And the young men that were grown up with him spoke to him, saying, Thus shall you speak to this people that spoke to you, saying, Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter for us; thus shall you say to them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins.
And spoke to them according to 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.
But the former governors that had been before me were costly to the people, and had taken from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bore rule over the people: but so I did not, because of the fear of God.
Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men, those who fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:
So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of those that were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.
As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, those who lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths.
Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are in the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.