1And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
2And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard — and he was in Egypt, where he had fled from before Solomon the king — that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt.
3And they sent and called him; and Jeroboam and all Israel came, and they spoke to Rehoboam, saying:
4"Your father made our yoke hard; and now lighten the hard service (avodah) of your father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve you (avad)."
5And he said to them, "Yet three days, and return to me." And the people went.
6And king Rehoboam took counsel with the elders who had stood before Solomon his father while he was living (chai), saying, "How do you counsel to return word to this people?"
7And they spoke to him, saying, "If you are good to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, then they will be servants to you all the days."
8But he forsook the counsel of the elders that they had counseled him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.
9And he said to them, "What do you counsel, that we may return word to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke that your father put upon us'?"
10And the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you shall say to the people who spoke to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but you, lighten it from upon us' — thus you shall say to them: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins.
11And now, my father laid upon you a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I with scorpions.'"
12And Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had spoken, saying, "Return to me on the third day."
13And the king answered them harshly; and king Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the elders,
14and spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, "I will make your yoke heavy, and I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, but I with scorpions."
15And the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of events from God, in order that YHWH might establish his word that he spoke by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16And all Israel, when the king did not listen to them, the people returned word to the king, saying, "What portion do we have in David? And no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Each man (ish) to your tents, O Israel! Now see to your own house, David." And all Israel went to their tents.
17But the sons of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
18And king Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the levy, and the sons of Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. And king Rehoboam exerted himself to go up into the chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.
19And Israel rebelled against the house of David to this day.