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¹ And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.² And it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard, he being in Egypt because he had fled from the face of Solomon the king, Jeroboam returned from Egypt.³ And they sent and called for him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,⁴ Your father made our yoke hard; and now lighten the hard service of your father, and his heavy yoke that he put on us, and we shall serve you.⁵ And he said to them, Come again to me in three days; and the people went away.⁶ And King Rehoboam consulted with the aged men who had stood before his father Solomon when he was alive, saying, How do you advise to answer this people a word?⁷ And they spoke to him, saying, If you will be good to this people, and will please them, and will speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.⁸ But he left the counsel of the aged men who had advised him, and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him, those standing before him.⁹ And he said to them, What do you advise that we shall answer this people that have spoken to me, saying, Lighten the yoke that your father put on us?¹⁰ And the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, You shall say this to the people who have spoken to you, saying, Your father made our yoke heavy, and you lighten our yoke, this you shall say to them, My little finger is thicker than the loins of my father;¹¹ and now, my father laid a heavy yoke on you, and I will surely add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, and I with scorpions.

¹² And Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king commanded, saying, Return to me on the third day.¹³ And the king answered them sharply, and King Rehoboam left the counsel of the aged men,¹⁴ and spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will surely add to it; my father chastised you with whips, and I with scorpions.¹⁵ And the king did not listen to the people, for the revolution was from God, so that Jehovah might lift up His Word that He spoke by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.¹⁶ And all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, and the people sent back to the king, saying, What part do we have in David? Yea, there is no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Eachto your tents, O Israel! Now see to your house,David! And all Israel went to their tents.¹⁷ As to the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.¹⁸ And King Rehoboam sent Hadoram who was over the forced labor. And the sons of Israel threw stones at him, and he died. And King Rehoboam was alerted to mount up into a chariot to flee to Jerusalem.¹⁹ And Israel rebelled against the house of David to this day.