Rebellion against Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 10:1–15)
1 ULT And Rehoboam went{ to} Shechem, for all of Israel had come{ to} Shechem to make him reign. BSB BSB: Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king.
2 ULT And it happened when Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, heard(now he, he{ was} still in Egypt, where he had fled from the face of King Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelled in Egypt), BSB BSB: When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about this, he was still in Egypt where he had fled from King Solomon and had been living ever since.
3 ULT that they sent and they called for him. And Jeroboam came, and all of the assembly of Israel, and they spoke to Rehoboam, saying, BSB BSB: So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel came to Rehoboam and said,
4 ULT “Your father made our yoke hard. But you, now make{ it} lighter than the hard service of your father and than his heavy yoke that he put on us, and we will serve you.” 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 ULT And he said to them,“Go until three days, then return to me.” So the people went. BSB BSB: Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then return to me.” So the people departed.
6 ULT And King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had been standing to the face of Solomon his father while he was alive, saying,“How are you advising to answer this people{ with} a word?” 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 ULT And they spoke to him, saying,“If today you will be a servant to this people and serve them and you answer them and speak good words to them, then they will be servants to you all of the days.” 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 ULT But he forsook the counsel of the elders that they had counseled him, and he consulted with the young men who had grown up with him who were standing to his face. 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 ULT And he said to them,“How are you advising that we should return a word{ to} this people who spoke to me saying,‘Make lighter than the yoke that your father put on 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 ULT And the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying,“Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying,‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you, make light from upon us.’ Thus you shall speak to them,‘My little finger{ is} thicker than the loins of my father. 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 ULT And now, my father loaded a heavy yoke on you, but I, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I, I will discipline 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 ULT And Jeroboam and all of the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had spoken, 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 ULT And the king answered the people harshly, and he forsook the counsel of the elders that they had counseled him. BSB BSB: And the king answered the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the elders
14 ULT And he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying,“My father made your yoke heavy, but I, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I, I will discipline 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 ULT And the king did not listen to the people, for the turn was from with Yahweh, so that he might raise up his word, which Yahweh had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. 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 ULT And all of Israel saw that the king had not listened to them, and the people answered the king{ with} a word, saying,“What portion{ is} to us in David? And no inheritance in the son of Jesse! To your tents, Israel! Now see your house, David!” And Israel went to its 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,
17 ULT (But the sons of Israel dwelling in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.) BSB BSB: but Rehoboam still reigned over the Israelites living in the cities of Judah.
18 ULT And King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who{ was} over the forced labor, but all of Israel stoned him{ with} stone, and he died. And King Rehoboam strengthened himself to go up into the chariot 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 ULT And Israel has rebelled against the house of David to 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 ULT And it happened, when all of Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent and called him to the congregation, and they made him reign over all of Israel. One was not after the house of David except the tribe of Judah by itself. 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 ULT And Rehoboam entered Jerusalem, and he assembled all of the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180, 000 chosen makers of war, to fight with the house of Israel to return the kingdom to Rehoboam, 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 ULT But the word of God was to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, BSB BSB: But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God:
23 ULT “Speak to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, the king of Judah, and to all of the house of Judah and Benjamin and the rest 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 ULT ‘Thus says Yahweh,“You shall not go up and you shall not fight with your brothers, the sons of Israel. Return, a man to his house, for this thing has been from with me.”’” And they heard the word of Yahweh, and they returned to go, according to the word of Yahweh. 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 ULT And Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and he dwelled in it. And he went out from there, and he built Penuel. 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 ULT And Jeroboam said in his heart,“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 ULT If this people goes up to make sacrifices in the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their master, to Rehoboam, the king of Judah. And they will kill me, and they will return to Rehoboam, the king of Judah.” 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.”
29 ULT And he set one in Bethel, and he put one in Dan. BSB BSB: One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan.
30 ULT And this thing became a sin, and the people went to the face of the one as far as Dan. BSB BSB: And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves.
31 ULT And he made a house of high places. And he made priests from the extremities of the people, who were not from 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 ULT And Jeroboam made a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that{ was} in Judah, and he offered on the altar. Thus he did at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And he stationed at Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made. 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 ULT And he offered on the altar that he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he had devised by himself. And he made a festival for the sons of Israel, and he offered on the altar to burn incense. 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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