Israel Rebels Against Rehoboam^(A)

10 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king. ² When Jeroboam^(B) son of Nebat heard this (he was in Egypt, where he had fled^(C) from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt. ³ So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and all Israel^(D) went to Rehoboam and said to him: ⁴ “Your father put a heavy yoke on us,^(E) 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^(F) 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,^(G) they will always be your servants.”

⁸ But Rehoboam rejected^(H) the advice the elders^(I) 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,^(J) to fulfill the word the Lord had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.^(K)

¹⁶ When all Israel^(L) saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king:

So all the Israelites went home. ¹⁷ But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah, Rehoboam still ruled over them.

¹⁸ King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram,^[a](N) who was in charge of forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam, however, managed to get into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. ¹⁹ So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

⁵ Don’t you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever^(A) by a covenant of salt?^{(B) 6} Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, an official of Solomon son of David, rebelled^(C) against his master. ⁷ Some worthless scoundrels^(D) gathered around him and opposed Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young and indecisive^(E) and not strong enough to resist them.

⁸ “And now you plan to resist the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hands of David’s descendants.^(F) You are indeed a vast army and have with you^(G) the golden calves^(H) that Jeroboam made to be your gods. ⁹ But didn’t you drive out the priests^(I) of the Lord,^(J) the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and make priests of your own as the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull^(K) and seven rams^(L) may become a priest of what are not gods.^(M)

¹⁰ “As for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the Lord are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them. ¹¹ Every morning and evening^(N) they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense^(O) to the Lord. They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean table^(P) and light the lamps^(Q) on the gold lampstand every evening. We are observing the requirements of the Lord our God. But you have forsaken him. ¹² God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you.^(R) People of Israel, do not fight against the Lord,^(S) the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.”^(T)