2 Chronicles 10

¹Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.

²And it came to pass, when Jeroboam son of Nebat heard — and he was in Egypt, where he had fled from before Solomon the king — that Jeroboam returned from Egypt.

³They sent for him and summoned him; Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,

⁴'Your father made our yoke harsh; now therefore lighten the harsh service of your father and his heavy yoke that he placed on us, and we will serve you.'

⁵He said to them, "Come back to me in three days." And the people went away.

⁶And King Rehoboam took counsel with the elders who had stood before Solomon his father while he was alive, saying, 'How do you advise to answer this people a word?'

⁷They spoke to him, saying, "If you will be good to this people and please them and speak kind words to them, they will be your servants forever."

⁸But he forsook the counsel of the elders that they had advised him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.

⁹He said to them, "What do you advise that we may answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke that your father placed on us'?"

¹⁰And the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, 'Thus you shall say to the people who spoke to you, saying, "Your father made our yoke heavy, but you — lighten it from off us": thus you shall say to them, "My little finger is thicker than my father's loins."'

¹¹Now my father loaded a heavy yoke on you, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions."

¹²And Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had said, 'Return to me on the third day.'

¹³The king answered them harshly; King Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the elders

¹⁴And he 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 disciplined you with whips, but I will use scorpions.'

¹⁵So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of events from God, so that the Lord might establish his word that he spoke by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

¹⁶And all Israel, when the king did not listen to them, the people gave the king answer, saying, 'What portion do we have in David? And no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to your tents, O Israel! Now see to your own house, David.' And all Israel went to their tents.

¹⁷But the sons of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah — Rehoboam reigned over them.

¹⁸And King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the forced labor; and the sons of Israel stoned him with stones so that he died. And King Rehoboam managed to get himself up into a chariot to flee to Jerusalem.

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