Queen Vashti Disobeys King Xerxes
1-2 King Xerxes of Persia lived in his capital city of Susa and ruled 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia. 3 During the third year of his rule, Xerxes gave a big dinner for all his officials and officers. The governors and leaders of the provinces were also invited, and even the commanders of the Persian and Median armies came. 4 For 180 days he showed off his wealth and spent a lot of money to impress his guests with the greatness of his kingdom.
5 At the end of this time, King Xerxes gave another dinner and invited everyone in the city of Susa, no matter who they were. The eating and drinking lasted seven days in the beautiful palace gardens. 6 The area was decorated with blue and white cotton curtains tied back with purple linen cords that ran through silver rings fastened to marble columns. Couches of gold and silver rested on pavement that had all kinds of designs made from costly bright-colored stones and marble and mother-of-pearl.
7 The guests drank from gold cups, and each cup had a different design. The king was generous 8 and said to them, “Drink all you want!” Then he told his servants, “Keep their cups full.”
9 While the men were enjoying themselves, Queen Vashti gave the women a big dinner inside the royal palace.
10 By the seventh day, King Xerxes was feeling happy because of so much wine. And he asked his seven personal servants, Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas, 11 to bring Queen Vashti to him. The king wanted her to wear her crown and let his people and his officials see how beautiful she was. 12 The king's servants told Queen Vashti what he had said, but she refused to go to him, and this made him terribly angry.
13-14 The king called in the seven highest officials of Persia and Media. They were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan. These men were very wise and understood all the laws and customs of the country, and the king always asked them what they thought about such matters.
15 The king said to them, “Queen Vashti refused to come to me when I sent my servants for her. What does the law say I should do about that?”
16 Then Memucan told the king and the officials:
Your Majesty, Queen Vashti has not only embarrassed you, but she has insulted your officials and everyone else in all the provinces.
17 The women in the kingdom will hear about this, and they will refuse to respect their husbands. They will say, “If Queen Vashti doesn't obey her husband, why should we?” 18 Before this day is over, the wives of the officials of Persia and Media will find out what Queen Vashti has done, and they will refuse to obey their husbands. They won't respect their husbands, and their husbands will be angry with them.
19 Your Majesty, if you agree, you should write for the Medes and Persians a law that can never be changed. This law would keep Queen Vashti from ever seeing you again. Then you could let someone who respects you be queen in her place.
20 When the women in your great kingdom hear about this new law, they will respect their husbands, no matter if they are rich or poor.
21 King Xerxes and his officials liked what Memucan had said, 22 and he sent letters to all of his provinces. Each letter was written in the language of the province to which it was sent, and it said that husbands should be in charge of their wives and children.
Gao-aos Vastis ge gao-aob Ahasverosa ra ǁnâuǀnamoǃnâ
1-2 Sao ra xūn ge gao-aob Ahasverosi ge ǀguikaidisi tsî ǀgamdisihûǀa ǀkhariga Indiaba xu Etiopiab kōse, ǁîb di gao-aosi trons Persiab danaǃās Susas ǃnâ hâsa xu gere ǂgaeǂgui ǁaeb ǃnâ ge ī. 3 ǃNonaǁî kurib ǁîb ǂgaeǂguis dib ǃnâb ge ǂûǁare-e hoa ǂamkhoegu tsî nau khoegu ǁîb ǃoabas ǃnâ hâgu tsîga ge dība. Persiab tsî Mediab tsîkha toroǃkhamaogu, ǀkharigu ǂgaeǂgui-aogu tsî ǃgôaǃgôasa khoegu tsîn on ge ǁnāpa ge hâ i. 4 ǃNani ǁkhâgu ǀgaibab ge gao-aoba ǁîb gaosib di kai ǃkhūsib tsî ǃgomǀgausa ǂkhaisiba ge ǁgauǂui.
5 Nēn khaoǃgâb ge gao-aoba danaǃās Susas ǃnâ hâ khoen hoan kain tsî ǂkharin tsîna ǂûǁare-e ge dība. Nē ǂûǁares ge hû tsēdi ǀgaiba gao-ommi di îxa ǃhanagu ǃnâ ge dīhe. 6 ǁÂudīb ge hâ i ǃkhaib ge ǃuri tsî ǂhoaǀapa tsaura lapigu, ǂhoaǀapa tsurigu ǀkha ge ǀhaiǀuri râidi ai marmerǂkhâǃnâgu ai ǃgaemâihe hâ igu ǀkha ge anisa i. ǃHuniǀuri tsî ǀhaiǀuri sâ-aikharogu ge ǃkharagaǃnâgu ǀûga ūhâ ǃgomǀgausa ǂkhanu ǀuidi ǀkha ǁguiǂuisa ǃkhaib ai ge mâ i. 7 Gao-aob ǃgāgu ge khoena ǂauxûi-e ǃhuniǀuri āǃnâxapadi, ǃkharagagu ǀgaugu ai a kurusadi ǃnâ gere ǂnâba. ǁNāpab ge gao-aosi ǂauxûiba kaise ǃnāǂamsase ge hâ i, gao-aob di ǁkhāsib ǃoa. 8 ǂAuxûi-i ge hoa khoena ǃnāǂamsasib ǃnâ ge hâba i. Gao-aob ge gao-ommi sîsenaoga ge mîmā, mâ khoe-i hoa-i ǂhâba i hâs kōse ǀgui nî ǂnâbahe ǃkhaisa.
9 ǁNā ǁaeb ǁkhāb ǃnâs ge gao-aos Vastis ona gao-aob Ahasverosi di gao-ommi ǃnâ tarekhoede ǂûǁare-e ge dība.
10 Hûǁî tsēs ǁîb ǂûǁares dis aib ge gao-aoba ǂauxûib xa kaise gere ǃgâiaǂgao tsî ǁîb hû ǂamkhoegu, ǁîb ǂhunuma ǃoabas ǃnâ mâgu, Mehumanni, Bistab, Harbonab, Bigtab, Abagtab, Setari tsî Karkasi tsîga ge ǂgai. 11 ǁÎb ge ǁîga ge mîmā, î gu gao-aos Vastisa gaosi kronsas ǂnûi hâse ǁîba ǃoa hā kai, îb hoaraga ǃhaokhoen tsî ǂgaeǂui-aogu tsîna mâtikōses a îxa ǃkhaisa ǁgau, kaises ge îxa i xui-ao. 12 Xawes ge gao-aos Vastisa gao-aob di mîmās, ǂamkhoegu ǀkhas ge sîbahes ai hāsa ge ǂkhā. Nē ǃkhais xab ge gao-aoba kaise ǀara tsî ge ǁaixa.
13 Ob ge gao-aoba ǀapemā-aogu âb ai ge dî tare-eb nē soab ǃnâ nî dīsa, nēs ge ǂnûiǂgā i xui-ao gao-aob nî ǂhanub ǂansa ūhâ khoegu ai ǀape-ôasa. 14 Gao-aob tawa ge kaise ǀgū i ǀapemā-aogu ge Karsenab, Setari, Admatab, Tarsib, Meresi, Marsenab tsî Memukanni tsîga. ǁNā hû ǂamkhoegu Persiab tsî Mediab tsîkha digu ge ǀgapi ǃharode gaosi ǂgaeǂguis ǃnâ ge ūhâ i. 15 Ob ge gao-aoba ǁîga ge dî: “ǂHanub di ǂgaoǀkhāde ǃoa tare-e gao-aos Vastis, tita gao-ao Ahasverota go ti sîsenaogu ǃnâ-u mā mîmāsa go ǁnâuǀnam tama is ǀkha nî dīhe?”
16 Ob ge Memukanna gao-aob tsî ǁîb di ǂamkhoegu tsîgu aiǃâ ge mî: “Gao-aos Vastis ge sats gao-aots ǀguitsa ǃhasara tama hâ, xawes ge ǁkhāti ǂamkhoegu hoagu tsî gao-aob di ǀkharigu ǃnâ hâ khoen hoana go ǃhasara. 17 ǁÎs di dīb ge hoaraga taradi tawa nî ǂansa tsî di ge ǁîde aogu âde nî ǁnâuǀnamoǃnâ. Tsî gu ge ǁîga ge mî: ‘Gao-aob Ahasverosi ge as gao-aos Vastisa ǁîb tawa hā ti mîmā, xawes ge ǁîsa hā tama ge i.’ 18 ǁNā tsēs ǁkhās ai di ge hoa ǃkhaidi ai, Persiab tsî Mediab tsîkha ǂamkhoegu di taradi, gao-aos tanisens xa ga ǁnâude aogu âde ǁnāsa mîba tsî ǁîga nîra ǃgôaǁnâ, o gu ge aoga taradi âgu ǀkha nî ǁaixa. 19 ǁNā-amaga gao-aotsa iga ǃgâibao, gaosi ǂanǂansa māǂui, îs xoamâihe, Persiab tsî Mediab tsîkha di ǂhanugu, ǀkharaǀkharahe ǁoaga ǃoa, îs Vastisa tā tātsē ǁkhawa gao-aots aiǃâ hā; îts gao-aotsa ǁîs di gao-aosisa ǀnî khoes, ǁîs xa ama-aisa mā. 20 Nē ǂanǂans gao-aob nî māǂuis ga nē kai gaosib hoab ǃnâ ǂanhe, os ge mâ taras hoasa ǁîs aoba nēsib ga ǃkhūs tamas ka io ǀgâsas hoasa ǃgôasib ǀkha nî sîsenū.”
21 Gao-aob tsî ǁîb di ǂamkhoegu tsîn ge nē ǂâiǀgaub xa ge ǃgâibahe tsîb ge gao-aoba Memukanni ge mî khami ge dī. 22 Mâ gao-aosi ǀkharib hoab ǁgab ge gao-aoba ǁnā ǀkharib di xoaǀgaub tsî gowab ǃnâ sîǂkhanide ge sî. ǁÎdi ǃnâ i ge ge xoasa i, mâ aob hoab nî ǁîb di oms ǂûs ǃnâ ǀhonkhoe tsî ǀuni mîsa ūhâ ǃkhaisa.
