⁶ He discussed their demand with the old men who had counseled his father Solomon.

“What shall I tell them?” he asked.

⁷ “If you want to be their king,” they replied, “you will have to give them a favorable reply and treat them with kindness.”

^8-9 But he rejected their advice and asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him. “What do you fellows think I should do?” he asked. “Shall I be easier on them than my father was?”