¹³ I am the Lord your God,^(A) who brought you out of Egypt^(B) so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke^(C) and enabled you to walk with heads held high.

⁴⁸ therefore in hunger and thirst,^(A) in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the Lord sends against you. He will put an iron yoke^(B) on your neck^(C) until he has destroyed you.

³ So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and all Israel^(A) went to Rehoboam and said to him: ⁴ “Your father put a heavy yoke on us,^(B) but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”

⁵ Rehoboam answered, “Come back to me in three days.” So the people went away.

⁶ Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders^(C) who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How would you advise me to answer these people?” he asked.

⁷ They replied, “If you will be kind to these people and please them and give them a favorable answer,^(D) they will always be your servants.”

⁸ But Rehoboam rejected^(E) the advice the elders^(F) 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.’”

² This is what the Lord said to me: “Make a yoke^(A) out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck.

⁶ Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servant^(A) Nebuchadnezzar^(B) king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him.^{(C) 7} All nations will serve^(D) him and his son and his grandson until the time^(E) for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate^(F) him.

⁸ “‘“If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish^(G) that nation with the sword,^(H) famine^(I) and plague,^(J) declares the Lord, until I destroy it by his hand. ⁹ So do not listen to your prophets,^(K) your diviners,^(L) your interpreters of dreams,^(M) your mediums^(N) or your sorcerers^(O) who tell you, ‘You will not serve^(P) the king of Babylon.’ ¹⁰ They prophesy lies^(Q) to you that will only serve to remove^(R) you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish. ¹¹ But if any nation will bow its neck under the yoke^(S) of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live^(T) there, declares the Lord.”’”