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.
Queen Vashti Defies King Xerxes
1-2 From his royal throne in Persia's capital city of Susa, King Xerxes ruled 127 provinces, all the way from India to Ethiopia.
3 In the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his officials and administrators. The armies of Persia and Media were present, as well as the governors and noblemen of the provinces. 4 For six whole months he made a show of the riches of the imperial court with all its splendor and majesty.
5 After that, the king gave a banquet for all the people in the capital city of Susa, rich and poor alike. It lasted a whole week and was held in the gardens of the royal palace. 6 The courtyard there was decorated with blue and white cotton curtains, tied by cords of fine purple linen to silver rings on marble columns. Couches made of gold and silver had been placed in the courtyard, which was paved with white marble, red feldspar, shining mother-of-pearl, and blue turquoise. 7 Drinks were served in gold cups, no two of them alike, and the king was generous with the royal wine. 8 There were no limits on the drinks; the king had given orders to the palace servants that everyone could have as much as they wanted.
9 Meanwhile, inside the royal palace Queen Vashti was giving a banquet for the women.
10 On the seventh day of his banquet the king was drinking and feeling happy, so he called in the seven eunuchs who were his personal servants, Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas. 11 He ordered them to bring in Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown. The queen was a beautiful woman, and the king wanted to show off her beauty to the officials and all his guests. 12 But when the servants told Queen Vashti of the king's command, she refused to come. This made the king furious.
13 Now it was the king's custom to ask for expert opinion on questions of law and order, so he called for his advisers, who would know what should be done. 14 Those he most often turned to for advice were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan—seven officials of Persia and Media who held the highest offices in the kingdom. 15 He said to these men, “I, King Xerxes, sent my servants to Queen Vashti with a command, and she refused to obey it! What does the law say that we should do with her?”
16 Then Memucan declared to the king and his officials: “Queen Vashti has insulted not only the king but also his officials—in fact, every man in the empire! 17 Every woman in the empire will start looking down on her husband as soon as she hears what the queen has done. They'll say, ‘King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to come to him, and she refused.’ 18 When the wives of the royal officials of Persia and Media hear about the queen's behavior, they will be telling their husbands about it before the day is out. Wives everywhere will have no respect for their husbands, and husbands will be angry with their wives. 19 If it please Your Majesty, issue a royal proclamation that Vashti may never again appear before the king. Have it written into the laws of Persia and Media, so that it can never be changed. Then give her place as queen to some better woman. 20 When your proclamation is made known all over this huge empire, every woman will treat her husband with proper respect, whether he's rich or poor.”
21 The king and his officials liked this idea, and the king did what Memucan suggested. 22 To each of the royal provinces he sent a message in the language and the system of writing of that province, saying that every husband should be the master of his home and speak with final authority.
