Second Chronicles Chapter 10
1 Rehoboam went to Shechem. For all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
2 When Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was in Egypt where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon, heard it, Jeroboam returned out of Egypt.
3 They called him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam saying,
4 your father made our yoke heavy. Now lighten the heavy service of your father, and his heavy yoke that he put on us, and we will serve you.
5 He said to them, Come again to me after three days. And the people departed.
6 King Rehoboam consulted with the old men who had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived saying, What advice do you give me to return answer to this people?
7 They spoke to him saying, If you are kind to this people and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever.
8 But he departed from the advice that the old men gave him and listened to the young men who were brought up with him, who stood before him.
9 He said to them, What advice do you give that we may return answer to this people, who have spoken to me saying, Lighten the yoke that your father put on us?
10 The young men who were brought up with him spoke to him saying, In this way shall you answer the people who spoke to you saying, your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten our yoke, this you shall say to them, my little finger shall be thicker than my father's body⁺.
11 Now my father put a heavy yoke on you, and I will surely add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
12 Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king commanded saying, Come again to me on the third day.
13 The king answered them roughly. And King Rehoboam departed from the advice of the old men,
14 and answered them after the advice of the young men saying, my father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
15 The king did not listen to the people, for the revolution was from God so that the Lord might perform His Word that He spoke by the hand of Ahijah of Shiloh to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16 All Israel saw that the king would not listen to them and the people answered the king saying, What part do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to your tents O Israel. Now David, see to your own house. Then all Israel went to their tents.
17 As for the children of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
18 King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the forced labor. And the children of Israel stoned him with stones so that he died. But King Rehoboam was warned to get up into his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.
19 Israel rebelled against the house of David until this day.