1 Kings 12:1–24

Israel’s Appeal to Rehoboam

12Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all of Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. ²It happened that Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it while he was still in Egypt where he had fled from the face of King Solomon, and Jeroboam had lived in Egypt. ³So they sent and summoned him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came. Then they spoke to Rehoboam, saying, ⁴“Your father made our yoke heavy; now lighten the hard labor of your father and the heavy yoke which he placed on us, and we will serve you.” ⁵He said, “Go up for three days and then return to me”; so the people went away.

Rehoboam Seeks Counsel to Respond

⁶Then King Rehoboam consulted with the old men who had been serving^a before Solomon his father when he was alive, saying, “How are you advising me to answer this people?”^{b 7}They said to him, “If you will be a servant today to this people, then you will serve them; and if you answer them and speak good words to them, they will always be your servants.” ⁸But he rejected the advice of the old men, which they gave him, and he consulted with the youngsters who had grown up with him, who were serving^c before him. ⁹He said to them, “What are you advising that we should reply to this people who spoke to me by saying, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us.’ ” ¹⁰Then the youngsters who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you: ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us,’ you shall say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins. ¹¹So then, my father loaded a heavy yoke on all of you, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions!’ ”

Rehoboam Responds Unwisely with Disastrous Results

¹²Jeroboam and all of the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had spoken: “Return to me on the third day.” ¹³Then the king answered all the people harshly, as he had rejected the advice of the old men that they had offered. ¹⁴He spoke to them according to the advice of the youngsters, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add onto your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” ¹⁵So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turning of events from Yahweh in order to fulfill his word which Yahweh had spoken through the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. ¹⁶When all of Israel saw that the king would not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, “What share do we have in David?^d There is no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, Israel! Now look to your house, David!” Then Israel went to their^e tents.

¹⁷The Israelites^f were living in the cities of Judah, and Rehoboam was reigning over them. ¹⁸King Rehoboam sent Adoram who was over the forced labor, and all of Israel cast stones at him and he died, but King Rehoboam managed to get up on the chariot to flee to Jerusalem. ¹⁹So Israel rebelled against the house of David until this day.

Civil War Averted

²⁰It happened that just when all of Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all of Israel. Not one followed after the house of David except the tribe of Judah alone. ²¹When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all of the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand choice troops^g to fight with the house of Israel, to restore the kingship to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. ²²Then the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, ²³“Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon the king of Judah and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin and the remainder of the people, saying, ²⁴‘Thus says Yahweh: “You shall not go up and you shall not fight with your brothers the Israelites.^h Return each of you to his house, for this thing was from me.” ’ ” So they heeded the word of Yahweh, and they returned to go home according to the word of Yahweh.