北方支派背叛羅波安

10 羅波安前往示劍,因為以色列人都去了那裡要立他為王。 尼八的兒子耶羅波安曾為了躲避所羅門王而逃往埃及,並一直住在那裡。他聽到消息便返回以色列。 以色列人派人去請他,他就和以色列眾人去見羅波安,說: 「你父親使我們負擔沉重,求你減輕我們的負擔吧,我們一定效忠你。」 羅波安對他們說:「你們三天之後再來見我。」眾人就離開了。

羅波安王去徵詢曾服侍他父親所羅門的老臣的意見,說:「你們認為我該怎樣回覆這些百姓?」 他們回稟說:「王若善待這些百姓,使他們喜悅,對他們好言相待,他們會永遠做王的僕人。」

羅波安卻沒有採納老臣的意見。他又去徵詢那些和他一起長大的青年臣僚的意見, 說:「百姓求我減輕我父親加給他們的重擔。你們認為我該怎樣回覆他們?」 10 他們說:「百姓說你父親使他們負擔沉重,請求你減輕他們的負擔。你可以這樣回覆他們,『我的小指頭比我父親的腰還粗。 11 我父親使你們負重擔,我要使你們負更重的擔子;我父親用鞭子打你們,我要用刺鞭打你們。』」

12 過了三天,耶羅波安和百姓遵照羅波安王的話來見他。 13-14 羅波安王沒有採納老臣的建議,而是照青年臣僚的建議,疾言厲色地對他們說:「我父親使你們負重擔,我要使你們負更重的擔子!我父親用鞭子打你們,我要用刺鞭打你們!」 15 王不聽百姓的請求。這事出於耶和華上帝,為要應驗祂藉示羅人亞希雅先知對尼八的兒子耶羅波安說的話。

16 以色列人見王不聽他們的請求,就說:

「我們與大衛有何相干?
我們與耶西的兒子沒有關係!
以色列人啊,各自回家吧!
大衛家啊,自己照顧自己吧!」

於是,以色列人都各自回家了。 17 但住在猶大城邑的以色列人仍受羅波安統治。 18 羅波安王派勞役總管哈多蘭去以色列人那裡,以色列人卻用石頭打死了他,羅波安王連忙上車逃回耶路撒冷。 19 從此,以色列人反叛大衛家,直到今天。

The Northern Tribes Rebel

10 Rehoboam traveled to Shechem, for all Israel had gathered in[a] Shechem to make Rehoboam[b] king. When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news, he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon. Jeroboam returned from Egypt. They sent for him,[c] and Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, “Your father made us work too hard![d] Now if you lighten the demands he made and don’t make us work as hard, we will serve you.”[e] He said to them, “Go away for three days, then return to me.” So the people went away.

King Rehoboam consulted with the older advisers who had served[f] his father Solomon when he had been alive. He asked them,[g] “How do you advise me to answer these people?” They said to him, “If you are fair to these people, grant their request, and are cordial to them, they will be your servants from this time forward.”[h] But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served him, with whom he had grown up.[i] He asked them, “How do you advise me to respond to these people who said to me, ‘Lessen the demands your father placed on us’?”[j] 10 The young advisers with whom Rehoboam[k] had grown up said to him, “Say this to these people who have said to you, ‘Your father made us work hard, but now lighten our burden’[l]—say this to them: ‘I am a lot harsher than my father![m] 11 My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier.[n] My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.’”[o]

12 Jeroboam and all the people reported to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had ordered when he said, “Return to me on the third day.” 13 The king responded to the people harshly. He[p] rejected the advice of the older men 14 and followed the advice of the younger ones. He said, “My father imposed heavy demands on you;[q] I will make them even heavier.[r] My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.”[s] 15 The king refused to listen to the people, because God was instigating this turn of events[t] so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had made[u] through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

16 When all Israel saw[v] that the king refused to listen to them, the people answered the king, “We have no portion in David—no share in the son of Jesse![w] Return to your homes, O Israel![x] Now, look after your own dynasty, O David!”[y] So all Israel returned to their homes.[z] 17 (Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.) 18 King Rehoboam sent Hadoram,[aa] the supervisor of the work crews, out after them, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to jump into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the Davidic dynasty to this very day.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 10:1 tn Heb “come [to].”
  2. 2 Chronicles 10:1 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  3. 2 Chronicles 10:3 tn Heb “They sent and called for him.”
  4. 2 Chronicles 10:4 tn Heb “made our yoke burdensome.”
  5. 2 Chronicles 10:4 tn Heb “but you, now, lighten the burdensome work of your father and the heavy yoke which he placed on us, and we will serve you.” In the Hebrew text the prefixed verbal form with vav (וְנַעַבְדֶךָ, venaʿavedekha, “and we will serve you”) following the imperative (הָקֵל, haqel, “lighten”) indicates purpose/result. The conditional sentence used in the present translation is an attempt to bring out the logical relationship between these forms.
  6. 2 Chronicles 10:6 tn Heb “stood before.”
  7. 2 Chronicles 10:6 tn Heb “saying.”
  8. 2 Chronicles 10:7 tn Heb “If you are for good to these people and you are favorable to them and speak to them good words, they will be your servants all the days.”
  9. 2 Chronicles 10:8 tn Heb “Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders which they advised and he consulted the young men with whom he had grown up, who stood before him.”
  10. 2 Chronicles 10:9 tn Heb “Lighten the yoke which your father placed on us.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 10:10 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  12. 2 Chronicles 10:10 tn Heb “Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter upon us.”
  13. 2 Chronicles 10:10 tn Heb “My little one is thicker than my father’s hips.” The referent of “my little one” is not clear. The traditional view is that it refers to the little finger (so NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). As the following statement makes clear, Rehoboam’s point is that he is more harsh and demanding than his father.
  14. 2 Chronicles 10:11 tn Heb “and now my father placed upon you a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke.”
  15. 2 Chronicles 10:11 tn Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I [will punish you] with scorpions.” “Scorpions” might allude to some type of torture, but more likely it refers to a type of whip that inflicts an especially biting, painful wound.
  16. 2 Chronicles 10:13 tn Heb “King Rehoboam.” The pronoun “he” has been used in the translation in place of the proper name in keeping with contemporary English style.
  17. 2 Chronicles 10:14 tc The Hebrew text reads, “I will make heavy your yoke,” but many medieval Hebrew mss and other ancient textual witnesses have, “my father made heavy your yoke.”
  18. 2 Chronicles 10:14 tn Heb “but I will add to your yoke.”
  19. 2 Chronicles 10:14 tn Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I [will punish you] with scorpions.” “Scorpions” might allude to some type of torture, but more likely it refers to a type of whip that inflicts an especially biting, painful wound.
  20. 2 Chronicles 10:15 tn Heb “because this turn of events was from God.”
  21. 2 Chronicles 10:15 tn Heb “so that the Lord might bring to pass his word which he spoke.”
  22. 2 Chronicles 10:16 tc The MT does not include the word “saw,” but many medieval Hebrew mss as well as several ancient versions have it. See the parallel text of 1 Kings 12:16, which has the verb וַיַּרְא (from רָאָה, raʾah, “to see”).
  23. 2 Chronicles 10:16 sn The people’s point seems to be that they have no familial relationship with David that brings them any benefits or places upon them any obligations. They are being treated like outsiders.
  24. 2 Chronicles 10:16 tn Heb “each one to your tents, Israel.” The word “return” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  25. 2 Chronicles 10:16 tn Heb “Now see your house, David.”
  26. 2 Chronicles 10:16 tn Heb “went to their tents.”
  27. 2 Chronicles 10:18 sn In the parallel account in 1 Kgs 12:18 this name appears as “Adoniram.”