Rehoboam's Unwise Decision

1Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.

2When Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was yet in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam lived in Egypt,

3and they sent and called him), Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came, and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,

4“Your father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make you the grievous service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, lighter, and we will serve you.”

5He said to them, “Depart for three days, then come back to me.” The people departed.

6King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, “What counsel do you give me to return answer to this people?”

7They spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to this people this day, and will serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.”

8But he abandoned the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.

9He said to them, “What counsel do you give, that we may return answer to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Make the yoke that your father put on us lighter?’”

10The young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you shall tell this people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter to us;’ you shall say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist.

11Now whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add 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 the third day, as the king asked, saying, “Come to me again the third day.”

13The king answered the people roughly, and abandoned the counsel of the old men which they had given him,

14and spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.”

15So the king didn’t listen to the people; for it was a thing brought about of Yahweh, that he might establish his word, which Yahweh spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.