2 Chronicles 10
1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, because all the Israelites had gone to Shechem to make him king.
And Rehoboam went to Shechem; for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
2 Jeroboam, son of Nebat, was still in Egypt when he heard about this. (He had run away to Egypt to escape from King Solomon and was living there.)
And it came to pass when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (now he was in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of king Solomon) that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt.
3 The Israelite leaders sent for him. Jereboam and all the Israelites went to talk with Rehoboam.
And they sent and called him; and Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam saying,
4 “Your father placed a heavy burden on us,” they told him. “But now if you lighten the load your father imposed and the heavy demands he laid on us, we will serve you.”
Thy father made our yoke grievous; and now lighten the grievous servitude of thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee.
5 Rehoboam answered, “Come back in three days time.” So the people left.
And he said to them, Come again to me after three days. And the people departed.
6 King Rehoboam asked for advice from the elders who had served his father Solomon when he was alive. “How do you advise me to reply to these people about this?” he asked.
And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, How do ye advise to return answer to this people?
7 They replied, “If you treat these people well, and please them by speaking kindly to them, they will always serve you.”
And they spoke to him saying, If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be thy servants for ever.
8 But Rehoboam dismissed the advice of the elders. He instead asked advice from the young men who he had grown up with, and who were close to him.
But he forsook the advice of the old men which they had given him, and consulted with the young men, who had grown up with him, that stood before him.
9 He asked them, “What response do you advise that we send back to these people who have told me, ‘Lighten the burden your father put on us’?”
And he said to them, What advice give ye that we may return answer to this people, who have spoken to me saying, Lighten the yoke which thy father put upon us?
10 The young men who he had grown up with told him, “This is what you have to tell these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our burden heavy, but you should make it lighter.’ This is what you should answer them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's waist!
And the young men that had grown up with him spoke to him saying, Thus shalt thou say to the people who have spoken to thee saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, and lighten thou it for us, — thus shalt thou say to them: My little [finger] is thicker than my father's loins;
11 My father placed a heavy burden on you, and I will make it even heavier. My father punished you with whips; I will punish you with scorpions.’”
and whereas my father laid a heavy yoke upon you, I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I [will chastise you] with scorpions.
12 Three days later, Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, because the king had told them, “Come back in three days time.”
And Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed saying, Come again to me on the third day.
13 The king answered them sharply. Dismissing the advice of the elders,
And the king answered them roughly; and king Rehoboam forsook the advice of the old men,
14 he replied using the advice of the young men. He said, “My father placed a heavy burden on you, and I will make it even heavier. My father punished you with whips; I will punish you with scorpions.”
and spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, but I [will chastise you] with scorpions.
15 The king did not listen to what the people said, for this change in circumstances was from God, to fulfill what Lord had told Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.
So the king hearkened not to the people; for it was brought about by God, that Jehovah might give effect to his word, which he spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16 When all the Israelites saw that the king wasn't listening to them, they told the king: “What share do we have in David, and what part do we have in the son of Jesse? Go home, Israel! You're on your own, house of David!” So all the Israelites went home.
And all Israel saw that the king hearkened not to them; and the people answered the king saying, What portion have we in David? and [we have] no inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to your tents, O Israel. Now see to thine own house, David! And all Israel went to their tents.
17 However, Rehoboam still ruled over the Israelites who lived in Judah.
But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent out Hadoram, who was in charge of forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam quickly jumped into his chariot and raced back to Jerusalem.
And king Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the levy; but the children of Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. And king Rehoboam hastened to mount his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.
19 As a result, Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
And Israel rebelled against the house of David, unto this day.
