²³ He acted wisely, dispersing some of his sons throughout the districts of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the fortified cities. He gave them abundant provisions^(A) and took many wives for them.

⁸ “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world^(A) are more shrewd^(B) in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.^(C)

³ Their father had given them many gifts^(A) of silver and gold and articles of value, as well as fortified cities^(B) in Judah, but he had given the kingdom to Jehoram because he was his firstborn son.

⁸ But Rehoboam rejected^(A) the advice the elders^(B) gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. ⁹ He asked them, “What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”

¹⁰ The young men who had grown up with him replied, “The people have said to you, ‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter.’ Now tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. ¹¹ My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.’”

¹² Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, “Come back to me in three days.” ¹³ The king answered them harshly. Rejecting the advice of the elders, ¹⁴ he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.” ¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from God,^(C) to fulfill the word the Lord had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.^(D)

⁵ Now Adonijah,^(A) whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots^(B) and horses^[a] ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. ⁶ (His father had never rebuked^(C) him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)

⁶ But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines^(A) and sent them away from his son Isaac^(B) to the land of the east.^(C)