¹⁷ And after the death of Jehoiada come in have heads of Judah, and bow themselves to the king; then hath the king hearkened unto them,

²⁷ for I -- I have known thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck; lo, in my being yet alive with you to-day, rebellious ye have been with Jehovah, and also surely after my death.

¹⁵ and I will be diligent that also at every time ye have, after my outgoing, power to make to yourselves the remembrance of these things.

²⁹ for I have known this, that there shall enter in, after my departing, grievous wolves unto you, not sparing the flock,

³⁰ and of your own selves there shall arise men, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.

³² And those acting wickedly `against' the covenant, he defileth by flatteries; and the people knowing their God are strong, and have wrought.

¹² A ruler who is attending to lying words, All his ministers `are' wicked.

⁵ A man taking a portion above his neighbour, Spreadeth a net for his own steps.

²⁸ A lying tongue hateth its bruised ones, And a flattering mouth worketh an overthrow!

⁸ As one who is binding a stone in a sling, So `is' he who is giving honour to a fool.

¹⁹ A revealer of secret counsels is the busybody, And for a deceiver `with' his lips make not thyself surety.

²¹ She turneth him aside with the abundance of her speech, With the flattery of her lips she forceth him.

²² He is going after her straightway, As an ox unto the slaughter he cometh, And as a fetter unto the chastisement of a fool,

²³ Till an arrow doth split his liver, As a bird hath hastened unto a snare, And hath not known that it `is' for its life.

³ he also hath walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother hath been his counsellor to do wickedly.

⁴ And he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, like the house of Ahab, for they have been his counsellors, after the death of his father, for destruction to him.

⁸ And he forsaketh the counsel of the aged men that they counselled him, and consulteth with the lads who have grown up with him, those standing before him,

⁹ and he saith unto them, `What are ye counselling, and we answer this people that have spoken unto me, saying, Make light `somewhat' of the yoke that thy father put upon us?'

¹⁰ And the lads who have grown up with him, speak with him, saying, `Thus dost thou say to the people who have spoken unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, and thou, make light `somewhat' of our yoke; thus dost thou say unto them, My little finger is thicker than the loins of my father;