北方支派背叛罗波安

10 罗波安前往示剑,因为以色列人都去了那里要立他为王。 尼八的儿子耶罗波安曾为了躲避所罗门王而逃往埃及,并一直住在那里。他听到消息便返回以色列。 以色列人派人去请他,他就和以色列众人去见罗波安,说: “你父亲使我们负担沉重,求你减轻我们的负担吧,我们一定效忠你。” 罗波安对他们说:“你们三天之后再来见我。”众人就离开了。

罗波安王去征询曾服侍他父亲所罗门的老臣的意见,说:“你们认为我该怎样回复这些百姓?” 他们回禀说:“王若善待这些百姓,使他们喜悦,对他们好言相待,他们会永远做王的仆人。”

罗波安却没有采纳老臣的意见。他又去征询那些和他一起长大的青年臣僚的意见, 说:“百姓求我减轻我父亲加给他们的重担。你们认为我该怎样回复他们?” 10 他们说:“百姓说你父亲使他们负担沉重,请求你减轻他们的负担。你可以这样回复他们,‘我的小指头比我父亲的腰还粗。 11 我父亲使你们负重担,我要使你们负更重的担子;我父亲用鞭子打你们,我要用刺鞭打你们。’”

12 过了三天,耶罗波安和百姓遵照罗波安王的话来见他。 13-14 罗波安王没有采纳老臣的建议,而是照青年臣僚的建议,疾言厉色地对他们说:“我父亲使你们负重担,我要使你们负更重的担子!我父亲用鞭子打你们,我要用刺鞭打你们!” 15 王不听百姓的请求。这事出于耶和华上帝,为要应验祂借示罗人亚希雅先知对尼八的儿子耶罗波安说的话。

16 以色列人见王不听他们的请求,就说:

“我们与大卫有何相干?
我们与耶西的儿子没有关系!
以色列人啊,各自回家吧!
大卫家啊,自己照顾自己吧!”

于是,以色列人都各自回家了。 17 但住在犹大城邑的以色列人仍受罗波安统治。 18 罗波安王派劳役总管哈多兰去以色列人那里,以色列人却用石头打死了他,罗波安王连忙上车逃回耶路撒冷。 19 从此,以色列人反叛大卫家,直到今天。

罗波安继位(A)

10 罗波安到示剑去,因为全体以色列人都去了示剑,要立他作王。 那时,尼八的儿子耶罗波安,因为逃避所罗门王,住在埃及;他一听见这事,就从埃及回来。 他们派人去叫耶罗波安回来;他就和全体以色列人来见罗波安,对他说: “你父亲使我们所负的轭甚重,现在求你减轻你父亲加在我们身上的劳役和重轭,我们就服事你。” 罗波安对他们说:“三天以后你们再来见我吧!”众人就离去了。

不采纳老年人的意见(B)

罗波安王和一些在他父亲所罗门在世的时候,侍立在所罗门面前的老人商议,说:“你们有甚么提议,我好回复这班民众呢?” 他们对他说:“如果王善待人民,使他们喜悦,对他们说好话,他们就必永远作你的仆人。”

听从少年人的计谋(C)

王不接受这些老人的意见,却去和那些同他一起长大,侍立在他面前的年轻人商议, 问他们:“这人民对我说:求你减轻你父亲加在我们身上的重轭吧。你们有甚么提议,我好回复他们呢?” 10 那些同他一起长大的年轻人对他说:“这人民对王说:‘你父亲使我们所负的轭甚重,现在求你减轻些吧。’王要这样对他们说:‘我的小拇指比我父亲的腰还粗呢。 11 我父亲把重轭加在你们身上,我必使你们负更重的轭;我父亲用鞭打你们,我却要用蝎子鞭责打你们。’”

12 耶罗波安和全体人民都遵照罗波安王所说“你们第三天再来见我”的话,第三天来见罗波安。 13 罗波安王很严厉地回答他们。罗波安王不接受老人的意见, 14 却照着年轻人的主意对他们说:“我父亲使你们负重轭,我必使你们负更重的轭;我父亲用鞭子责打你们,我却要用蝎子鞭责打你们。” 15 王不听从人民的要求,这事原是出于 神,为要实现耶和华借着示罗人亚希雅对尼八的儿子耶罗波安所说的话。

以色列人背叛(D)

16 以色列人见王不听他们的要求,就对王说:

“我们和大卫有甚么关系呢?

我们和耶西的儿子并不相干。

以色列人哪,各回各家去吧,

大卫啊,现在只顾你自己的家吧。”

于是全体以色列人都回自己的家去了。 17 只有那些住在犹大众城镇的以色列人,罗波安仍然作他们的王。 18 罗波安王差派了监管苦工的哈多兰(“哈多兰”是“亚多尼兰”或“亚多兰”的另一种写法;参王上4:6,12:18)到以色列人那里去,以色列人就用石头把他打死了。罗波安王急忙上车,逃回耶路撒冷去了。 19 这样,以色列人背叛了大卫家,直到今日。

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.”