1
Then the second, who had spoken of the strength of the king, began to speak:
2
"Gentlemen, are not men strongest, who rule over land and sea and all that is in them?
3
But the king is stronger; he is their lord and master, and whatever he says to them they obey.
4
If he tells them to make war on one another, they do it; and if he sends them out against the enemy, they go, and conquer mountains, walls, and towers.
5
They kill and are killed, and do not disobey the king's command; if they win the victory, they bring everything to the king -- whatever spoil they take and everything else.
6
Likewise those who do not serve in the army or make war but till the soil, whenever they sow, reap the harvest and bring some to the king; and they compel one another to pay taxes to the king.
7
And yet he is only one man! If he tells them to kill, they kill; if he tells them to release, they release;
8
if he tells them to attack, they attack; if he tells them to lay waste, they lay waste; if he tells them to build, they build;
9
if he tells them to cut down, they cut down; if he tells them to plant, they plant.