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 prouinces of the king Ahaſuerus.

For this deed of the queene ſhall come abroad vnto all women, ſo that they ſhal deſpiſe their huſbands in their eyes, when it ſhall bee reported; The king Ahaſuerus commanded Vaſthi the queene to be brought in before him, but ſhe came not.

Likewiſe ſhall the Ladies of Perſia and Media ſay this day vnto all the kings princes, which haue heard of the deed of the Queene. Thus ſhall there ariſe too much contempt and wrath.

† If it pleaſe the king, let there go a royall commandement † from him, and let it bee written among the lawes of the Perſians, and the Medes, † that it be not altered, that Vaſthi come no more before king Ahaſuerus, and let the king giue her royall eſtate † vnto another that is better than ſhe.

And when the kings decree, which he ſhal make, ſhalbe publiſhed throughout all his empire, (for it is great:) all the wiues ſhall giue to their huſbands honour, both to great and ſmall.

and the ſaying † pleaſed the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Memucan:

For he ſent letters into all the kings prouinces, into euery prouince, according to the writing thereof, and to euery people after their language, that euery man ſhould beare rule in his owne houſe, and † that it ſhould be publiſhed according to the language of euerie people.

Fter theſe things, when the wrath of king Ahaſuerus was appeaſed, hee remembred Vaſthi, and what ſhee had done, and what was decreed againſt her.

Then ſaide the kings ſeruants, that miniſtered vnto him, Let there bee faire yong virgins ſought for the king:

And let the king appoint officers in all the prouinces of his kingdome, that they may gather together all the faire yong virgins vnto Shuſhan the palace, to the houſe of the women † vnto the cuſtodie of ‖ Hege the kings chamberlaine, keeper of the women, and let their things for purification bee giuen them:

And let the maiden which pleaſeth the king, bee Queene in ſtead of Vaſthi. And the thing pleaſed the king, and he did ſo.

¶ Now in Shuſhan the palace, there was a certaine Iew, whoſe name was Mordecai, the ſonne of Iair, the ſonne of Shimei, the ſonne of Kiſh, a Beniamite,


 * Who had bene carried away from Ieruſalem, with the captiuitie which had bene caried away with Ioconiah king of Iudah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon had caried away.

And hee † brought vp Hadaſſah (that is Eſther) his vncles daughter, for ſhe had neither father nor mother, and the maid was † faire and beautiful, whom Mordecai (when her father and mother were dead) tooke for his owne daughter.

¶ So it came to paſſe, when the kings commandement and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together vnto Shuſhan the palace, to the cuſtodie of Hegai, that Eſther was brought alſo vnto the kings houſe, to the cuſtodie of Hegai, keeper of the women.

And the maiden pleaſed him, and ſhe obtained kindneſſe of him, and hee ſpeedily gaue her her things for purification, with † ſuch things as belonged to her, and ſeuen maidens, which were meet to be giuen her, out of the Kings houſe, and † hee preferred her and her maids, vnto the beſt place of the houſe of the women.

Eſther had not ſhewed her people, nor her kinred: for Mordecai had charged her, that ſhe ſhould not ſhew it.

And Mordecai walked euery day before the court of the womens houſe, † to know how Eſther did, and what ſhould become of her.

¶ Now when euery maids turne was come, to goe in to King Ahaſuerus, after that ſhee had bene twelue moneths, according to the maner of the women (for ſo were the dayes of their purifications accompliſhed, to wit, ſixe moneths with oile of myrrhe, and ſixe moneths