Pinalitan si Vasti bilang Reyna
1-2May isang hari sa Persia na ang pangalan ay Ahasuerus.1:1-2 Ahasuerus: Ibang pangalan ni Xerxes. Nakatira siya sa palasyo niya sa lungsod ng Susa. Ang nasasakupan niya ay 127 probinsya mula sa India hanggang sa Etiopia.1:1-2 Etiopia: sa Hebreo, Cush. 3Nang ikatlong taon ng paghahari niya, nagdaos siya ng malaking handaan para sa mga pinuno niya at sa iba pang lingkod sa palasyo. Dumalo rin ang mga pinuno ng mga kawal ng Persia at Media pati na ang mararangal na tao at mga pinuno ng mga probinsya. 4Ang handaang iyon ay tumagal ng anim na buwan. At sa loob ng mga panahong iyon, ipinakita ni Ahasuerus ang kayamanan ng kaharian niya, ang kanyang kapangyarihan, at ang karangyaan ng kanyang pamumuhay.
5Pagkatapos noon, naghanda rin ang hari para sa lahat ng mga taga-Susa, mayaman man o dukha. Ang handaang iyon ay ginanap sa hardin ng palasyo ng hari, at tumagal ng isang linggo. 6Naglagay sila ng kurtinang puti at asul na tinalian ng panaling gawa sa telang linen na kulay ube. At ikinabit sa mga argolya na pilak sa mga haliging marmol. Ang mga upuan ay yari sa ginto at pilak. Ang sahig naman nito ay may disenyong yari sa kristal, marmol, nakar,1:6 nakar: sa Ingles, “mother-of-pearl.” at iba pang mamahaling bato. 7-8Pati ang mga kopa na iniinuman ng mga panauhin ay yari sa ginto na ibaʼt iba ang hugis at disenyo. Nag-utos ang hari sa mga alipin niya na bigyan ng mamahaling alak ang mga panauhin niya hanggaʼt gusto nila.
9Habang nagdadaos ng handaan ang hari para sa mga kalalakihan, nagdadaos din ng handaan si Reyna Vasti para sa mga kababaihan sa palasyo ni Haring Ahasuerus.
10At sa ikapitong araw ng pagdiriwang, masayang-masaya ang hari dahil sa labis na nainom. Ipinatawag niya ang pitong pinuno niya na may matataas na katungkulan na personal na nag-aasikaso sa kanya. Itoʼy sina, Mehuman, Bizta, Harbona, Bigta, Abagta, Zetar at Carcas. 11Pagkatapos, ipinasundo niya si Reyna Vasti. Ipinasabi niyang isuot ng reyna ang kanyang korona para ipakita ang kagandahan niya sa mga pinuno at mga panauhin, dahil talagang maganda ito. 12Pero nang masabi ng mga lingkod sa reyna ang gusto ng hari, sinabi nitong ayaw niyang pumunta roon. Kaya nagalit ang hari sa kanya.
13Nakaugalian na noon ng hari na humingi ng payo sa mga pantas na siyang nakakaalam ng mga batas at kaugalian ng kaharian. 14Ang palagi niyang hinihingan ng payo ay sina Carshena, Shetar, Admata, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena at Memucan. Sila ang pitong pinakamataas na pinuno sa kaharian ng Persia at Media, at malapit sila sa hari.
15Nagtanong ang hari sa kanila, “Ayon sa batas ng kaharian ng Persia, ano ang dapat gawin kay Reyna Vasti dahil hindi siya sumunod sa utos ko sa pamamagitan ng aking mga lingkod?” 16Sumagot si Memucan, “Mahal na Hari, nagkasala po si Reyna Vasti hindi lang sa inyo, kundi pati na rin sa mga pinuno ng kaharian ng Persia at Media at sa mga mamamayan ng buong kaharian. 17Ang ginawa ni Reyna Vasti ay tiyak na malalaman ng lahat ng kababaihan sa buong kaharian at gagayahin din nila iyon. Hindi rin sila magsisisunod sa asawa nila. Dahil mangangatwiran sila na si Reyna Vasti nga ay hindi sumunod noong pinapapunta siya ng hari roon sa kanya. 18Kaya simula ngayon, maaaring ito rin ang gawin ng mga asawa ng mga pinuno ng Persia at Media, na makakabalita sa ginawa ng reyna. Kaya ang mangyayari, hindi na igagalang ng mga asawang babae ang kanilang mga asawang lalaki, at magagalit ang mga ito sa kanila.
19“Kaya kung gusto ninyo Mahal na Hari, iminumungkahi namin, na gumawa kayo ng isang kautusan na huwag nang magpakita pa sa inyo si Reyna Vasti, at palitan ninyo siya ng reynang mas mabuti kaysa sa kanya. Ipasulat po ninyo ang kautusang ito, at isama sa mga kautusan ng kaharian ng Persia at Media para hindi na mabago. 20At kapag naipahayag na ito sa buong kaharian, tiyak na igagalang ng mga babae ang mga asawa nila mula sa pinakadakila hanggang sa pinakaaba.”
21Nagustuhan ng hari at ng mga pinuno ang payo ni Memucan, kaya sinunod niya ito. 22Ipinasulat niya ito at ipinadala sa lahat ng probinsya na nasasakupan ng kaharian niya ayon sa kanilang wika. Sinasabi sa sulat na ang lalaki ang siyang dapat mamuno sa sambahayan niya.
Vashti Is Removed From Her Position as Queen
1King Xerxes ruled over the 127 territories in his kingdom. They reached from India all the way to Cush. Here is what happened during the time Xerxes ruled over the whole Persian kingdom. 2He was ruling from his royal throne in the fort of Susa. 3In the third year of his rule King Xerxes gave a feast. It was for all his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media were there. So were the princes and the nobles of the territories he ruled over.
4Every day for 180 days he showed his guests the great wealth of his kingdom. He also showed them how glorious his kingdom was. 5When those days were over, the king gave another feast. It lasted for seven days. It was held in the garden of the king’s courtyard. It was for all the people who lived in the fort of Susa. Everyone from the least important person to the most important was invited. 6The garden was decorated with white and blue linen banners. They hung from ropes that were made out of white linen and purple cloth. The ropes were connected to silver rings on marble pillars. There were gold and silver couches in the garden. They were placed on a floor that was made out of small stones. The floor had purple crystal, marble, mother-of-pearl and other stones of great value. 7Royal wine was served in gold cups. Each cup was different from all the others. There was plenty of wine. The king always provided as much as his guests wanted. 8He commanded that they should be allowed to drink as much or as little as they wished. He directed all his servants to give his guests what they asked for.
9Queen Vashti also gave a feast. Only women were invited. It was held in the royal palace of King Xerxes.
10On the seventh day Xerxes was in a good mood because he had drunk a lot of wine. So he gave a command to the seven officials who served him. They were Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Karkas. 11King Xerxes told them to bring Queen Vashti to him. He wanted her to come wearing her royal crown. He wanted to show off her beauty to the people and nobles. She was lovely to look at. 12The attendants told Queen Vashti what the king had ordered her to do. But she refused to come. So the king became very angry.
13It was the king’s practice to ask for advice about matters of law and fairness. So he spoke with the wise men who understood what was going on at that time. 14They were the men closest to the king. Their names were Karshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memukan. They were the seven nobles of Persia and Media. They were the king’s special advisers and the most important men in the kingdom.
15“You know the law,” the king said. “What should I do to Queen Vashti? She hasn’t obeyed my command. The officials told her what I ordered her to do, didn’t they?”
16Then Memukan gave a reply to the king and the nobles. He said, “Queen Vashti has done what is wrong. But she didn’t do it only against you, King Xerxes. She did it also against all the nobles. And she did it against the people in all the territories you rule over. 17All the women will hear about what the queen has done. Then they won’t respect their husbands. They’ll say, ‘King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be brought to him. But she wouldn’t come.’ 18Here is what will start today. The leading women in Persia and Media who have heard about the queen’s actions will act in the same way. They’ll disobey all your nobles, just as she disobeyed you. They won’t have any respect for their husbands. They won’t honor them.
19“So if it pleases you, send out a royal order. Let it be written down in the laws of Persia and Media. Those laws can never be changed. Let the royal order say that Vashti can never see you again. Also let her position as queen be given to someone who is better than she is. 20And let your order be announced all through your entire kingdom. Then all women will have respect for their husbands, from the least important to the most important.”
21The king and his nobles were pleased with that advice. So he did what Memukan had suggested. 22The king sent messages out to every territory in the kingdom. He sent them to each territory in its own writing. He sent them to every nation in its own language. The messages announced that every man should rule over his own family, using his own language.
