Atlas Biblica

    Esther · 22 verses

    Esther 1

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    A king spends 180 days displaying his greatness, then gives the whole citadel seven more days of wine before one refused summons turns into a permanent royal ban and a decree about every household.

    The feast, and the summons that went awryvv. 1–12

    Xerxes reigned over 127 provinces, from India to Cush, and sat in Susa surrounded by officials, military leaders, nobles, and princes. For 180 days he displayed the riches of his kingdom; then came a seven-day feast in the garden court, with costly stonework, individually designed golden goblets, and no limit on drinking. Queen Vashti held her own banquet for the women. On the seventh day, with the king merry with wine, seven eunuchs were sent to bring her in her crown so that her beauty might be displayed. Vashti refused, and the king's temper caught fire rather briskly.

    A refusal becomes an empire-wide household policyvv. 13–22

    The furious king consulted the wise men who knew the times and the experts in law and justice. His seven closest princes were present, and Memucan supplied the answer: Vashti had wronged the king, the princes, and the peoples, because other women might hear of her conduct and despise their husbands. The proposed remedy was impressively permanent—Vashti would never again enter the king's presence, her position would go to another woman, and the decree would be written into the laws of Persia and Media. The king and his princes liked this counsel, so letters went through every province, each in its own script and language, announcing that every man should be master of his own household.

    The text

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    Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Names the Hebrew and Greek put in the verse link to the person, place or people they name; the address beside each verse is a link to that verse, which is what a reader copies and shares.

    1. Esth 1:1This is what happened in the days of Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces from India to Cush.

    2. Esth 1:2In those days King Xerxes sat on his royal throne in the citadel of Susa.

    3. Esth 1:3In the third year of his reign, Xerxes held a feast for all his officials and servants. The military leaders of Persia and Media were there, along with the nobles and princes of the provinces.

    4. Esth 1:4And for a full 180 days he displayed the glorious riches of his kingdom and the magnificent splendor of his greatness.

    5. Esth 1:5At the end of this time, in the garden court of the royal palace, the king held a seven-day feast for all the people in the citadel of Susa, from the least to the greatest.

    6. Esth 1:6Hangings of white and blue linen were fastened with cords of fine white and purple material to silver rings on the marble pillars. Gold and silver couches were arranged on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and other costly stones.

    7. Esth 1:7Beverages were served in an array of goblets of gold, each with a different design, and the royal wine flowed freely, according to the king’s bounty.

    8. Esth 1:8By order of the king, no limit was placed on the drinking, and every official of his household was to serve each man whatever he desired.

    9. Esth 1:9Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes.

    10. Esth 1:10On the seventh day, when the king’s heart was merry with wine, he ordered the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas—

    11. Esth 1:11to bring Queen Vashti before him, wearing her royal crown, to display her beauty to the people and officials. For she was beautiful to behold.

    12. Esth 1:12Queen Vashti, however, refused to come at the king’s command brought by his eunuchs. And the king became furious, and his anger burned within him.

    13. Esth 1:13Then the king consulted the wise men who knew the times, for it was customary for him to confer with the experts in law and justice.

    14. Esth 1:14His closest advisors were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media who had personal access to the king and ranked highest in the kingdom.

    15. Esth 1:15“According to law,” he asked, “what should be done with Queen Vashti, since she refused to obey the command of King Xerxes delivered by the eunuchs?”

    16. Esth 1:16And in the presence of the king and his princes, Memucan replied, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king, but all the princes and the peoples in all the provinces of King Xerxes.

    17. Esth 1:17For the conduct of the queen will become known to all women, causing them to despise their husbands and say, ‘King Xerxes ordered Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she did not come.’

    18. Esth 1:18This very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard about the queen’s conduct will say the same thing to all the king’s officials, resulting in much contempt and wrath.

    19. Esth 1:19So if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree, and let it be recorded in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti shall never again enter the presence of King Xerxes, and that her royal position shall be given to a woman better than she.

    20. Esth 1:20The edict the king issues will be heard throughout his vast kingdom—and so all women, from the least to the greatest, will honor their husbands.”

    21. Esth 1:21The king and his princes were pleased with this counsel; so the king did as Memucan advised.

    22. Esth 1:22He sent letters to all the provinces of the kingdom, to each province in its own script and to each people in their own language, proclaiming that every man should be master of his own household.

    01 — Also here

    Who else the chapter reaches

    Names written in the English are linked in the text above. These are the ones that are not: an entity the Hebrew or Greek names under a spelling the translation does not use, or one reached only by an assertion about a verse of this chapter.

    Named in the Hebrew or Greek somewhere in this chapter, under a form the English renders differently — the registry's Ludim against the translation's Ludites — so there is no word in the sentence to hang the link on.

    Reached by an assertion Atlas extracted from a verse of this chapter rather than by a name written in it — a pronoun, a title, or a participant the sentence carries without naming. This layer is model-read and measured at 88.6–90.3% precision, and it is kept separate from the names above for that reason.

    02 — Read alongside

    Where this is echoed

    Readers' own connections, from OpenBible's crowd-voted cross-references — agreement about relevance, and not scholarly confidence. 156 passages were voted onto 22 verses of this chapter; the 16 shown lead on votes, and each is listed at the verse it was voted onto most strongly.

    • 11Proverbs 31:30Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
    • 1Daniel 9:1In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes, a Mede by descent, who was made ruler over the kingdom of the Chaldeans—
    • 2Nehemiah 1:1These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa,
    • 3Mark 6:21On Herod’s birthday, her opportunity arose. Herod held a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.
    • 3Esther 2:18Then the king held a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his officials and servants. He proclaimed a tax holiday in the provinces and gave gifts worthy of the king’s bounty.
    • 3Daniel 5:1Later, King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he drank wine with them.
    • 6Amos 6:4You lie on beds inlaid with ivory, and lounge upon your couches. You dine on lambs from the flock and calves from the stall.
    • 11Proverbs 16:9A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
    • 12Proverbs 19:12A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.
    • 131 Chronicles 12:32From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their kinsmen at their command.
    • 191 Samuel 15:28So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.
    • 20Colossians 3:18Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
    • 22Esther 8:9At once the royal scribes were summoned, and on the twenty-third day of the third month (the month of Sivan), they recorded all of Mordecai’s orders to the Jews and to the satraps, governors, and princes of the 127 provinces from India to Cush—writing to each province in its own script, to every people in their own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language.
    • 22Esther 3:12On the thirteenth day of the first month, the royal scribes were summoned and the order was written exactly as Haman commanded the royal satraps, the governors of each province, and the officials of each people, in the script of each province and the language of every people. It was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the royal signet ring.
    • 1Ezra 4:6At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, an accusation was lodged against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
    • 22 Samuel 7:1After the king had settled into his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him,

    Onward

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