15. The king asked those men, “What does the law say must be done to Queen Vashti? She has not obeyed the command of King Xerxes, which the eunuchs took to her.”
16. Then Memucan spoke to the king and the other important men. He said, “Queen Vashti has not done wrong to the king alone. She has also done wrong to all the important men and all the people in all the empire of King Xerxes.
17. All the wives of the important men of Persia and Media will hear about the queen’s actions. Then they will no longer honor their husbands. They will say, ‘King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be brought to him. But she refused to come.’
18. Today the wives of the important men of Persia and Media have heard about the queen’s actions. And they will speak in the same way to their husbands. And there will be no end to disrespect and anger.
19. “So, our king, if it pleases you, give a royal order. And let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which cannot be changed. The law should say Vashti is never again to enter the presence of King Xerxes. Also let the king give her place as queen to someone who is better than she is.
20. And let the king’s order be announced everywhere in his large kingdom. Then all the women will respect their husbands, from the greatest to the least important.”
21. The king and his important men were happy with this advice. So King Xerxes did as Memucan suggested.
22. He sent letters to all the areas of the kingdom. A letter was sent to each area, written in its own form of writing. And a letter was sent to each group of people, written in their own language. These letters announced that each man was to be the ruler of his own family. Also, each family was to speak the language of the man.