Rebellion against Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 10:1–15)
1 Brenton And king Roboam goes to Sikima; for all Israel were coming to Sikima to make him king. BSB BSB: Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king.
3 Brenton And the people spoke to king Roboam, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy; BSB BSB: So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel came to Rehoboam and said,
4 Brenton but do thou now lighten somewhat of the hard service of thy father, and of his heavy yoke which he put upon us, and we will serve thee. BSB BSB: “Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you must lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”
5 Brenton And he said to them, Depart for three days, and return to me. And they departed. BSB BSB: Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then return to me.” So the people departed.
6 Brenton And the king referred the matter to the elders, who stood before Solomon his father while he was yet living, saying, How do ye advise that I should answer this people? BSB BSB: Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How do you advise me to respond to these people?” he asked.
7 Brenton And they spoke to him, saying, If thou wilt this day be a servant to this people, and wilt serve them, and wilt speak to them good words, then will they be thy servants continually. BSB BSB: They replied, “If you will be a servant to these people and serve them this day, and if you will respond by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”
8 Brenton But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they gave him, and consulted with the young men who were brought up with him, who stood in his presence. BSB BSB: But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders; instead, he consulted the young men who had grown up with him and served him.
9 Brenton And he said to them, What counsel do ye give? And what shall I answer to this people who speak to me, saying, Lighten somewhat of the yoke which thy father has put upon us? BSB BSB: He asked them, “What message do you advise that we send back to these people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”
10 Brenton And the young men who had been brought up with him, who stood before his face, spoke to him, saying, Thus shalt thou say to this people who have spoken to thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, and do thou now lighten it from off us: thus shalt thou say to them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins. BSB BSB: The young men who had grown up with him replied, “This is how you should answer these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you must make it lighter.’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist!
11 Brenton And whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I also will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. BSB BSB: Whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.’”
12 Brenton And all Israel came to king Roboam on the third day, as the king spoke to them, saying, Return to me on the third day. BSB BSB: After three days, Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, since the king had said, “Come back to me on the third day.”
13 Brenton And the king answered the people harshly; and Roboam forsook the counsel of the old men which they counselled him. BSB BSB: And the king answered the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the elders
14 Brenton And he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. BSB BSB: and spoke to them as the young men had advised, saying, “Whereas my father made your yoke heavy, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.”
15 Brenton And the king hearkened not to the people, because the change was from the Lord, that he might establish his word which he spoke by Achia the Selonite concerning Jeroboam the son of Nabat. BSB BSB: So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word He had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.
The Kingdom Divided (2 Chronicles 10:16–19)
16 Brenton And all Israel saw that the king did not hearken to them: and the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we any inheritance in the son of Jessæ. Depart, O Israel, to thy tents: now feed thine own house, David. So Israel departed to his tents. BSB BSB: When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of Jesse? To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David!” So the Israelites went home,
18 Brenton And the king sent Adoniram who was over the tribute; and they stoned him with stones, and he died: and king Roboam made haste to rise to flee to Jerusalem. BSB BSB: Then King Rehoboam sent out Adoram, who was in charge of the forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste and escaped to Jerusalem.
19 Brenton So Israel rebelled against the house of David until this day. BSB BSB: So to this day Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David.
Shemaiah’s Prophecy (2 Chronicles 11:1–4)
20 Brenton And it came to pass when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned out of Egypt, that they sent and called him to the assembly, and they made him king over Israel: and none followed the house of David except the tribe of Juda and Benjamin only. BSB BSB: When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.
21 Brenton And Roboam went into Jerusalem, and he assembled the congregation of Juda, and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and twenty thousand young men, warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to recover the kingdom to Roboam the son of Solomon. BSB BSB: And when Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mobilized the whole house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin—180,000 chosen warriors—to fight against the house of Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon.
22 Brenton And the word of the Lord came to Samaia the man of God, saying, BSB BSB: But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God:
23 Brenton Speak to Roboam the son of Solomon, king of Juda, and to all the house of Juda and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying, BSB BSB: “Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and the rest of the people
24 Brenton Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, neither shall ye fight with your brethren the sons of Israel: return each man to his own home; for this thing is from me; and they hearkened to the word of the Lord, and they ceased from going up, according to the word of the Lord. BSB BSB: that this is what the LORD says: ‘You are not to go up and fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you must return home, for this is My doing.’” So they listened to the word of the LORD and turned back according to the word of the LORD.
Jeroboam’s Idolatry 25 Brenton And Jeroboam built Sikima in mount Ephraim and dwelt in it, and went forth thence and built Phanuel. BSB BSB: Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And from there he went out and built Penuel.
26 Brenton And Jeroboam said in his heart, Behold, now the kingdom will return to the house of David. BSB BSB: Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom might revert to the house of David.
27 Brenton If this people shall go up to offer sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of the people will return to the Lord, and to their master, to Roboam king of Juda, and they will slay me. BSB BSB: If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, their hearts will return to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah; then they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.”
28 Brenton And the king took counsel, and went, and made two golden heifers, and said to the people, Let it suffice you to have gone hitherto to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. BSB BSB: After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” 29 Brenton And he put one in Bethel, and he put the other in Dan. BSB BSB: One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan.
30 Brenton And this thing became a sin; and the people went before one as far as Dan, and left the house of the Lord. BSB BSB: And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves.
31 Brenton And he made houses on the high places, and made priests of any part of the people, who were not of the sons of Levi. BSB BSB: Jeroboam also built shrines on the high places and appointed from every class of people priests who were not Levites.
32 Brenton And Jeroboam appointed a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, according to the feast in the land of Juda; BSB BSB: And Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar; he made this offering in Bethel to sacrifice to the calves he had set up, and he installed priests in Bethel for the high places he had set up.
33 Brenton and went up to the altar which he made in Bæthel to sacrifice to the heifers which he made, and he placed in Bæthel the priests of the high places which he had made. And he went up to the altar which he had made, on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, at the feast which he devised out of his own heart; and he made a feast to the children of Israel, and went up to the altar to sacrifice. BSB BSB: On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar he had set up in Bethel. So he ordained a feast for the Israelites, offered sacrifices on the altar, and burned incense.
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