Page "Esther" Paragraph 3

King Xerxes held a 180-day feast in Susa ( Shoushan ).

While in " high spirits " from the wine, he ordered his queen, Vashti, to appear before him and his guests to display her beauty.

But when the attendants delivered the king's command to Queen Vashti, she refused to come.

Furious at her refusal to obey, the king asked his wise men what should be done.

One of them said that all the women in the empire would hear that " The King Xerxes commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.

" Then the women of the empire would despise their husbands.

And this would cause many problems in the kingdom.

Therefore it would be good to depose her.