⁷ And they said to him, If you are kind to this people, pleasing them and saying good words to them, then they will be your servants for ever.

¹ By a soft answer wrath is turned away, but a bitter word is a cause of angry feelings.

⁷ And they said to him, If you will be a servant to this people today, caring for them and giving them a gentle answer, then they will be your servants for ever.

²¹ Naphtali is a roe let loose, giving fair young ones.

² And Absalom got up early, morning after morning, and took his place at the side of the public meeting-place: and when any man had a cause which had to come to the king to be judged, then Absalom, crying out to him, said, What is your town? and he would say, Your servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.

³ And Absalom would say to him, See, your cause is true and right; but no man has been named by the king to give you a hearing.

⁴ And more than this, Absalom said, If only I was made judge in the land, so that every man who has any cause or question might come to me, and I would give a right decision for him!

⁵ And if any man came near to give him honour, he took him by the hand and gave him a kiss.

⁶ And this Absalom did to everyone in Israel who came to the king to have his cause judged: so Absalom, like a thief, took away the hearts of the men of Israel.