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

²It happened, when Jeroboam son of Nebat heard (he was in Egypt, where he had fled from the face of Solomon the king), that Jeroboam returned from Egypt.

³They sent and summoned him, and Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying:

⁴Your father made our yoke hard; now lighten some of the hard service of your father, and of his heavy yoke that he put on us, and we will serve you.

⁵He said to them, Return to me in three more days. And the people went.

⁶King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had been standing before Solomon his father while he was alive, saying, How do you counsel bringing back a word to this people?

⁷They spoke to him, saying, If you are good to this people and favorable to them, and speak good words to them, they will be your servants all the days.

⁸But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they advised him, and advised with the children which had become great with him, those who stand to his face.

⁹He said to them, What are you counseling, that we may bring back a word to this people who spoke to me, saying, Lighten some of the yoke that your father put on us?

¹⁰The youths who had grown up with him spoke with him, saying, Like this you shall say to the people who have spoken to you, saying, Your father made our yoke heavy, but you, lighten it from upon us; like this you shall say to them: My little finger is thicker than my father's loins.

¹¹Now my father loaded a heavy yoke on you, and I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, and I with scorpions.

¹²Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had spoken, saying, Return to me on the third day.

¹³The king answered them harshly, and King Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the elders.

¹⁴He spoke to them according to the counsel of the youths, saying, I will make your yoke heavy, and I will add to it; my father disciplined you with whips, and I with scorpions.

¹⁵And the king did not listen to the people, for the turn of affairs was from God, so that Yahweh might make his word stand, which he had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

¹⁶And when the king did not listen to them, all Israel, the people, brought back word to the king, saying, What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to your tents, O Israel! Now see to your own house, O David! And all Israel went to its tents.

¹⁷As for the sons of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

¹⁸King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the forced labor, and the children of Israel stoned him with stones, and he died; and King Rehoboam was determined to go up into the chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.

¹⁹Israel has rebelled against the house of David to this day.