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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Esther 1 NIV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/esther/1.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/esther/1-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NIV</a> > Esther 1</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../nehemiah/13.htm" title="Nehemiah 13">◄</a> Esther 1 <a href="../esther/2.htm" title="Esther 2">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New International Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/niv/esv/esther/1.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="sectionhead">Queen Vashti Deposed</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Hebrew Ahasuerus; here and throughout Esther">a</a></sup></span> the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="That is, the upper Nile region">b</a></sup></span> : <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>At that time King Xerxes reigned from his royal throne in the citadel of Susa, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>and in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest who were in the citadel of Susa. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king’s liberality. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>By the king’s command each guest was allowed to drink with no restrictions, for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Karkas— <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>Since it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the times <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>and were closest to the king—Karshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memukan, the seven nobles of Persia and Media who had special access to the king and were highest in the kingdom.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>“According to law, what must be done to Queen Vashti?” he asked. “She has not obeyed the command of King Xerxes that the eunuchs have taken to her.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>Then Memukan replied in the presence of the king and the nobles, “Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against the king but also against all the nobles and the peoples of all the provinces of King Xerxes. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>For the queen’s conduct will become known to all the women, and so they will despise their husbands and say, ‘King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she would not come.’ <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>This very day the Persian and Median women of the nobility who have heard about the queen’s conduct will respond to all the king’s nobles in the same way. There will be no end of disrespect and discord.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>“Therefore, if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which cannot be repealed, that Vashti is never again to enter the presence of King Xerxes. Also let the king give her royal position to someone else who is better than she. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>Then when the king’s edict is proclaimed throughout all his vast realm, all the women will respect their husbands, from the least to the greatest.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>The king and his nobles were pleased with this advice, so the king did as Memukan proposed. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/1-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>He sent dispatches to all parts of the kingdom, to each province in its own script and to each people in their own language, proclaiming that every man should be ruler over his own household, using his native tongue.</p><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><A name="footnotes"></a><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">a</span> <span class="fnverse">1</span> <span class="footnotebot">Hebrew <i>Ahasuerus</i>; here and throughout Esther</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">b</span> <span class="fnverse">1</span> <span class="footnotebot">That is, the upper Nile region</span><br><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><p class="ntext"><a href="http://niv.scripturetext.com/version.htm">New International Version</a> (NIV)</p><p class="ntext2">Holy Bible, New International Version&reg, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by <a href="http://biblica.com">Biblica, Inc.</a>® Used by permission. 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