M;h r;m]a;m -t,a h't.f'[ -a{l ? ~yisyir'S;h d;y.B
16
In the
presence of the
king and the
princes,
Memucan said,
"Queen Vashti has
wronged not
only the
king but also
all the
princes and
all the
peoples who are in
all the
provinces of
King Ahasuerus.
a{l ~yir'F;h.w .$,l,M;h yen.pil !'k.m.Wm r,ma{Y;w ? yiK h'K.l;M;h yiT.v;w h't.w'[ w{D;b.l .$,l,M;h -l;[ ? r,v]a ~yiM;['h -l'K -l;[.w ~yir'F;h -l'K -l;[ ? vw{rew.v;x]a .$,l,M;h tw{nyid.m -l'k.B
17
"For the
queen's conduct will
become known to
all the
women causing them to
look with
contempt on their
husbands by
saying,
'King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be
brought in to his
presence, but she did not
come.'
~yiv'N;h -l'K -l;[ h'K.l;M;h -r;b.d aecey -yiK ? .$,l,M;h ~'r.m'a.B !,hyenye[.B !,hyel.[;B tw{z.b;h.l ? h'K.l;M;h yiT.v;w -t,a ayib'h.l r;m'a vw{rew.v;x]a ? h'a'b -a{l.w wy'n'p.l
18
"This day the
ladies of
Persia and
Media who have
heard of the
queen's conduct will
speak in the same way to
all the
king's princes, and there will be
plenty of
contempt and
anger.
y;d'm.W -s;r'P tw{r'f h'n.r;ma{T h,Z;h ~w{Y;h.w ? yer'f l{k.l h'K.l;M;h r;b.D -t,a .W[.m'v r,v]a ? @,c'q'w !w{y'ZiB y;d.k.W .$,l,M;h
19
"If it
pleases the
king, let a
royal edict 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
King Ahasuerus, and let the
king give her
royal position to
another who is
more worthy than she.
t.Wk.l;m -r;b.d aecey bw{j .$,l,M;h -l;[ -mia ? a{l.w y;d'm.W -s;r'p yet'd.B bet'KIy.w wy'n'p.Lim ? .$,l,M;h yen.pil yiT.v;w aw{b't -a{l r,v]a rw{b][;y ? H't.W[.ril .$,l,M;h !eTIy H't.Wk.l;m.W vw{rew.v;x]a ? h'N,Mim h'bw{J;h
20
"When the
king's edict which he will
make is
heard throughout
all his
kingdom,
great as it is, then
all women will
give honor to their
husbands,
great and
small."
w{t.Wk.l;m(for(for -l'k.B h,f][;y -r,v]a .$,l,M;h ~'g.tiP [;m.vin.w ? r'q.y .Wn.TIy ~yiv'N;h -l'k.w ayih h'B;r yiK ? !'j'q -d;[.w lw{d'Gim.l !,hyel.[;b.l
21
This
word pleased * the
king and the
princes, and the
king did as
Memucan proposed.
f;[;Y;w ~yir'F;h.w .$,l,M;h yenye[.B r'b'D;h b;jyiY;w ? !'k.Wm.m r;b.diK .$,l,M;h
22
So he
sent letters to
all the
king's provinces, to
each province according to its
script and to
every people according to their
language, that
every man should be the
master in his own
house and the one who
speaks in the
language of his own
people.
.$,l,M;h tw{nyid.m -l'K -l,a ~yir'p.s x;l.viY;w ? ~;[ -l,a.w H'b't.kiK h'nyid.m.W h'nyid.m -l,a ? w{tyeb.B rer{f vyia -l'K tw{y.hil w{nw{v.liK ~'['w ? w{M;[ !w{v.liK reB;d.m.W