Then the menof Ephraimsaidto him, "Whatis thisthingyou have doneto us, not callingus whenyou wentto fightagainst Midian?"And they contendedwith him vigorously.
And behold,allthe menof Israelcameto the kingand saidto the king,"Whyhad our brothersthe menof Judahstolenyou away,and broughtthe kingand his householdand allDavid'smenwith him overthe Jordan?"
Then allthe menof Judahansweredthe menof Israel,"Becausethe kingis a closerelativeto us. Whythen are you angryaboutthismatter?Have we eatenat allat the king's[expense], orhas anythingbeen takenfor us?"
"For angerslaysthe foolishman,And jealousykillsthe simple.
A gentleanswerturnsawaywrath,But a harshwordstirsup anger.
I have seenthat everylaborand everyskillwhich is doneis [the result of] rivalrybetween a manand his neighbor.Thistoois vanityand strivingafter wind.
When Ephraimspoke,[there was] trembling.He exaltedhimselfin Israel,But through Baalhe didwrongand died.
But he saidto them, "Whathave I donenowin comparison with you? Is not the gleaning[of the grapes] of Ephraimbetterthanthe vintageof Abiezer?
