1 Kings 12:14

¹⁶No straw is given to your servants, and they tell us, ‘Make brick!’ and behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.”

¹⁷But Pharaoh said, “You are idle! You are idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let’s go and sacrifice to the LORD.’ ¹⁸Go therefore now, and work; for no straw shall be given to you; yet you shall deliver the same number of bricks!”

⁵Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens.” ⁶The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, ⁷“You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick, as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸You shall require from them the number of the bricks which they made before. You shall not diminish anything of it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, saying, ‘Let’s go and sacrifice to our God.’ ⁹Let heavier work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it. Don’t let them pay any attention to lying words.”

¹⁰The young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Tell these people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter to us’—tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. ¹¹Now my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.’”

²Then the king’s servants who served him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king. ³Let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the beautiful young virgins to the citadel of Susa, to the women’s house, to the custody of Hegai the king’s eunuch, keeper of the women. Let cosmetics be given them; ⁴and let the maiden who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” The thing pleased the king, and he did so.

¹⁰Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is with people who take advice.

¹¹The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish. The counsel of the wisest counselors of Pharaoh has become stupid. How do you say to Pharaoh, “I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings”? ¹²Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you now; and let them know what the LORD of Armies has purposed concerning Egypt. ¹³The princes of Zoan have become fools. The princes of Memphis are deceived. They have caused Egypt to go astray, those who are the cornerstone of her tribes.

¹⁴and they made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.

⁴He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, as did Ahab’s house, for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction. ⁵He also followed their counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth Gilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram.

⁷All the presidents of the kingdom, the deputies and the local governors, the counselors and the governors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a strong decree, that whoever asks a petition of any god or man for thirty days, except of you, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

⁵The thoughts of the righteous are just, but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.