Then Shelomoh lay down with his ancestors and was buried in David his father’s town, and Rehab’am his son began to reign in place of him.
Rehab’am went to Shekem, because all Yisra’el had come to Shekem to make him king. When Yarob’am ben Nebat heard while he was still in Misrayim, where he had taken flight from before King Shelomoh (so Yarob’am lived in Misrayim), they sent and called for him. Yarob’am came with the entire congregation of Yisra’el and they spoke to Rehab’am: ;Your father – he made our yoke tough. So you, now, lighten something of your father’s tough servitude and of his heavy yoke that he put on us, and we’ll serve you.’
He said to them, ‘Go for three more days, and come back to me.’ The people went, and King Rehab’am took counsel with the elders who had been standing before Shelomoh his father when he was alive: ‘How do you counsel me to give back word to this people?’ They spoke to him, ‘If today you’ll be a servant to this people, and serve them, and answer them and speak good words to them, they’ll be your servants for all time.’
But he abandoned the elders’ counsel which they gave him and took counsel with the young men who grew up with him, who were standing before him. He said to them, ‘What are you going to counsel, so that we may give back word to this people who spoke to me, “Lighten something of the yoke that your father put on us”?’ The young men who grew up with him spoke with him: ‘You should say this to this people who spoke to you, “Whereas your father made our yoke heavy, you, lighten it from on us” – you should speak like this to them: “My little finger is thicker than my father’s hips. So now, whereas my father imposed a heavy yoke on you, I myself will add to your yoke. Whereas my father disciplined you with whips, I myself will discipline you with scorpions.”’
Yarob’am and the entire people came to Rehab’am on the third day as the king had spoken, ‘Come back to me on the third day’, and the king answered the people toughly. He abandoned the counsel of the elders that they had given him and spoke to them in accordance with the counsel of the young men: ‘Whereas my father made your yoke heavy, I myself will add to your yoke. Whereas my father disciplined you with whips, I myself will discipline you with scorpions.’ The king didn’t listen to the people, because it was a turn of affairs from Yahweh in order to implement his word, which Yahweh had spoken by means of Ahiyyah the Shilonite to Yarob’am ben Nebat. All Yisra’el saw that the king had not listened to them, and the people gave word back to the king:
What share do we have in David?
– we have no domain in ben Yishay [Jesse].
To your tents, Yisra’el;
now see to your own household, David.
So Yisra’el went to its tents… So Yisra’el has rebelled against David’s household until this day.
Goldingay, John;The Bible for Everyone . SPCK. Kindle Edition.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy,
For your mercy and for your truth’s sake. Amen