| English Standard Version | New International Version |
| 1Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. | 1Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king. |
| 2And as soon as Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam returned from Egypt. | 2When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt. |
| 3And they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and said to Rehoboam, | 3So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and all Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him: |
| 4“Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.” | 4"Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you." |
| 5He said to them, “Come to me again in three days.” So the people went away. | 5Rehoboam answered, "Come back to me in three days." So the people went away. |
| 6Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” | 6Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. "How would you advise me to answer these people?" he asked. |
| 7And they said to him, “If you will be good to this people and please them and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” | 7They replied, "If you will be kind to these people and please them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants." |
| 8But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him. | 8But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. |
| 9And he said to them, “What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put on us’?” | 9He asked them, "What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, 'Lighten the yoke your father put on us'?" |
| 10And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus shall you speak to the people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us’; thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s thighs. | 10The young men who had grown up with him replied, "The people have said to you, 'Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter.' Now tell them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. |
| 11And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’” | 11My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.'" |
| 12So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again the third day.” | 12Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, "Come back to me in three days." |
| 13And the king answered them harshly; and forsaking the counsel of the old men, | 13The king answered them harshly. Rejecting the advice of the elders, |
| 14King Rehoboam spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” | 14he followed the advice of the young men and said, "My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions." |
| 15So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by God that the LORD might fulfill his word, which he spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. | 15So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from God, to fulfill the word the LORD had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite. |
| 16And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Each of you to your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David.” So all Israel went to their tents. | 16When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king: "What share do we have in David, what part in Jesse's son? To your tents, Israel! Look after your own house, David!" So all the Israelites went home. |
| 17But Rehoboam reigned over the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah. | 17But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah, Rehoboam still ruled over them. |
| 18Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and the people of Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboam quickly mounted his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. | 18King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram, who was in charge of forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam, however, managed to get into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. |
| 19So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. | 19So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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