Esther 1:19

Ahasuerus Vashti

¹⁷ For 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 This 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.

So 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the king, let him issue a royal decree, and let it be recorded in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti shall never again enter the presence of King Xerxes, and that her royal position shall be given to a woman better than she.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 The 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 The king and his princes were pleased with this counsel; so the king did as Memucan had advised.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: So 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the king, let him issue a royal decree, and let it be recorded in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti shall never again enter the presence of King Xerxes, and that her royal position shall be given to a woman better than she.
KJV: If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.
WEB: “If it pleases the king, let a royal commandment go from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it cannot be altered, that Vashti may never again come before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate to another who is better than she.
ASV: If it please the king, let there go forth a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, that Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.
DARBY: If it please the king, let a royal order go forth from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it may not pass, That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate to another that is better than she;
BLB: So if upon the king [it is] good, let go out a word of royalty from before his face, and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, and it shall not pass away, that Vashti shall not come before the face of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royalty to her female neighbor, the one better than she.

ÅB: Dersom det tykkes kongen godt, så la det utgå en kongelig befaling, og la den bli oppskrevet blant persernes og medernes lover, så den står urokkelig fast, at Vasti aldri mere skal komme for kong Ahasverus' øyne, og kongen skal gi hennes kongelige verdighet til en annen kvinne, som er bedre enn hun!
OTB: Hvis det behager kongen, la en kongelig forordning bli utstedt og nedtegnet i lovene til Persia og Media, som ikke kan oppheves, at Vashti aldri mer skal komme inn i nærvær av kong Ahasverus. La også kongen gi hennes kongelige posisjon til en annen som er bedre enn henne.
B1930: Dersom det tykkes kongen godt, så la det utgå en kongelig befaling, og la den bli opskrevet blandt persernes og medernes lover, så den står urokkelig fast, at Vasti aldri mere skal komme for kong Ahasverus' øine, og kongen skal gi hennes kongelige verdighet til en annen kvinne, som er bedre enn hun!

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

1 Samuel 15:28
So 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.
Read in context
Esther 8:8
Now you may write in the king’s name as you please regarding the Jews, and seal it with the royal signet ring. For a decree that is written in the name of the king and sealed with the royal signet ring cannot be revoked.”
Read in context
Esther 3:9
If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will deposit ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasury to pay those who carry it out.”
Read in context
Daniel 6:8–15
Therefore, O king, establish the decree and sign the document so that it cannot be changed—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”
Read in context
Daniel 6:17
A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that nothing concerning Daniel could be changed.
Read in context
Esther 8:5
“If it pleases the king,” she said, “and if I have found favor in his sight, and the matter seems proper to the king, and I am pleasing in his sight, may an order be written to revoke the letters that the scheming Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces.
Read in context
1 Kings 3:28
When all Israel heard of the judgment the king had given, they stood in awe of him, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
Read in context
Esther 1:21
The king and his princes were pleased with this counsel; so the king did as Memucan had advised.
Read in context