²⁸ And Jeroboam was an able and responsible man; and Solomon saw that he was a good worker and made him overseer of all the work given to the sons of Joseph.

²⁹ Have you seen a man who is expert in his business? he will take his place before kings; his place will not be among low persons.

³⁰ For my yoke is good, and the weight I take up is not hard.

⁶ And I will make the children of Judah strong, and I will be the saviour of the children of Joseph, and I will make them come back again, for I have had mercy on them: they will be as if I had not given them up: for I am the Lord their God and I will give them an answer.

⁶ Go to the Lord for help so that you may have life; for fear that he may come like fire bursting out in the family of Joseph, causing destruction, and there will be no one to put it out in Beth-el.

²⁵ To let the Assyrian be broken in my land, and crushed under foot on my mountains: there will his yoke be taken away from them, and his rule over them come to an end.

¹⁶ In addition to the chiefs of the responsible men put by Solomon to oversee the work, three thousand and three hundred in authority over the workmen.

²⁰ For your servant is conscious of his sin: and so, as you see, I have come today, the first of all the sons of Joseph, for the purpose of meeting my lord the king.

²² And the family of Joseph went up against Beth-el, and the Lord was with them.

²³ So they sent men to make a search round Beth-el. (Now the name of the town in earlier times was Luz.)

⁵ And let them make division of it into seven parts: let Judah keep inside his limit on the south, and let the children of Joseph keep inside their limit on the north.

¹² How is it possible for me by myself to be responsible for you, and undertake the weight of all your troubles and your arguments?