2Sa 15:4, 1Ki 12:6-11, 2Ki 21:1-3, Ecc 2:19, Jer 22:15-17 | ESV | STEP | Then Absalom would say , Oh that I were judge in the land ! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice .

a Judg. 9:29

b[See ver. 4 above]

cFor ver. 1-9, see 2 Chr. 33:1-9

d[ch. 16:3]

e ch. 18:4

fSee Deut. 16:21

g 1 Kgs. 16:32, 33

h ch. 17:16; 23:5; [Deut. 4:19]

i[2 Kgs. 23:25]

j Ps. 128:2; Eccles. 8:12; Isa. 3:10

k Prov. 31:9; [Isa. 1:17]

l[See ver. 15 above]

m[Judg. 2:10]

n ver. 3; [ch. 26:15]

2 Samuel 15:4

4 Then Absalom would say, ^a“Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice.”

1 Kings 12:6-11

6 Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” 7 And they said to 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.” 8 But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him. 9 And he said to them, “What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put on us’?” 10 And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus shall you speak to this people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us,’ thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s thighs. 11 And now, whereas ^bmy father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’”

2 Kings 21:1-3

Manasseh Reigns in Judah

1 ^cManasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, ^daccording to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places ^ethat Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made ^fan Asherah, ^gas Ahab king of Israel had done, ^hand worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.

Ecclesiastes 2:19

19 and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity.

Jeremiah 22:15-17

15 Do you think you are a king
because you compete in cedar?
Did not your father eat and drink
and ⁱdo justice and righteousness?
^jThen it was well with him.
16 ^kHe judged the cause of the poor and needy;
^lthen it was well.
Is not this ^mto know me?
declares the Lord.
17 But you have eyes and heart
only for your dishonest gain,
ⁿfor shedding innocent blood,
and for practicing oppression and violence.”