Esther 1

The King’s Wild Party

1 This went down back in the days of King Ahasuerus, yeah, the same dude who ruled from India all the way to Cush, holding down 127 provinces.

2 At that time, King Ahasuerus was posted up on his royal throne in the fortress city of Susa.

3 In the third year of his reign, he threw a massive party for all his officials and servants. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the top bosses of all his provinces came through.

4 For 180 straight days, the king showed off his kingdom’s crazy wealth and the blinged-out glory of his power. Dude was flexing hard.

5 When that was over, he was not done, he threw another seven-day feast for everyone in the fortress of Susa, from the richest to the broke, all in the courtyard of the palace garden.

6 The place was decked out with white and blue linen curtains, tied up with fine purple cords to silver rods, hanging from marble pillars. There were gold and silver couches on a mosaic floor made of marble, mother-of-pearl, and other expensive stones.

7 They were serving drinks in gold cups, each one unique, and the royal wine was flowing heavy, no limits.

8 The king ordered that everyone could drink however they wanted, nobody was forcing anyone. The attendants were told to serve however each person felt.

9 Meanwhile, Queen Vashti was holding her own feast for the women in King Ahasuerus’s royal palace.

The King Gets Disrespected

10 On the seventh day, when the king was good and drunk off wine, he told his seven personal attendants, Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas.

11 To bring Queen Vashti wearing her royal crown so he could show her off to the people and the officials, because she was fine and he wanted everyone to see her.

12 But Queen Vashti said, “Nah, I am not coming.” She straight up refused the king’s order delivered by the attendants. The king got heated, furious and burning with anger.

The King Seeks Advice

13 The king always handled matters by talking to the wise men who understood the law and knew how things worked.

14 These were the top guys closest to him: Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, seven officials of Persia and Media who had VIP access to the king and sat in the highest positions in the kingdom.

15 He asked them, “According to the law, what should be done to Queen Vashti, She did not obey my order that I sent through the attendants.”

Memucan’s Advice

16 Then Memucan spoke up in front of the king and the officials, “Queen Vashti did not just disrespect you, king, she disrespected all the officials and every person in all the provinces you rule over.

17 Word of what she did is going to spread. Every wife will start looking at her man sideways and disrespecting him, saying, ‘King Ahasuerus told Queen Vashti to come, and she did not show.’

18 The wives of the Persian and Median nobles who hear about this will act the same way toward their husbands. Next thing you know, there will be nothing but disrespect and chaos.

19 So if it is cool with you, make a royal decree and put it in the laws of Persia and Media so it cannot be undone. Say that Vashti can never again come into your presence, and give her royal position to someone better than her.

20 When this command gets announced throughout your entire empire, which, let us be real, is huge, every wife will respect her husband, whether rich or broke.”

The King Agrees

21 The king and his officials liked the plan, so the king did what Memucan said.

22 He sent letters to all the provinces in their own scripts and languages, telling everyone that every man should be the ruler in his own household and speak in his own language.