Esther 1:1-4

New King James Version

The King Dethrones Queen Vashti

1 Now it came to pass in the days of ^(A)Ahasuerus^[a] (this was the Ahasuerus who reigned ^(B)over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, ^(C)from India to Ethiopia), ² in those days when King Ahasuerus ^(D)sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in ^(E)Shushan^[b] the ^[c]citadel, ³ that in the third year of his reign he ^(F)made a feast for all his officials and servants—the powers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of the provinces being before him— ⁴ when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all.