2 Chronicles 10
English Standard Version Anglicised
The Revolt Against Rehoboam
10 (A)Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. 2 And as soon as Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was in Egypt, (B)where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam returned from Egypt. 3 And they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and said to Rehoboam, 4 (C)“Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.” 5 He said to them, “Come to me again in three days.” So the people went away.
6 Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men,[a] who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” 7 And they said to him, (D)“If you will be good to this people and please them and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants for ever.” 8 But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him. 9 And he said to them, “What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put on us’?” 10 And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus shall you speak to the people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us’; thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's thighs. 11 And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’”
12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again on the third day.” 13 And the king answered them harshly; and forsaking the counsel of the old men, 14 King Rehoboam 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 discipline you with scorpions.” 15 So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by God that the Lord might fulfil his word, (E)which he spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16 And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. (F)Each of you to your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David.” So all Israel went to their tents. 17 But Rehoboam reigned over the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah. 18 Then King Rehoboam sent (G)Hadoram,[b] who was taskmaster over the forced labour, and the people of Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboam quickly mounted his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 10:6 Or the elders; also verses 8, 13
- 2 Chronicles 10:18 Spelled Adoram in 1 Kings 12:18
2 Chronicles 10
Expanded Bible
Israel Turns Against Rehoboam(A)
10 Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all the Israelites had gone to make him king. 2 Jeroboam son of Nebat was in Egypt, where he had ·gone to escape [fled] from King Solomon. When Jeroboam heard about Rehoboam being made king, he returned from Egypt. 3 After the people ·sent for [summoned; L sent and called for] him, he and the people went to Rehoboam and said to him, 4 “Your father ·forced us to work very hard [L made our yoke heavy]. Now, ·make it easier for us, and don’t make us work as he did [L lighten the hard labor and heavy yoke of your father]. Then we will serve you.”
5 Rehoboam answered, “Come back to me in three days.” So the people left.
6 King Rehoboam ·asked [consulted] the elders who had advised Solomon during his lifetime, “How do you ·think I should [advise/counsel me to] answer these people?”
7 They answered, “·Be kind [L If you are fair] to these people. If you please them and give them a ·kind [cordial] answer, they will serve you always.”
8 But Rehoboam rejected ·this advice [L the advice/counsel of the elders]. Instead, he ·asked [consulted] the young men who had grown up with him and who ·served as his advisers [served/attended him]. 9 Rehoboam asked them, “What is your ·advice [counsel]? How should we answer these people who said to me, ‘·Don’t make us work as hard as your father did’ [L Lighten the yoke your father put on us]?”
10 The young men who had grown up with him answered, “The people said to you, ‘Your father ·forced us to work very hard [L made our yoke heavy]. Now make our work ·easier [lighter].’ You should tell them, ‘My little ·finger [L one] is ·bigger than my father’s legs [L thicker than my father’s loins/waist]. 11 ·He forced you to work hard [L My father laid a heavy yoke on you], but I will ·make you work even harder [L add to your yoke]. My father ·beat [scourged; disciplined] you with whips, but I will ·beat [scourge; discipline] you with ·whips that have sharp points [L scorpions; C either a metaphor or an especially painful kind of whip].’”
12 Rehoboam had told the people, “Come back to me in three days.” So after three days Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam. 13 King Rehoboam spoke ·cruel words [harshly] to them, because he had rejected the ·advice [counsel] of the elders. 14 He followed the ·advice [counsel] of the young men and said, “My father ·forced you to work hard [L laid a heavy yoke on you], but I will ·make you work even harder [L add to your yoke]. My father beat you with whips, but I will ·beat [scourge; discipline] you with ·whips that have sharp points [L scorpions; v. 11].”
15 So the king ·did not [refused to] listen to the people. God caused this ·to happen [turn of events] so that the Lord could ·keep the promise he had made [fulfill/establish the word he spoke] to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah, a prophet from Shiloh.
16 When all the Israelites saw that the king refused to listen to them, they said to the king,
“·We have no share [L What share/part/T portion have we…?] in David [C in David’s dynasty]!
We have no ·part [inheritance; interest; heritage] in the son of Jesse!
People of Israel, ·let’s go to our own homes [L each one to your tents]!
Let David’s son ·rule his own people [L look after your own house; C that is, the tribe of Judah].”
So all the Israelites ·went home [L left for their tents]. 17 But Rehoboam ·still ruled [continued to reign] over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah.
18 ·Adoniram [or Hadoram] was in charge of the ·forced labor [labor force]. When Rehoboam sent him to the people, they ·threw stones at him until he died [stoned him to death]. But King Rehoboam ·ran to his [hurriedly jumped into his] chariot and ·escaped [fled] to Jerusalem. 19 Since then, Israel has been in rebellion against the ·family [dynasty; L house] of David.
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