7. They served the drinks in cups made of gold, and each cup was different. The king made sure there was plenty of royal wine.
8. The rule about the drinks was "No limits!" The king had ordered everyone serving wine in the palace to offer as much as each guest wanted.
9. At the same time, Queen Vashti held a feast for women in King Ahasuerus’ palace.
10. On the seventh day, when wine had put the king in high spirits, he gave an order to Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who served King Ahasuerus personally.
11. They were to bring Queen Vashti before him wearing the royal crown. She was gorgeous, and he wanted to show off her beauty both to the general public and to his important guests.
12. But Queen Vashti refused to come as the king had ordered through the eunuchs. The king was furious, his anger boiling inside.
13. Now, when a need arose, the king would often talk with certain very smart people about the best way to handle it. They were people who knew both the kingdom’s written laws and what judges had decided about cases in the past.
14. The ones he talked with most often were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan. They were seven very important people in Persia and Media who, as the kingdom’s highest leaders, were in the king’s inner circle. So the king said to them,