2 Chronicles 10
Easy-to-Read Version
Rehoboam Acts Foolishly
10 Jeroboam son of Nebat was still in Egypt where he had run away from Solomon. When he heard about Solomon’s death, he returned to his city, Zeredah, in the hills of Ephraim.
Rehoboam and all the Israelites went to Shechem to make Rehoboam the king. The people said to Rehoboam, 4 “Your father forced us to work very hard. Now, make it easier for us. Stop the heavy work that your father forced us to do and we will serve you.”
5 Rehoboam answered, “Come back to me in three days, and I will answer you.” So the people left.
6 There were some older men who had helped Solomon make decisions when he was alive. So King Rehoboam asked these men what he should do. He said, “How do you think I should answer the people?”
7 They answered, “If you do what is good for the people, you will please them. If you speak kindly to them, they will always work for you.”
8 But Rehoboam did not listen to the advice from the older men. He asked the young men who were his friends. 9 Rehoboam said, “The people said, ‘Give us easier work than your father gave us.’ How do you think I should answer them? What should I tell them?”
10 Then the young men who grew up with him answered, “Those people came to you and said, ‘Your father forced us to work very hard. Now make our work easier.’ So you should tell them, ‘My little finger is stronger than my father’s whole body. 11 My father forced you to work hard, but I will make you work much harder! My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with whips that have sharp metal tips.’”
12 Three days later, Jeroboam and all the people came back to Rehoboam, just as he had told them to do. 13 King Rehoboam did not listen to the advice from the older men, and he was rude to the people. 14 He did what his friends told him to do and said, “My father forced you to work hard, but I will make you work much harder! My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with whips that have sharp metal tips.” 15 So the king did not do what the people wanted. The Lord caused this to happen. He did this in order to keep the promise he made to Jeroboam son of Nebat when he sent Ahijah, the prophet from Shiloh, to speak to him.
16 The Israelites saw that the new king refused to listen to them, so they said to him,
“We are not part of David’s family are we?
We don’t get any of Jesse’s land, do we?
So, people of Israel, let’s go home
and let David’s son rule his own people!”
So the Israelites went home. 17 But Rehoboam still ruled over the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.
18 A man named Adoniram was one of the men who directed the workers. King Rehoboam sent Adoniram to talk to the people, but the Israelites threw stones at him until he died. King Rehoboam ran to his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel rebelled against the family of David, and that is how things are even today.
2 Chronicles 10
Complete Jewish Bible
10 Rechav‘am went to Sh’khem, where all Isra’el had come in order to proclaim him king. 2 When Yarov‘am the son of N’vat heard of it, he returned from Egypt, where he had fled from Shlomo. 3 They sent and summoned him, so Yarov‘am and all Isra’el came and said to Rechav‘am, 4 “Your father laid a harsh yoke on us. But if you will lighten the harsh service we had to render your father and ease his heavy yoke that he put on us, we will serve you.” 5 He said to them, “Come back to me after three days.” So the people left.
6 King Rechav‘am consulted the older men who had been in attendance on Shlomo his father during his lifetime and asked, “What advice would you give me as to how to answer these people?” 7 They said to him, “If you will treat these people kindly, pleasing them and giving them favorable consideration, they will be your servants forever.” 8 But he didn’t take the advice the older men gave him; instead he consulted the young men he had grown up with, who were now his attendants. 9 He said to them, “What advice would you give me, so that we can give an answer to these people who said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father laid on us’?” 10 The young men he had grown up with said to him, “The people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you, make it lighter for us’ — here’s the answer you should give them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! 11 Yes, my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will make it heavier! My father controlled you with whips, but I [will control you] with scorpions!’”
12 So Yarov‘am and all the people came to Rechav‘am the third day, as the king had requested by saying, “Come to me again the third day”; 13 and the king answered them harshly. Abandoning the advice of the older men, King Rechav‘am 14 addressed them according to the advice of the young men and said, “I will make your yoke heavy, and I will add to it! My father controlled you with whips, but I will control you with scorpions!” 15 So the king didn’t listen to the people; and that was something God brought about, so that Adonai could fulfill his word, which he had spoken through Achiyah from Shiloh to Yarov‘am the son of N’vat.
16 When all Isra’el [saw] that the king wasn’t listening to them, the people answered the king,
“Do we have any share in David?
We have no heritage in the son of Yishai!
Everyone to your tents, Isra’el!
Care for your own house, David!”
So all Isra’el left for their tents.
17 But as for the people of Isra’el living in the cities of Y’hudah, Rechav‘am ruled over them. 18 King Rechav‘am then sent Hadoram, who was in charge of forced labor; but the people of Isra’el stoned him to death. King Rechav‘am managed to mount his chariot and flee to Yerushalayim. 19 Isra’el has been in rebellion against the dynasty of David to this day.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.