2 Chronicles 10:9-19

10:9 He asked them, “How do you advise me to respond to these people who said to me, ‘Lessen the demands your father placed on us’?” ¹  10:10 The young advisers with whom Rehoboam ²  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’ ³  – say this to them: ‘I am a lot harsher than my father! ⁴  10:11 My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. ⁵  My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.’” ⁶ 

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 ⁷  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; ⁸  I will make them even heavier. ⁹  My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.” ¹⁰  10:15 The king refused to listen to the people, because God was instigating this turn of events ¹¹  so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had made ¹²  through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

10:16 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! ¹³  Return to your homes, O Israel! ¹⁴  Now, look after your own dynasty, O David!” ¹⁵  So all Israel returned to their homes. ¹⁶  10:17 (Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.) 10:18 King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, ¹⁷  the supervisor of the work crews, out after them, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to jump into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. ¹⁸  10:19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the Davidic dynasty to this very day.

[10:9]  ¹ tn Heb “Lighten the yoke which your father placed on us.”

[10:10]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:10]  ³ tn Heb “Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter upon us.”

[10:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “My little one is thicker than my father’s hips.” The referent of “my little one” is not clear. The traditional view is that it refers to the little finger (so NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). As the following statement makes clear, Rehoboam’s point is that he is more harsh and demanding than his father.

[10:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “and now my father placed upon you a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke.”

[10:11]  ⁶ 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.

[10:13]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Heb “but I will add to your yoke.”

[10:14]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Heb “because this turn of events was from God.”

[10:15]  ¹² tn Heb “so that the Lord might bring to pass his word which he spoke.”

[10:16]  ¹³ sn The people’s point seems to be that they have no familial relationship with David that brings them any benefits or places upon them any obligations. They are being treated like outsiders.

[10:16]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “each one to your tents, Israel.” The word “return” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[10:16]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Now see your house, David.”

[10:16]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “went to their tents.”

[10:18]  ¹⁷ sn In the parallel account in 1 Kgs 12:18 this name appears as “Adoniram.”

[10:18]  ¹⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.