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; ^Lsent and called for] him, he and the people went to Rehoboam and said to him, ⁴ “Your father ·forced us to work very hard [^Lmade our yoke heavy]. Now, ·make it easier for us, and don’t make us work as he did [^Llighten 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 [^LIf 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 [^Lthe 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’ [^LLighten 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 [^Lmade our yoke heavy]. Now make our work ·easier [lighter].’ You should tell them, ‘My little ·finger [^Lone] is ·bigger than my father’s legs [^Lthicker than my father’s loins/waist]. ¹¹ ·He forced you to work hard [^LMy father laid a heavy yoke on you], but I will ·make you work even harder [^Ladd to your yoke]. My father ·beat [scourged; disciplined] you with whips, but I will ·beat [scourge; discipline] you with ·whips that have sharp points [^Lscorpions; ^Ceither 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 [^Llaid a heavy yoke on you], but I will ·make you work even harder [^Ladd to your yoke]. My father beat you with whips, but I will ·beat [scourge; discipline] you with ·whips that have sharp points [^Lscorpions; 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,

So all the Israelites ·went home [^Lleft 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; ^Lhouse] of David.