Rebellion against Rehoboam
And Rehoboam went to Shechem — for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
And it was, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard — and he was in Egypt, where he had fled from the face of Solomon the king — that Jeroboam returned from Egypt.
And they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came, and spoke to Rehoboam, saying:
“Your father made our yoke hard. Now, lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke that he put on us — and we will serve you.”
And he said to them, “Come back to me in another three days.” And the people went.
And King Rehoboam took counsel with the elders who had stood before Solomon his father while he was alive, saying, “How do you counsel me to return an answer to this people?”
And they spoke to him, saying: “If you will be good to this people and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be your servants all the days.”
But he abandoned the counsel of the elders that they had counseled him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.
And he said to them: “What do you counsel, that we return an answer to this people, who spoke to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put on us’?”
And the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying: “Thus you shall say to the people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you — lighten it from on us’ — thus you shall say to them: ‘My little finger is thicker than the loins of my father.
And now — my father loaded a heavy yoke on you, and I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips — and I, with scorpions.’”
And Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had spoken, saying, “Return to me on the third day.”
And the king answered them harshly; and King Rehoboam abandoned the counsel of the elders,
and spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying: “My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to it. My father disciplined you with whips — and I, with scorpions.”
And the king did not listen to the people — for it was a turn of affairs from God, so that the LORD might make his word stand, which he spoke by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
The Kingdom Divided
And all Israel saw that the king had not listened to them; and the people returned answer to the king: “What portion do we have in David? No inheritance in the son of Jesse! Each man to your tents, O Israel! Now see to your own house, David!” And all Israel went to their tents.
But the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah — Rehoboam reigned over them.
And King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the forced labor; and the sons of Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. And King Rehoboam managed to mount his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.
And Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.