King Rehoboam
10
📚And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. 2 📚And it came about when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was in Egypt where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon, heard it, that Jeroboam 📖 returned from Egypt. 3 📚And they sent word and called him. So Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 4 📚“Your father made our yoke hard. Now therefore lighten the hard labour from your father, and his hard yoke that he put on us, and we will serve you”. 5 📚And he said to them, “Come back to me after three days”. And the people departed.
6 📚And King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men who had stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, saying, “What counsel do you give me to give back an answer to this people?”
7 📚And they spoke to him, saying, “If you are kind to this people and please them and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever”.
8 📚But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men who were brought up with him, who stood in his presence. 9 📚And he said to them, “What advice do you give so that we can give back an answer to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put on us?’”
10 📚And the young men who were brought up with him spoke to him, saying, “This is how you should answer the people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter for us’: say to them, ‘My little finger will be thicker than my father’s waist. 11 📚For whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will put more on your yoke. My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.’ ”
12 📚So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had directed, saying, “Come back to me on the third day”. 13 📚And the king answered them roughly; and King Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men, 14 📚and answered them in accordance with the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions”.
15 📚So the king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from God, that the LORD might fulfil his word which he spoke through Ahijah 📖 the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16 📚And when all Israel saw that the king would not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, “What part do we have in David? And we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to your tents, O Israel! And now, David, see to your own house”. So all Israel went to their tents.
17 📚But as for the children of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
18 📚Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram 📖 who was over the forced labour; and the children of Israel pelted him with stones, so that he died. But King Rehoboam hurriedly got up into his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. 19 📚And Israel rebelled against the house of David, as it is to this day.