1 In diebus Assueri, qui regnavit ab India usque Æthiopiam super centum viginti septem provincias, 2 quando sedit in solio regni sui, Susan civitas regni ejus exordium fuit. 3 Tertio igitur anno imperii sui fecit grande convivium cunctis principibus et pueris suis, fortissimis Persarum, et Medorum inclytis, et præfectis provinciarum coram se, 4 ut ostenderet divitias gloriæ regni sui, ac magnitudinem atque jactantiam potentiæ suæ, multo tempore, centum videlicet et octoginta diebus. 5 Cumque implerentur dies convivii, invitavit omnem populum, qui inventus est in Susan, a maximo usque ad minimum: et jussit septem diebus convivium præparari in vestibulo horti, et nemoris quod regio cultu et manu consitum erat. 6 Et pendebant ex omni parte tentoria ærii coloris et carbasini ac hyacinthini, sustentata funibus byssinis atque purpureis, qui eburneis circulis inserti erant, et columnis marmoreis fulciebantur. Lectuli quoque aurei et argentei, super pavimentum smaragdino et pario stratum lapide, dispositi erant: quod mira varietate pictura decorabat. 7 Bibebant autem qui invitati erant aureis poculis, et aliis atque aliis vasis cibi inferebantur. Vinum quoque, ut magnificentia regia dignum erat, abundans, et præcipuum ponebatur. 8 Nec erat qui nolentes cogeret ad bibendum, sed sicut rex statuerat, præponens mensis singulos de principibus suis ut sumeret unusquisque quod vellet. 9 Vasthi quoque regina fecit convivium feminarum in palatio, ubi rex Assuerus manere consueverat. 10 Itaque die septimo, cum rex esset hilarior, et post nimiam potationem incaluisset mero, præcepit Maumam, et Bazatha, et Harbona, et Bagatha, et Abgatha, et Zethar, et Charchas, septem eunuchis qui in conspectu ejus ministrabant, 11 ut introducerent reginam Vasthi coram rege, posito super caput ejus diademate, ut ostenderet cunctis populis et principibus pulchritudinem illius: erat enim pulchra valde. 12 Quæ renuit, et ad regis imperium quod per eunuchos mandaverat, venire contempsit. Unde iratus rex, et nimio furore succensus, 13 interrogavit sapientes, qui ex more regio semper ei aderant, et illorum faciebat cuncta consilio, scientium leges, ac jura majorum 14 (erant autem primi et proximi, Charsena, et Sethar, et Admatha, et Tharsis, et Mares, et Marsana, et Mamuchan, septem duces Persarum, atque Medorum, qui videbant faciem regis, et primi post eum residere soliti erant): 15 cui sententiæ Vasthi regina subjaceret, quæ Assueri regis imperium, quod per eunuchos mandaverat, facere noluisset. 16 Responditque Mamuchan, audiente rege atque principibus: Non solum regem læsit regina Vasthi, sed et omnes populos et principes qui sunt in cunctis provinciis regis Assueri. 17 Egredietur enim sermo reginæ ad omnes mulieres, ut contemnant viros suos, et dicant: Rex Assuerus jussit ut regina Vasthi intraret ad eum, et illa noluit. 18 Atque hoc exemplo omnes principum conjuges Persarum atque Medorum parvipendent imperia maritorum: unde regis justa est indignatio. 19 Si tibi placet, egrediatur edictum a facie tua, et scribatur juxta legem Persarum atque Medorum, quam præteriri illicitum est, ut nequaquam ultra Vasthi ingrediatur ad regem, sed regnum illius altera, quæ melior est illa, accipiat. 20 Et hoc in omne (quod latissimum est) provinciarum tuarum divulgetur imperium, et cunctæ uxores, tam majorum quam minorum, deferant maritis suis honorem. 21 Placuit consilium ejus regi et principibus: fecitque rex juxta consilium Mamuchan, 22 et misit epistolas ad universas provincias regni sui, ut quæque gens audire et legere poterat, diversis linguis et litteris, esse viros principes ac majores in domibus suis: et hoc per cunctos populos divulgari.
Esther 1 Clementine Vulgate
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Abagtha
One of the seven eunuchs who served the king and were sent to bring Queen Vashti.
Cited in the guide: Esther 1:10
Admatha
One of the seven princes of Persia and Media who had personal access to the king and advised him on Vashti.
Cited in the guide: Esther 1:14
Bigtha
One of the seven eunuchs who served the king and were sent to bring Queen Vashti.
Cited in the guide: Esther 1:10
Biztha
One of the seven eunuchs who served the king and were sent to bring Queen Vashti.
Cited in the guide: Esther 1:10
Carkas
One of the seven eunuchs who served the king and were sent to bring Queen Vashti.
Cited in the guide: Esther 1:10
Carshena
One of the seven princes of Persia and Media who had personal access to the king and advised him on Vashti.
Cited in the guide: Esther 1:14
Harbona
One of the seven eunuchs who served the king and were sent to bring Queen Vashti. A eunuch Harbonah later tells the king of the gallows Haman built for Mordecai, and Haman is…
Cited in the guide: Esther 1:10; Esther 7:9
Marsena
One of the seven princes of Persia and Media who had personal access to the king and advised him on Vashti.
Cited in the guide: Esther 1:14
Mehuman
One of the seven eunuchs who served the king and were sent to bring Queen Vashti.
Cited in the guide: Esther 1:10
Memucan
One of the seven princes who advised the king; he spoke for them in urging that Vashti be banished, and the king followed his counsel.
Cited in the guide: Esther 1:14; Esther 1:16; Esther 1:21
Meres
One of the seven princes of Persia and Media who had personal access to the king and advised him on Vashti.
Cited in the guide: Esther 1:14
Shethar
One of the seven princes of Persia and Media who had personal access to the king and advised him on Vashti.
Cited in the guide: Esther 1:14
Tarshish
One of the seven princes of Persia and Media who had personal access to the king and advised him on Vashti.
Cited in the guide: Esther 1:14
Vashti
Queen who gave a banquet for the women but refused the king’s command to appear before his guests; she was banished from the king’s presence by royal decree and replaced by Esther.
Cited in the guide: Esther 1:9; Esther 1:12; Esther 1:19
Xerxes
King who reigned over 127 provinces from Susa; he deposed Vashti, made Esther queen, honored Mordecai, hanged Haman and allowed the Jews to defend themselves. Ezra 4:6 mentions an…
Cited in the guide: Ezra 4:6; Esther 1:1; Esther 2:16
Zethar
One of the seven eunuchs who served the king and were sent to bring Queen Vashti.
Cited in the guide: Esther 1:10
Cross references (22)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Daniel 9:1; Ezra 4:6; Esther 8:9; Esther 9:30; Daniel 6:1
- 2 Nehemiah 1:1; 2 Samuel 7:1; Daniel 8:2; 1 Kings 1:46; Esther 2:3
- 3 Mark 6:21; Esther 2:18; Daniel 5:1; 1 Kings 3:15; Isaiah 21:2
- 4 Job 40:10; Colossians 1:27; Daniel 4:30; 1 Chronicles 29:25; Psalm 93:1
- 5 Esther 7:7–8; 2 Chronicles 30:21–25; 2 Chronicles 7:8–9
- 6 Amos 6:4; Ezekiel 23:41; Amos 2:8; Esther 7:8; Esther 8:15
- 7 Daniel 5:2–4; 1 Kings 10:21; 2 Chronicles 9:20; Esther 2:18
- 8 Habakkuk 2:15–16; Jeremiah 51:7; Jeremiah 35:8
- 9 Esther 5:4; Esther 5:8
- 10 Esther 7:9; Judges 16:25; 2 Samuel 13:28; Ecclesiastes 7:2–4; Proverbs 20:1
- 11 Proverbs 31:30; Mark 6:21–22; Proverbs 16:9; 2 Samuel 14:25; 1 Samuel 25:3
- 12 Proverbs 19:12; 1 Peter 3:1; Proverbs 20:2; Deuteronomy 29:20; Exodus 32:22
- 13 1 Chronicles 12:32; Daniel 2:2; Jeremiah 10:7; Matthew 16:3; Daniel 2:12
- 14 2 Kings 25:19; Matthew 18:10; Ezra 7:14; Revelation 22:4
- 15 Esther 6:6
- 16 1 Corinthians 6:7–8; Acts 25:10; Acts 18:14
- 17 Ephesians 5:33; 2 Samuel 6:16
- 18 Judges 5:29; 1 Kings 11:3
- 19 1 Samuel 15:28; Esther 8:8; Esther 3:9; Daniel 6:8–15; Daniel 6:17
- 20 Colossians 3:18; Ephesians 5:22; 1 Peter 3:1–7; Ephesians 5:33; Deuteronomy 21:21
- 21 Esther 2:4; Genesis 41:37; Esther 1:19
- 22 Esther 8:9; Esther 3:12; Ephesians 5:22–24; 1 Timothy 2:12; Daniel 4:1
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences