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.
2 Chronicles 10
Good News Translation
The Northern Tribes Revolt(A)
10 Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all the people of northern Israel had gathered to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had gone to Egypt to escape from King Solomon, heard this news, he returned home. 3 The people of the northern tribes sent for him, and they all went together to Rehoboam and said to him, 4 “Your father placed heavy burdens on us. If you make these burdens lighter and make life easier for us, we will be your loyal subjects.”
5 Rehoboam replied, “Give me three days to consider the matter. Then come back.” So the people left.
6 King Rehoboam consulted the older men who had served as his father Solomon's advisers. “What answer do you advise me to give these people?” he asked.
7 They replied, “If you are kind to these people and try to please them by giving a considerate answer, they will always serve you loyally.”
8 But he ignored the advice of the older men and went instead to the young men who had grown up with him and who were now his advisers. 9 “What do you advise me to do?” he asked. “What shall I say to the people who are asking me to make their burdens lighter?”
10 They replied, “This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's waist.’ 11 Tell them, ‘My father placed heavy burdens on you; I will make them even heavier. He beat you with whips; I'll flog you with bullwhips!’”
12 Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to King Rehoboam, as he had instructed them. 13 The king ignored the advice of the older men and spoke harshly to the people, 14 as the younger men had advised. He said, “My father placed heavy burdens on you; I will make them even heavier. He beat you with whips; I'll flog you with bullwhips!” 15 It was the will of the Lord God to bring about what he had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh. This is why the king did not pay any attention to the people.
16 (B)When the people saw that the king would not listen to them, they shouted, “Down with David and his family! What have they ever done for us? People of Israel, let's go home! Let Rehoboam look out for himself!”
So the people of Israel rebelled, 17 leaving Rehoboam as king only of the people who lived in the territory of Judah.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who was in charge of the forced labor, to go to the Israelites, but they stoned him to death. At this, Rehoboam hurriedly got in his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem. 19 Ever since that time the people of the northern kingdom of Israel have been in rebellion against the dynasty of David.
2 Chronicles 10
Tree of Life Version
The Revolt Against Rehoboam at Shechem
10 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. 2 Now it came to pass that when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard this—for he was in Egypt where he had fled from King Solomon—Jeroboam returned from Egypt. 3 So they sent and summoned him; and Jeroboam and all Israel came to Rehoboam and spoke to Rehoboam saying, 4 “Your father made our yoke grievous but now lighten the harsh labor of your father and his heavy yoke that he put on us—then we will serve you.”
5 He answered them, “Come back to me in three days.” So the people departed.
6 Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon while he was alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?”
7 They answered him saying, “If you will be kind to this people and please them and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.”
8 But he disregarded the counsel that the elders had given him and consulted with the young men who grew up with him and served him. 9 He said to them, “How do you advise me to answer this people who have spoken to me saying, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put on us?’”
10 The young men that grew up with him answered him saying: “Speak thus to the people who spoke to you saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us’. Thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins. 11 Now, whereas my father laid a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will do so with scorpions.’”
12 Then Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had said to them saying, “Come back to me on the third day.” 13 The king answered them harshly. King Rehoboam ignored the counsel of the elders 14 and spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men saying, “I will make your yoke heavy—I will make it even heavier. My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.”
15 So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from God so that Adonai might establish His word that He had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16 When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king saying,
“What portion do we have in David?
We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse!
To your tents, O Israel!
Now look after your own house, David!”
So all Israel departed to their tents. 17 But Rehoboam continued to reign over Bnei-Yisrael who lived in the cities of Judah. 18 Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the forced labor, but men of Israel pelted him to death with stones. King Rehoboam, however, managed to mount his chariot and to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
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Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.