Rehoboam Loses His Kingdom

12:1 Rehoboam traveled to Shechem, for all Israel had gathered in1 Shechem to make Rehoboam2 king. 12:2 3 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news, he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon and had been living ever since.4 12:3 They sent for him,5 and Jeroboam and the whole Israelite assembly came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 12:4 “Your father made us work too hard.6 Now if you lighten the demands he made and don’t make us work as hard, we will serve you.”7 12:5 He said to them, “Go away for three days, then return to me.” So the people went away.

12:6 King Rehoboam consulted with the older advisers who had served8 his father Solomon when he had been alive. He asked them,9 “How do you advise me to answer these people?” 12:7 They said to him, “Today if you show a willingness to help these people and grant their request, they will be your servants from this time forward.”10 12:8 But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served him, with whom he had grown up.11 12:9 He asked them, “How do you advise me12 to respond to these people who said to me, ‘Lessen the demands your father placed on us’?”13 12:10 The young advisers with whom Rehoboam14 had grown up said to him, “Say this to these people who have said to you, ‘Your father made us work hard, but now lighten our burden.’15 Say this to them: ‘I am a lot harsher than my father!16 12:11 My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier.17 My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.’ ”18

12:12 Jeroboam and all the people reported19 to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had ordered when he said, “Return to me on the third day.” 12:13 The king responded to the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the older men 12:14 and followed20 the advice of the younger ones. He said, “My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier.21 My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.”22 12:15 The king refused to listen to the people, because the Lord was instigating this turn of events23 so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had made24 through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

12:16 When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, the people answered the king, “We have no portion in David, no share in the son of Jesse!25 Return to your homes, O Israel!26 Now, look after your own dynasty, O David!”27 So Israel returned to their homes.28 12:17 (Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.) 12:18 King Rehoboam sent Adoniram,29 the supervisor of the work crews,30 out after them, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to jump into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem.31 12:19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the Davidic dynasty to this very day. 12:20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. No one except the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the Davidic dynasty.32

12:21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 180,000 skilled warriors from all of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin33 to attack Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon. 12:22 But God told Shemaiah the prophet,34 12:23 “Say this to King Rehoboam son of Solomon of Judah, and to all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the rest of the people, 12:24 ‘The Lord says this: “Do not attack and make war with your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you go home, for I have caused this to happen.” ’ ”35 They obeyed the Lord and went home as the Lord had ordered them to do.36