Will it keep begging you for mercy and speak to you with gentle words?
Can you put a cord through its nose or a hook in its jaw?
Will it make an agreement with you and let you take it as your slave for life?
The earth belongs to the Lord, and everything in it— the world and all its people.
His words are slippery like butter, but war is in his heart. His words are smoother than oil, but they cut like knives.
So now if you obey me and keep my agreement, you will be my own possession, chosen from all nations. Even though the whole earth is mine,
A gentle answer will calm a person’s anger, but an unkind answer will cause more anger.
The poor beg for mercy, but the rich give rude answers.
With patience you can convince a ruler, and a gentle word can get through to the hard-headed.
They tell the seers, “Don’t see any more visions!” They say to the prophets, “Don’t tell us the truth! Say things that will make us feel good; see only good things for us.
‘The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,’ says the Lord All-Powerful.