2 Chronicles 10:12-15

10:12 Jeroboam and all the people reported to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had ordered when he said, “Return to me on the third day.” 10:13 The king responded to the people harshly. He ¹  rejected the advice of the older men 10:14 and followed the advice of the younger ones. He said, “My father imposed heavy demands on you; ²  I will make them even heavier. ³  My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.” ⁴  10:15 The king refused to listen to the people, because God was instigating this turn of events ⁵  so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had made ⁶  through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

[10:13]  ¹ tn Heb “Rehoboam.” The pronoun “he” has been used in the translation in place of the proper name in keeping with contemporary English style.

[10:14]  ¹ tc The Hebrew text reads, “I will make heavy your yoke,” but many medieval Hebrew mss and other ancient textual witnesses have, “my father made heavy your yoke.”

[10:14]  ² tn Heb “but I will add to your yoke.”

[10:14]  ³ tn Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I [will punish you] with scorpions.” “Scorpions” might allude to some type of torture, but more likely it refers to a type of whip that inflicts an especially biting, painful wound.

[10:15]  ¹ tn Heb “because this turn of events was from God.”

[10:15]  ² tn Heb “so that the Lord might bring to pass his word which he spoke.”