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13 The king then inquired of the wise men who were discerners of the times—for it was the royal custom to confer with all those who were proficient in laws and legalities.[a] 14 Those who were closest to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan. These men were the seven officials of Persia and Media who saw the king on a regular basis[b] and had the most prominent offices[c] in the kingdom. 15 The king asked,[d] “By law,[e] what should be done to Queen Vashti in light of the fact that she has not obeyed the instructions of King Ahasuerus conveyed through the eunuchs?”

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Footnotes

  1. Esther 1:13 tn Heb “judgment” (so KJV); NASB, NIV “justice”; NRSV “custom.”
  2. Esther 1:14 tn Heb “seers of the face of the king”; NASB “who had access to the king’s presence.”
  3. Esther 1:14 tn Heb “were sitting first”; NAB “held first rank in the realm.”
  4. Esther 1:15 tn These words are not present in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity (cf. NIV, NCV, CEV, NLT, all of which supply similar phrases).
  5. Esther 1:15 tc The location of the prepositional phrase “according to law” is somewhat unusual in the Hebrew text, but not so much so as to require emendation. Some scholars suggest deleting the phrase as an instance of dittography from the final part of the immediately preceding word in v. 14. Others suggest taking the phrase with the end of v. 14 rather than with v. 15. Both proposals, however, lack adequate justification.