King Ahasuerus throws a party and encourages his guests to drink to excess. Then, when they are all drunk, he orders
Queen Vashti to show her stuff before him and his guests. 1:7-11
Vashti refuses to entertain the king's drunken guests by dancing before them. For this she is no longer to be queen,
to be replaced by someone better (prettier?). 1:12-19
Because of Vashti's disobedience, the king decrees that "all the wives shall give to their husbands honor, both the
great and the small" and "that every man should bear rule over his own house."
1:20-22
"All the fair young virgins" throughout the kingdom are brought before the king, and the one that "pleaseth" the
king the most will replace Vashti. 2:2-4
When it was Esther turn to "go in unto the king," she pleases the king the most. So, having won the sex
contest, she is made queen in Vashti's place. 2:8-9, 12-17
Since women are inherently dirty, the woman that "pleased the king" the most must be "purified" for
twelve months before she can be made queen. 2:9-12
