in the third year of his reign, he made a banquet unto all his rulers, and his servants, - the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and the rulers being before him;

But Queen Vashti refused to come in at the command of the king, which was given through the eunuchs, - and the king was exceeding wroth, and, his anger, burned within him.

and, near unto him, were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, Memucan, - the seven rulers of Persia and Media, who used to behold the face of the king, who sat first, in the kingdom -

For the report of the queen, will go forth, unto all women, so putting contempt upon their lords, in their eyes, - when it is reported to them, King Ahasuerus, commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.

If, unto the king, it seem good, let there go forth a royal declaration from before him, and let it be written among the laws of Persia and Media, so that it shall not pass away, - That Vashti, is not to come in, before King Ahasuerus, and, her royal estate, let the king give unto her neighbour, who is better than she.

Then said the young men of the king, who waited upon him, - Let them seek out for the king young virgins, of pleasing appearance;

and the maiden was pleasing in his eyes, and she received lovingkindness before him, and he hastened to give her, the things needed for her purification, and things apportioned her, and to give her, seven select maidens, out of the house of the king, - and he removed her and her maidens to the best place in the house of the women.

And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained favour and lovingkindness before him, above all the virgins, - so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen, instead of Vashti.

Esther had not told of her kindred, nor her people, as, Mordecai, had laid charge upon her, - and, the command of Mordecai, Esther performed, like as when she was being brought up with him.

After these things, did King Ahasuerus promote to power Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and exalted him, - and placed his seat above all the rulers who were with him.

And, all the kings servants who were in the kings gate, used to bend and bow themselves down unto Haman, for, so, had the king given command concerning him, - but, Mordecai, bent not nor bowed himself down.

Wherefore art, thou, transgressing the command of the king? And it came to pass, when they had spoken unto him day by day, and he had not hearkened unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether the account of Mordecai would stand, for he had told them, that, he, was a Jew.

And, when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bend nor bow down unto him, then was Haman filled with wrath;

but, it was contemptible in his eyes, to thrust forth a hand on Mordecai alone, for they had told him of the people of Mordecai, - and Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout all the kingdom of Ahasuerus, the people of Mordecai.

So the maidens of Esther and her eunuchs went in and told her, and the queen writhed in great anguish, - and sent garments to clothe Mordecai, and to remove his sackcloth from off him, but he accepted them not.

Then called Esther for Hathach, one of the eunuchs of the king whom he had stationed before her, and charged him, concerning Mordecai, - to get to know what this was, and why this was.

And Mordecai told him all that had befallen him, - and an exact statement of the silver, that Haman had promised to weigh out unto the treasuries of the king, for the Jews, to destroy them.

Also, a copy of the writing of the edict which had been given in Shusan to destroy them, gave he unto him, to shew unto Esther, and to tell her, - and to lay charge upon her, to go in unto the king - to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him, for her people.

Then spake Esther unto Hathach, - and gave him charge, unto Mordecai: -

All the servants of the king, and the people of the provinces of the king, do know, that, whatsoever man or woman shall go in unto the king - into the inter court - who hath not been called, one, is his law, to put him to death, saving any to whom the king may hold out the golden sceptre, who then shall live, - but, I, have not been called to go in unto the king, these thirty days.

So Mordecai departed, - and did according to all that Esther had charged upon him.

Then said Esther, If, unto the king, it seem good, let the king with Haman come in this day, unto the banquet which I have prepared for him.

Then went Haman forth on that day, joyful and of a merry heart, - but, when Haman saw Mordecai in the gate of the king, that he rose not up nor moved because of him, then was Haman filled with wrath against Mordecai.

and Haman recounted unto them the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, - and all the things wherein the king had promoted him to power, and how he had advanced him, above the rulers and the servants of the king.

Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let them make ready a gallows, of the height of fifty cubits, and, in the morning, speak thou unto the king, that they hang Mordecai thereon, then go with the king into the banquet joyfully. And the thing seemed good before Haman, and he made ready the gallows.

Then said the king, What honour and dignity hath been done unto Mordecai, for this? Then said the king's young men, who were ministering unto him, Nothing hath been done for him.

Then said the king, Who is in the court? Now, Haman, had come into the outer court of the kings house, to speak unto the king, to hang Mordecai, upon the gallows which he had prepared for him.

So the king's young men said unto him, Lo! Haman, standing in the court. And the king said, Let him come in.

So Haman came in, and the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man in whose honour, the king delighteth? Then said Haman, in his own heart, Unto whom will the king delight to do honour, more than unto me?

and let the apparel and the horse be delivered unto the hand of one of the king's rulers, one of the nobles, and so let them array the man, in whose honour, the king, delighteth, - and cause him to ride upon the horse through the broadway of the city, and let them proclaim before him, Thus and thus, shall it be done unto the man in whose honour, the king, delighteth!

So Haman took the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, - and caused him to ride through the broadway of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus and thus, shall it be done unto the man in whoso honour, the king, delighteth!

And Haman recounted unto Zeresh his wife, and unto all his friends, everything that had befallen him. Then said his wise men, and Zeresh his wife, unto him, If, of the seed of the Jews, is Mordecai before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt, utterly fall, before him.

While yet they were speaking with him, the eunuchs of the king, had come, - and they hastened to bring Haman, unto the banquet which Esther had prepared.

Now, the king, arising in his wrath from the banquet of wine, and going into the palace garden, Haman, stood to make request for his life from Esther the queen, for he saw that ruin, was determined against him, by the king.

Then said Harbonah - one of the eunuchs before the king - Yea lo! the gallows that Haman made ready for Mordecai, who had spoken well for the king, is standing in Haman's house, of a height of fifty cubits. Then said the king, Hang him thereon.

Yet again, spake Esther before the king, and fell down at his feet, - and wept and made supplication unto him, to cause the mischief of Haman the Agagite to pass away, even the plot which he had plotted against the Jews.

and said - If, unto the king, it seem good, and if I have found favour before him, and the thing be approved before the king, and, I myself, be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written, to reverse the letters plotted by Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy thee Jews, who are in all the provinces of the king.

Then said King Ahasuerus unto Esther the queen, and unto Mordecai the Jew, - Lo! the house of Haman, have I given unto Esther, and, him, have they hanged upon the gallows, because he thrust forth his hand against the Jews.

But, all the acts of his authority, and his might, and the clear story of the promotion of Mordecai, wherewith the king promoted him, are, they, not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?