2 Chronicles 10:3–11

³Then they sent and called for him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,

⁴“Your father made our ^ayoke harsh; but now, lighten the harsh service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”

⁵Then he said to them, “Return to me again in three days.” So the people went away.

⁶Then King Rehoboam ^atook counsel with the elders who had ¹stood before his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, “How do you counsel me to respond to this people?”

⁷And they spoke to him, saying, “If you will be good to this people and please them and ^aspeak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.”

⁸But he ^aforsook the counsel of the elders which they had counseled him, and took counsel with the young men who grew up with him and ¹stood before him.

⁹So he said to them, “What counsel do you give that we may respond to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?”

¹⁰Then the young men who grew up with him spoke with him, saying, “Thus you shall say to the people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter for us.’ Thus you shall say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins!

¹¹‘So now my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’”