King Ahasuerus made a feast unto all the people that were present in
Shushan the palace, both great and small, seven days in the court of the
garden of the king's palace. And they gave them in vessels of gold royal
wine in abundance, according to every man's pleasure.
Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house. On
the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he
commanded to bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown
royal, to show the peoples and the princes her beauty: for she was fair
to look on. But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's
commandment by the chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and
his anger burned in him.
Then the king said to the wise men, "What shall we do unto the queen
Vashti according to law, because she hath not done the bidding of the
king?"
And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, "If it please the
king, let there go forth a royal commandment from him, and let it be
written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not
altered, that Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the
king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she."
And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did
according to the word of Memucan.