2 Chronicles 10

Modern

Literal

Rebellion against Rehoboam

¹Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king.

¹And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king.

²When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about this, he returned from Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon.

²And it came to pass, when Jeroboam son of Nebat heard it—he was in Egypt, because he had fled from the presence of Solomon the king—that Jeroboam returned from Egypt.

³So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and all Israel came to Rehoboam and said,

³And they sent and called for him, and Jeroboam came, and all Israel, and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,

⁴“Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you must lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”

⁴“Your father hardened our yoke, and now lighten the severe service of your father and his heavy yoke that he put on us, and we will serve you.”

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

⁵And he said to them, “After three days come back to me.” And the people departed.

⁶Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How do you advise me to respond to these people?” he asked.

⁶And King Rehoboam counseled with the elders who had stood before Solomon his father in his being alive, saying, “How do you counsel to answer this people?”

⁷They replied, “If you will be kind to these people and please them by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”

⁷And they spoke to him, saying, “If you are kind to this people, and please them and speak to them good words, they will be to you servants all the days.”

⁸But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders; instead, he consulted the young men who had grown up with him and served him.

⁸And he rejected the counsel of the elders who had counseled him, and he counseled with the young men who had grown up with him, those standing before him.

⁹He asked them, “What message do you advise that we send back to these people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’ ?”

⁹And he said to them, “What do you counsel, and how should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten from the yoke that your father gave to us’?”

¹⁰The young men who had grown up with him replied, “This is how you should answer these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you must make it lighter.’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist!

¹⁰and the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak to the people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father made heavy our yoke, and you, make it lighter on us’—thus you shall say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than the loins of my father.

¹¹Whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.’”

¹¹And now, my father loaded on you a heavy yoke, and I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, and I with scorpions.’”

¹²After three days, Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, since the king had said, “Come back to me on the third day.”

¹²And Jeroboam came, and all the people, to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had directed, saying, “Come back to me the third day.”

¹³And the king answered them harshly. King Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders

¹³And the king answered them harshly, and King Rehoboam rejected the counsel of the elders,

¹⁴and spoke to them as the young men had advised, saying, “Whereas my father made your yoke heavy,^a I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.”

¹⁴and he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “Your yoke My father made heavy, and I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, and I with scorpions.”

¹⁵So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from God, in order that the LORD might fulfill the word that He had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

¹⁵And the king did not listen to the people, for the turning was from God, that YHWH might fulfill His word that He had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

The Kingdom Divided

¹⁶When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered^a the king:

“What portion do we have in David,

and what inheritance in the son of Jesse?

To your tents, O Israel!

Look now to your own house, O David!”

So all the Israelites went home,

¹⁶And all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, and the people answered the king, saying, “What portion is to us in David? And we have no inheritance in a son of Jesse; every man to your tents, O Israel; look now to your own house, O David.” And all Israel departed to their tents.

¹⁷but Rehoboam still reigned over the Israelites living in the cities of Judah.

¹⁷And the sons of Israel dwelt in the cities of Judah, and Rehoboam reigned over them.

¹⁸Then King Rehoboam sent out Hadoram,^a who was in charge of the forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste and escaped to Jerusalem.

¹⁸And King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the forced labor, and the sons of Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. And King Rehoboam mounted in haste into a chariot to flee to Jerusalem.

¹⁹So to this day Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David.

¹⁹And Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.