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The Blue Letter Bible

Esther 1 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

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The King’s Banquet

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:1

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:1 - These events happened in the days of King Xerxes,[fn] who reigned over 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia.[fn]

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:2

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:2 - At that time Xerxes ruled his empire from his royal throne at the fortress of Susa.

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:3

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:3 - In the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. He invited all the military officers of Persia and Media as well as the princes and nobles of the provinces.

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:4

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:4 - The celebration lasted 180 days—a tremendous display of the opulent wealth of his empire and the pomp and splendor of his majesty.

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:5

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:5 - When it was all over, the king gave a banquet for all the people, from the greatest to the least, who were in the fortress of Susa. It lasted for seven days and was held in the courtyard of the palace garden.

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:6

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:6 - The courtyard was beautifully decorated with white cotton curtains and blue hangings, which were fastened with white linen cords and purple ribbons to silver rings embedded in marble pillars. Gold and silver couches stood on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and other costly stones.

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:7

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:7 - Drinks were served in gold goblets of many designs, and there was an abundance of royal wine, reflecting the king’s generosity.

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:8

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:8 - By edict of the king, no limits were placed on the drinking, for the king had instructed all his palace officials to serve each man as much as he wanted.

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:9

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:9 - At the same time, Queen Vashti gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes.
Queen Vashti Deposed

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:10

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:10 - On the seventh day of the feast, when King Xerxes was in high spirits because of the wine, he told the seven eunuchs who attended him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas—

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:11

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:11 - to bring Queen Vashti to him with the royal crown on her head. He wanted the nobles and all the other men to gaze on her beauty, for she was a very beautiful woman.

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:12

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:12 - But when they conveyed the king’s order to Queen Vashti, she refused to come. This made the king furious, and he burned with anger.

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:13

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:13 - He immediately consulted with his wise advisers, who knew all the Persian laws and customs, for he always asked their advice.

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:14

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:14 - The names of these men were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan—seven nobles of Persia and Media. They met with the king regularly and held the highest positions in the empire.

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:15

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:15 - “What must be done to Queen Vashti?” the king demanded. “What penalty does the law provide for a queen who refuses to obey the king’s orders, properly sent through his eunuchs?”

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:16

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:16 - Memucan answered the king and his nobles, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also every noble and citizen throughout your empire.

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:17

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:17 - Women everywhere will begin to despise their husbands when they learn that Queen Vashti has refused to appear before the king.

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:18

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:18 - Before this day is out, the wives of all the king’s nobles throughout Persia and Media will hear what the queen did and will start treating their husbands the same way. There will be no end to their contempt and anger.

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:19

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:19 - “So if it please the king, we suggest that you issue a written decree, a law of the Persians and Medes that cannot be revoked. It should order that Queen Vashti be forever banished from the presence of King Xerxes, and that the king should choose another queen more worthy than she.

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:20

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:20 - When this decree is published throughout the king’s vast empire, husbands everywhere, whatever their rank, will receive proper respect from their wives!”

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:21

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:21 - The king and his nobles thought this made good sense, so he followed Memucan’s counsel.

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Unchecked Copy Box Est 1:22

Unchecked Copy BoxEst 1:22 - He sent letters to all parts of the empire, to each province in its own script and language, proclaiming that every man should be the ruler of his own home and should say whatever he pleases.[fn]
See the NLT Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).
NLT Footnotes
Hebrew Ahasuerus, another name for Xerxes; also throughout the book of Esther. Xerxes reigned 486–465 B.C.
Hebrew to Cush.
Or and should speak in the language of his own people.
NLT

Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Full copyright information is provided here. Visit the New Living Translation website.

For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.

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Esther Chapter 1 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New International Version English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Westminster Leningrad Codex Septuagint Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Brenton's English Septuagint Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras