⁷ They answered him, “If you will be kind to this people and please them and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.”

⁷ They answered him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.”^(A)

² Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the road into the gate, and when anyone brought a suit before the king for judgment, Absalom would call out and say, “From what city are you?” When the person said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,”^{(A) 3} Absalom would say, “See, your claims are good and right, but there is no one deputed by the king to hear you.” ⁴ Absalom would also say, “If only I were judge in the land! Then all who had a suit or cause might come to me, and I would give them justice.”^{(B) 5} Whenever people came near to do obeisance to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of them and kiss them. ⁶ Thus Absalom did to every Israelite who came to the king for judgment, so Absalom stole the hearts of the people of Israel.^(C)