Sometimes comparing Bible translations raises interesting questions. Consider how the NIV and ESV introduce the king in Esther 1:1: Translation Esther 1:1 NIV “This is what happened during the time of Xerxes…” ESV “Now in the days of Ahasuerus…” At first glance, these translations seem to identify two different kings. Was Esther married to Xerxes or Ahasuerus? Ahasuerus, Xerxes, or Artaxerxes? The Hebrew text calls the king אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ (ʾAḥašwērōš), traditionally rendered Ahasuerus in English. This Hebrew form corresponds to the Old Persian name Xšayāršā, which Greek writers rendered as Xerxes. The ESV therefore preserves the form found in the Hebrew text, while the NIV uses the king’s more familiar historical name. It is not that the king possessed two unrelated names. Rather, the same Persian name took different forms as it passed into Hebrew and Greek: Thus, both translations identify the same ruler: Xerxes I, the son and successor of…