in the third year of his reign, he made a feast for all his officials and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him.

to bring Vashti the queen before the king with the royal crown, to show the people and the officials her beauty; for she was beautiful.

Memucan answered before the king and the officials, "Vashti the queen has not done wrong to just the king, but also to all the officials and to all the people who are in all the provinces of the King Ahasuerus.

For this deed of the queen will become known to all women, causing them to show contempt for their husbands, when it is reported, 'King Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she did not come.'

If it please 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.

In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, the lot) before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, and chose the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.

He came even before the king's gate, for no one is allowed inside the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.

So Hathach went out to Mordecai, to city square which was before the king's gate.

He also gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given out in Shushan to destroy them, to show it to Esther, and to declare it to her, and to urge her to go in to the king, to make supplication to him, and to make request before him, for her people.

And let the clothing and the horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble officials, and let him clothe the man whom the king delights to honor with them, and have him ride on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him, 'Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.'"

Then Haman took the clothing and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and had him ride through the city square, and proclaimed before him, "Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor."

Haman recounted to Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, "If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against him, but you will surely fall before him."

Esther said, "An adversary and an enemy, even this wicked Haman." Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.

On that day, King Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman, the Jews' enemy, to Esther the queen. Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was to her.

Esther spoke yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and begged him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his plot that he had devised against the Jews.

Then the king held out to Esther the golden scepter. So Esther arose, and stood before the king.

On that day, the number of those who were slain in the citadel of Susa was brought before the king.