¹³ Then the king answered them roughly. King Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders,

A Soft Answer Turns Away Wrath

^8 (A)But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.

⁶ but I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants. And it shall be, that whatever is ^[a]pleasant in your eyes, they will put it in their hands and take it.’ ”

⁷ So the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, “Notice, please, and see how this man seeks trouble, for he sent to me for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold; and I did not deny him.”

⁸ And all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.”

⁹ Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you sent for to your servant the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’ ”

And the messengers departed and brought back word to him.

¹⁰ Then Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, ^(A)“The gods do so to me, and more also, if enough dust is left of Samaria for a handful for each of the people ^[b]who follow me.”

¹¹ So the king of Israel answered and said, “Tell him, ‘Let not the one who puts on his armor ^(B)boast like the one who takes it off.’ ”

¹⁰ Then Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, ^(A)“Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master. ^11 (B)Shall I then take my bread and my water and my ^[a]meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?”

²⁸ Then Pharaoh said to him, ^(A)“Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!”

³⁰ “The man who is lord of the land ^(A)spoke ^[a]roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.

⁷ Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as ^(A)a stranger to them and spoke ^[a]roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?”

And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”