1And Rehoboam went to Shechem; for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
2And when Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who had been in Egypt, since he had fled there from the presence of Solomon, heard that Rehoboam was king, Jeroboam returned from Egypt.
3For the people had sent and summoned him. Then Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, and said,
4“Your father made our yoke difficult; now, therefore, ease somewhat the hard servitude of your father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve you”.
5And Rehoboam said to them, “Come back to me after three days”. And the people departed.
6And King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men who had stood before Solomon, his father, while he yet lived, saying, “What advice do you give you me to answer this people?”
7And they said to him, “If you are kind to this people, please them, and speak kind words to them, they will be your servants forever”.
8But he rejected the advice of the old men, and took counsel with the young men who were brought up with him.
9And he asked them, “What advice do you give for answering this people, who have said to me, ‘Ease somewhat the yoke that your father put upon us.’?”
10And the young men who were brought up with him replied, “You shall answer the people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it somewhat lighter for us’; you shall say this to them, ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father's thighs.
11While my father put a heavy yoke upon you, I will add more to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions’”.
12So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king directed by saying, “Come again to me on the third day”.
13And the king answered them roughly; and King Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men,
14And replied after the advice of the young men, by saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions”.
15So the king hearkened not to the people; for this outcome was of God, that the LORD might perform His word, which He through Ahijah, the Shilonite, to Jeroboam, the son of Nebat.
16And when all Israel saw that the king would not listen to them, they answered the king with, “What portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to your tents, O Israel! And now, Rehoboam, descendant of David, see to your own house.” So all Israel went to their tents.
17But as for the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam retained reign over them.
18Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who oversaw the forced labor; and the Israelites stoned him, so that he died. Then King Rehoboam hurried to get to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.
19And Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day. Easy Reader Bible: Purple Letter Edition © 2023 by Jim Musser. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Bible Hub |
    |