1 Now it came about in the days of Ahasuerus, that Ahasuerus who was ruler of a hundred and twenty-seven divisions of the kingdom, from India as far as Ethiopia:2 When King Ahasuerus was ruling in Shushan, his strong town,3 In the third year of his rule he gave a feast to all his captains and his servants. The captains of the army of Persia and Media, the great men and the rulers of the divisions of his kingdom, were present before him.4 For a long time, even a hundred and eighty days, he let them see all the wealth and the glory of his kingdom and the great power and honor that was his.5 At the end of that time, the king gave a feast for all the people who were present in Shushan, the king's town, small as well as great, for seven days, in the outer square of the garden of the king's house.6 There were hangings of white and green and blue, fixed with cords of purple and the best cotton linen to silver rings and pillars of polished stone. The seats were of gold and silver on a floor of red and white and yellow and black stone.7 They served drinks in gold vessels. Every vessel was different. The king freely gave wine from the kingdom.8 The drinking was in keeping with the law. No one was forced: for the king gave orders to all the chief servants of his house to do as was pleasing to every man.9 Vashti the queen gave a feast for the women in the house of King Ahasuerus.10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was glad with wine, he gave orders to Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presences of King Ahasuerus.11 That Vashti the queen was to come before him, with her royal crown, and let the people and the captains see her beauty: for she was very beautiful.12 But when the servants gave her the king's order, Vashti the queen said she would not come. The king was very angry. His heart was burning with wrath.13 The king spoke to the wise men that were experts with knowledge of the times. It was the king's practice.14 The closest to the king were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven rulers of Persia and Media. They were friends of the king, and had the first places in the kingdom.15 »By law, what is to be done to Vashti the queen? She has not done what King Ahasuerus ordered her to do.«16 Before the king and the captains, Memucan gave his answer: »Vashti the queen has done wrong, not only to the king, but also to all the captains and to all the peoples in all the divisions of the kingdom of King Ahasuerus.17 »For news of what the queen has done will come to the attention of all women. They will no longer give respect to their husbands when it is said to them, ‘King Ahasuerus gave orders for Vashti the queen to come before him and she did not come.’18 »The wives of the captains of Persia and Media, hearing what the queen has done, will say the same to all the king's captains. So there will be much shame and anger.19 »If it is pleasing to the king, let an order go out from him. Let it be recorded among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it may never be changed. That Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus. Let the king give her place to another who is better than she.20 »When the king’s order is made public through all his great kingdom all the wives will give honor to their husbands, great as well as small.«21 This suggestion seemed good to the king and the captains. The king did as Memucan said.22 He sent letters to all the divisions of the kingdom where their language is used. The letter said that every man was to be the ruler in his house, and that this order was to be given out in the language of his people.

1 Sucedeu nos dias de Assuero, o Assuero que reinou desde a Índia até a Etiópia, sobre cento e vinte e seis províncias,2 que, estando o rei Assuero assentado no seu trono do seu reino em Susã, a capital,3 no terceiro ano de seu reinado, deu um banquete a todos os seus príncipes e seus servos, estando assim perante ele o poder da Pérsia e da Média, os nobres e os oficiais das províncias.4 Nessa ocasião ostentou as riquezas do seu glorioso reino, e o esplendor da sua excelente grandeza, por muitos dias, a saber cento e oitenta dias.5 E, acabado aqueles dias, deu o rei um banquete a todo povo que se achava em Susã, a capital, tanto a grandes como a pequenos, por sete dias, no pátio do jardim do palácio real.6 As cortinas eram de pano branco verde e azul celeste, atadas com cordões de linho fino e de púrpura a argola de prata e a colunas de mármore; os leitos eram de ouro e prata sobre um pavimento mosaico de pórfiro, de mármore, de madrepérola e de pedras preciosas.7 Dava-se de beber em copos de ouro, os quais eram diferentes uns dos outros; e havia vinho real em abundância, segundo a generosidade do rei.8 E bebiam como estava prescrito, sem constrangimento; pois o rei tinha ordenado a todos os oficiais do palácio que fizessem conforme a vontade de cada um.9 Também a rainha Vasti deu um banquete às mulheres no palácio do rei Assuero.10 Ao sétimo dia, o rei, estando já o seu coração alegre do vinho, mandou a Meumã, Bizta, Harbona, Bigta, Abagta, Zétar e Carcás, os sete eunucos que serviam na presença do rei Assuero,11 que introduzissem à presença do rei a rainha Vasti, com a coroa real, para mostrar aos povos e aos príncipes a sua formosura, pois era formosíssima.12 A rainha Vasti, porém, recusou atender à ordem do rei dada por intermédio dos eunucos; pelo que o rei muito se enfureceu, e se inflamou de ira.13 Então perguntou o rei aos sábios que conheciam os tempos {pois assim se tratavam os negócios do rei, na presença de todos os que sabiam a lei e o direito;14 e os mais chegados a ele eram: Carsena, Setar, Admata, Társis, Meres, Marsena, Memucã, os sete príncipes da Pérsia e da Média, que viam o rosto do rei e ocupavam os primeiros assentos no reino}15 o que se devia fazer, segundo a lei, à rainha Vasti, por não haver cumprido a ordem do rei Assuero dada por intermédio dos eunucos.16 Respondeu Memucã na presença do rei e dos príncipes: Não somente contra o rei pecou a rainha Vasti, mas também contra todos os príncipes, e contra todos os povos que há em todas as províncias do rei Assuero.17 Pois o que a rainha fez chegará ao conhecimento de todas as mulheres, induzindo-as a desprezarem seus maridos quando se disser: O rei Assuero mandou que introduzissem à sua presença a rainha Vasti, e ela não veio.18 E neste mesmo dia as princesas da Pérsia e da Média, sabendo do que fez a rainha, dirão o mesmo a todos os príncipes do rei; e assim haverá muito desprezo e indignação.19 Se bem parecer ao rei, saia da sua parte um edito real, e escreva-se entre as leis dos persas e dos medos para que não seja alterado, que Vasti não entre mais na presença do rei Assuero, e dê o rei os seus direitos de rainha a outra que seja melhor do que ela.20 E quando o decreto que o rei baixar for publicado em todo o seu reino, grande como é, todas as mulheres darão honra a seus maridos, tanto aos nobres como aos humildes.21 Pareceu bem este conselho ao rei e aos príncipes; e o rei fez conforme a palavra de Memucã,22 enviando cartas a todas as províncias do rei, a cada província segundo o seu modo de escrever e a cada povo segundo a sua língua, mandando que cada homem fosse senhor em sua casa, e que falasse segundo a língua de seu povo.