and followed the counsel of his younger advisers. He told the people,“ My father laid heavy burdens on you, but I’m going to make them even heavier! My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions!”

照着少年人所出的主意对民说：“我父亲使你们负重轭，我必使你们负更重的轭！我父亲用鞭子责打你们，我要用蝎子鞭责打你们！”

他照着年轻人所出的主意对他们说：“我父亲使你们负重轭，我必使你们负更重的轭！我父亲用鞭子惩罚你们，我却要用蝎子惩罚你们！”

他照着年轻人所出的主意对他们说：“我父亲使你们负重轭，我必使你们负更重的轭！我父亲用鞭子惩罚你们，我却要用蝎子惩罚你们！”

却照着年轻人给他所出的主意，对他们说：“我父亲加重你们所负的重担，我要使你们负更重的重担；我父亲用鞭子责打你们，我要用蝎子鞭责打你们。”

照着少年人所出的主意對民說：「我父親使你們負重軛，我必使你們負更重的軛！我父親用鞭子責打你們，我要用蠍子鞭責打你們！」

他照着年輕人所出的主意對他們說：「我父親使你們負重軛，我必使你們負更重的軛！我父親用鞭子懲罰你們，我卻要用蠍子懲罰你們！」

他照着年輕人所出的主意對他們說：「我父親使你們負重軛，我必使你們負更重的軛！我父親用鞭子懲罰你們，我卻要用蠍子懲罰你們！」

卻照著年輕人給他所出的主意，對他們說：“我父親加重你們所負的重擔，我要使你們負更重的重擔；我父親用鞭子責打你們，我要用蠍子鞭責打你們。”

反而照少年人出的主意對眾民說：『我父親使你們負的軛很重，我卻要加重你們的軛呢；我父親用鞭子責打你們，我卻要用蠍子鞭責打你們呢。』

依少者之謀、告之曰、我父使爾負重軛、我必益之、我父責爾以鞭、我則責爾以蠍、

乃循少者之謀、謂民曰、我父使爾負重軛、我必使爾負尤重之軛、我父以鞭責爾、我必以蠍責爾、

he followed the advice of the young men and said,“ My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.”

Instead, he followed the advice of the young men. He said,“ My father put a heavy load on your shoulders. But I’ll make it even heavier. My father beat you with whips. But I’ll beat you with bigger whips.”

he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying,“ My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.”

and spoke to them according to the young men’s advice:“ My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with barbed whips.”

and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying,“ My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions!”

and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying,“ My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!”

and spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

and spoke to them according to the young men’s advice:“ My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with barbed whips.”

And spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father[ also] chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

and followed the advice of the younger ones. He said,“ My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.”

and spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying,“ My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.”

Look, there are many of your people in the land, and you are stopping them from their work.”That same day Pharaoh sent this order to the Egyptian slave drivers and the Israelite foremen:“ Do not supply any more straw for making bricks. Make the people get it themselves!But still require them to make the same number of bricks as before. Don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy. That’s why they are crying out,‘ Let us go and offer sacrifices to our God.’Load them down with more work. Make them sweat! That will teach them to listen to lies!”

“ We are given no straw, but the slave drivers still demand,‘ Make bricks!’ We are being beaten, but it isn’t our fault! Your own people are to blame!”But Pharaoh shouted,“ You’re just lazy! Lazy! That’s why you’re saying,‘ Let us go and offer sacrifices to the Lord.’Now get back to work! No straw will be given to you, but you must still produce the full quota of bricks.”

The young men replied,“ This is what you should tell those complainers who want a lighter burden:‘ My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist!Yes, my father laid heavy burdens on you, but I’m going to make them even heavier! My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions!’”

Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate, so stop before a dispute breaks out.

But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying.For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.

He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as Ahab’s family had done. They even became his advisers after the death of his father, and they led him to ruin.Following their evil advice, Ahaziah joined Joram, the son of King Ahab of Israel, in his war against King Hazael of Aram at Ramoth gilead. When the Arameans wounded Joram in the battle,

Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.

We are all in agreement— we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors— that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human— except to you, Your Majesty— will be thrown into the den of lions.

They made their lives bitter, forcing them to mix mortar and make bricks and do all the work in the fields. They were ruthless in all their demands.

Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise.

Memucan answered the king and his nobles,“ Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also every noble and citizen throughout your empire.Women everywhere will begin to despise their husbands when they learn that Queen Vashti has refused to appear before the king.Before this day is out, the wives of all the king’s nobles throughout Persia and Media will hear what the queen did and will start treating their husbands the same way. There will be no end to their contempt and anger.“ So if it please the king, we suggest that you issue a written decree, a law of the Persians and Medes that cannot be revoked. It should order that Queen Vashti be forever banished from the presence of King Xerxes, and that the king should choose another queen more worthy than she.When this decree is published throughout the king’s vast empire, husbands everywhere, whatever their rank, will receive proper respect from their wives!”The king and his nobles thought this made good sense, so he followed Memucan’s counsel.

So his personal attendants suggested,“ Let us search the empire to find beautiful young virgins for the king.Let the king appoint agents in each province to bring these beautiful young women into the royal harem at the fortress of Susa. Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the harem, will see that they are all given beauty treatments.After that, the young woman who most pleases the king will be made queen instead of Vashti.” This advice was very appealing to the king, so he put the plan into effect.

What fools are the officials of Zoan! Their best counsel to the king of Egypt is stupid and wrong. Will they still boast to Pharaoh of their wisdom? Will they dare brag about all their wise ancestors?Where are your wise counselors, Pharaoh? Let them tell you what God plans, what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is going to do to Egypt.The officials of Zoan are fools, and the officials of Memphis are deluded. The leaders of the people have led Egypt astray.

The plans of the godly are just; the advice of the wicked is treacherous.

Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.