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10 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king.

Jeroboam the son of Nebat was in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon, when he heard about the new king; so Jeroboam returned from Egypt.

And the people sent for him. So Jeroboam and all Israel came to Rehoboam, saying,

Your father [King Solomon] made our yoke grievous. So now make lighter the grievous service of your father and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve you.

Rehoboam replied, Come again to me after three days. And the people departed.

King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men who stood before Solomon his father while he was alive, saying, What counsel do you give me in reply to the people?

And they answered him, If you are kind to [these] people and please them and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever.

But the king forsook the counsel which the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who were brought up with him and stood before him.

And he said to them, What answer do you advise that we give to the demand of [these] people, Make the yoke your father put upon us lighter?

10 The young men who were brought up with him said to him, Tell the people who said to you, Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter: My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins.

11 For whereas my father put 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 The third day Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam as he had said.

13 And the king answered them harshly, forsaking the counsel of the old men,

14 And answered them after 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 So the king did not heed the people, for it was [a]brought about of God, that the Lord might perform His word which He spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.(A)

16 And when all Israel saw that the king would not listen to and heed them, they answered [him], What portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to your tents, O Israel! Now, David [tribe of Judah], see to your own house [under your tyrant King Rehoboam]! So all Israel went to their homes.

17 But as for the Israelites who dwelt in Judah’s cities, Rehoboam ruled over them.

18 Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the forced labor, and the Israelites stoned him and he died. But King Rehoboam hastened to get up to his royal chariot to flee to Jerusalem.

19 And Israel has rebelled against the house of David to this day.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 10:15 God permitted the revolt of the northern tribes, intending it as a punishment of the house of David for Solomon’s apostasy (Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown, A Commentary).

Israel Rebels Against Rehoboam(A)

10 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king. When Jeroboam(B) son of Nebat heard this (he was in Egypt, where he had fled(C) from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt. So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and all Israel(D) went to Rehoboam and said to him: “Your father put a heavy yoke on us,(E) but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”

Rehoboam answered, “Come back to me in three days.” So the people went away.

Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders(F) who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How would you advise me to answer these people?” he asked.

They replied, “If you will be kind to these people and please them and give them a favorable answer,(G) they will always be your servants.”

But Rehoboam rejected(H) the advice the elders(I) gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. He asked them, “What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”

10 The young men who had grown up with him replied, “The people have said to you, ‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter.’ Now tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. 11 My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.’”

12 Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, “Come back to me in three days.” 13 The king answered them harshly. Rejecting the advice of the elders, 14 he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.” 15 So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from God,(J) to fulfill the word the Lord had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.(K)

16 When all Israel(L) saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king:

“What share do we have in David,(M)
    what part in Jesse’s son?
To your tents, Israel!
    Look after your own house, David!”

So all the Israelites went home. 17 But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah, Rehoboam still ruled over them.

18 King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram,[a](N) who was in charge of forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam, however, managed to get into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 10:18 Hebrew Hadoram, a variant of Adoniram