2 Chronicles 10
1 All the people of Israel went to Shechem [city] in order to appoint Rehoboam to be their king. So Rehoboam also went there.
And Roboam came to Sychem: for all Israel came to Sychem to make him king.
2 Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, had fled to Egypt [to escape] from King Solomon. But when he heard [about the people wanting to appoint Rehoboam to be their king], he returned [to Israel] from Egypt
And it came to pass when Jeroboam the son of Nabat heard [it], (now he was in Egypt, forasmuch as he had fled there from the face of king Solomon, and Jeroboam lived in Egypt, ) that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt.
3 So the [leaders of the northern tribes] summoned him, and he went with them [to talk] to Rehoboam. They said to Rehoboam,
And they sent and called him: and Jeroboam and all the congregation came to Roboam, saying,
4 “Your father [Solomon] forced us to work very hard for him. If you do not force us to work that hard, and if you charge us less taxes than we were paying to him, we will serve you [faithfully].”
Your father made our yoke grievous: now then abate [somewhat] of your father's grievous rule, and of his heavy yoke which he put upon us, and we will serve you.
5 He replied, “Come back three days from now [and I will give you my answer].” So those leaders [and Jeroboam] left.
And he said to them, Go away for three days, and [then] come to me. So the people departed.
6 Then King Rehoboam consulted his older men who had advised his father Solomon while he was still alive. He asked them, “What shall I say to answer these men?”
And king Roboam assembled the elders that stood before his father Solomon in his life-time, saying, How do you counsel [me] to return an answer to this people?
7 They replied, “If you will be kind to these people and do things that will please them, and if you say kind things to them when you answer them, they will always serve you.”
And they spoke to him, saying, If you would this day befriend this people, and be kind to them, and speak to them good words, then will they be your servants for ever.
8 But he ignored what the older men advised him to do. Instead, he consulted the younger men who had grown up with him, who were now his advisors.
But he forsook the advice of the old men, who took counsel with him, and he took counsel with the young men who had been brought up with him, who stood before him.
9 He said to them, “How should I answer the men who are asking me to reduce the [work and taxes] that my father required from them?”
And he said to them, What do you advise that I should answer this people, who spoke to me, saying, Ease [somewhat] of the yoke which your father laid upon us?
10 The young men who had grown up with him replied, “[Those men] have said that your father forced them to work very hard for him, so they want you to reduce the [work and taxes] that your father required from them. But this is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist.
And the young men that had been brought up with him spoke to him, saying, Thus shall you speak to the people that spoke to you, saying, Your father made our yoke heavy, and do you lighten [somewhat of it] from us; thus shall you say, My little finger [shall be] thicker than my father's loins.
11 What I mean is that my father required you to [work hard and pay high taxes]. But I will make those loads heavier. [It was as though] my father whipped you, but I will whip you with whips that have pieces of metal in them.’”
And whereas my father chastised you with a heavy yoke, I will also add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, and I will chastise you with scorpions.
12 Three days later, Jeroboam and all the leaders came to King Rehoboam again, which is what he had told them to do.
And Jeroboam and all the people came to Roboam on the third day, as the king had spoken, saying, Return to me on the third day.
13 The king ignored the advice of the older men and spoke harshly to the Israeli leaders.
And the king answered harshly; and king Roboam forsook the counsel of the old men,
14 [He told them what the younger men had advised.] He said, “My father put heavy burdens [of work and taxes] on you, but I will put heavier burdens on you. [It was as though] he beat you with whips, but I will beat you with whips that have pieces of metal in them!”
and spoke to them according to the counsel 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 So the king did not pay any attention to the Israeli leaders. But this happened in order that what Yahweh had told the prophet Ahijah about Jeroboam would happen.
And the king listened not to the people, for there was a change [of their minds] from God, saying, The Lord has confirmed his word, which he spoke by the hand of Achia the Selonite concerning Jeroboam the son of Nabat, and [concerning] all Israel;
16 When the Israeli leaders realized that the king did not pay any attention to what they said, they shouted, “We do not want anything to do with this descendant of King David! We will not pay attention to what this grandson of Jesse says! You people of Israel, let’s go home! As for this descendant of David, he can rule his own kingdom!” So the Israeli leaders returned to their homes.
for the king did not listen to them. And the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David, or inheritance in the son of Jessae? to your tents, O Israel: now see to your own house, David. So all Israel went to their tents.
17 And [after that, the only Israeli] people whom Rehoboam ruled over were those who lived in the territory of [the tribes of] Judah [and Benjamin].
But the men of Israel, even those who lived in the cities of Juda, [remained] and made Roboam king over them.
18 Then King Rehoboam went with Adoniram [to talk to the Israeli people]. Adoniram was the man who supervised [all the men who were] forced to work [for Rehoboam]. But the Israeli people killed him by throwing stones at him. When that happened, King Rehoboam quickly got in his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem.
And king Roboam sent to them Adoniram that was over the tribute; and the children of Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. And king Roboam hasted to mount [his] chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.
19 Ever since that time, [the people of the northern tribes of] Israel have been rebelling against the descendants of [King] David.
So Israel rebelled against the house of David until this day.
