Esther 1:7

1:7 Drinks ¹  were served in golden containers, all of which differed from one another. Royal wine was available in abundance at the king’s expense.

Esther 1:4

1:4 He displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his majestic greatness for a lengthy period of time ²  – a hundred and eighty days, to be exact! ³ 

Esther 1:8

1:8 There were no restrictions on the drinking, ⁴  for the king had instructed all of his supervisors ⁵  that they should do as everyone so desired. ⁶ 

Esther 1:20

1:20 And let the king’s decision which he will enact be disseminated ⁷  throughout all his kingdom, vast though it is. ⁸  Then all the women will give honor to their husbands, from the most prominent to the lowly.”

Esther 2:8

2:8 It so happened that when the king’s edict and his law became known ⁹  many young women were taken to Susa the citadel to be placed under the authority of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the royal palace ¹⁰  to be under the authority of Hegai, who was overseeing the women.

Esther 4:3

4:3 Throughout each and every province where the king’s edict and law were announced ¹¹  there was considerable ¹²  mourning among the Jews, along with fasting, weeping, and sorrow. ¹³  Sackcloth and ashes were characteristic ¹⁴  of many.

Esther 8:17

8:17 Throughout every province and throughout every city where the king’s edict and his law arrived, the Jews experienced happiness and joy, banquets and holidays. Many of the resident peoples ¹⁵  pretended ¹⁶  to be Jews, because the fear of the Jews had overcome them. ¹⁷ 

¹ tn Heb “to cause to drink” (Hiphil infinitive construct of שָׁקָה, shaqah). As the etymology of the Hebrew word for “banquet” (מִשְׁתֶּה, mishteh, from שָׁתָה, shatah, “to drink”) hints, drinking was a prominent feature of ancient Near Eastern banquets.

² tn Heb “many days” (so KJV, ASV); NASB, NRSV “for many days.”

³ tn The words “to be exact!” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation to bring out the clarifying nuance of the time period mentioned. Cf. KJV “even an hundred and fourscore days.”

³ tn Heb “the drinking was according to law; there was no one compelling.”

⁴ tn Heb “every chief of his house”; KJV “all the officers of his house”; NLT “his staff.”

⁵ tn Heb “according to the desire of man and man.”

⁴ tn Heb “heard”; KJV, NAB, NLT “published”; NIV, NRSV “proclaimed.”

⁵ tc The phrase “vast though it is” is not included in the LXX, although it is retained by almost all English versions.

⁵ tn Heb “were heard” (so NASB); NRSV “were (had been NIV) proclaimed.”

⁶ tn Heb “the house of the king.” So also in vv. 9, 13. Cf. NLT “the king’s harem.”

⁶ tn Heb “reached” (so NAB, NLT); KJV, NASB, NIV “came”; TEV “wherever the king’s proclamation was made known.”

⁷ tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the Jews went into deep mourning.”

⁸ sn Although prayer is not specifically mentioned here, it is highly unlikely that appeals to God for help were not a part of this reaction to devastating news. As elsewhere in the book of Esther, the writer seems deliberately to keep religious actions in the background.

⁹ tn Heb “were spread to many”; KJV, NIV “many (+ people NLT) lay in sackcloth and ashes.”

⁷ tn Heb “peoples of the land” (so NASB); NIV “people of other nationalities”; NRSV “peoples of the country.”

⁸ tn Heb “were becoming Jews”; NAB “embraced Judaism.” However, the Hitpael stem of the verb is sometimes used of a feigning action rather than a genuine one (see, e.g., 2 Sam 13:5, 6), which is the way the present translation understands the use of the word here (cf. NEB “professed themselves Jews”; NRSV “professed to be Jews”). This is the only occurrence of this verb in the Hebrew Bible, so there are no exact parallels. However, in the context of v. 17 the motivation of their conversion (Heb “the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them”) should not be overlooked. The LXX apparently understood the conversion described here to be genuine, since it adds the words “they were being circumcised and” before “they became Jews.”

⁹ tn Heb “had fallen upon them” (so NRSV); NIV “had seized them.”