¹ Venit autem Roboam in Sichem : illuc enim congregatus erat omnis Israël ad constituendum eum regem.

² At vero Jeroboam filius Nabat, cum adhuc esset in Ægypto profugus a facie regis Salomonis, audita morte ejus, reversus est de Ægypto.

³ Miseruntque et vocaverunt eum : venit ergo Jeroboam, et omnis multitudo Israël, et locuti sunt ad Roboam, dicentes :

⁴ Pater tuus durissimum jugum imposuit nobis : tu itaque nunc imminue paululum de imperio patris tui durissimo, et de jugo gravissimo, quod imposuit nobis, et serviemus tibi.

⁵ Qui ait eis : Ite usque ad tertium diem, et revertimini ad me. Cumque abiisset populus,

⁶ iniit consilium rex Roboam cum senioribus, qui assistebant coram Salomone patre ejus, cum adhuc viveret, et ait : Quod datis mihi consilium, ut respondeam populo huic ?

⁷ Qui dixerunt ei : Si hodie obedieris populo huic, et servieris, et petitioni eorum cesseris, locutusque fueris ad eos verba lenia, erunt tibi servi cunctis diebus.

⁸ Qui dereliquit consilium senum, quod dederant ei, et adhibuit adolescentes, qui nutriti fuerant cum eo, et assistebant illi,

⁹ dixitque ad eos : Quod mihi datis consilium, ut respondeam populo huic, qui dixerunt mihi : Levius fac jugum quod imposuit pater tuus super nos ?

¹⁰ Et dixerunt ei juvenes qui nutriti fuerant cum eo : Sic loqueris populo huic, qui locuti sunt ad te, dicentes : Pater tuus aggravavit jugum nostrum, tu releva nos. Sic loqueris ad eos : Minimus digitus meus grossior est dorso patris mei.

¹¹ Et nunc pater meus posuit super vos jugum grave, ego autem addam super jugum vestrum : pater meus cecidit vos flagellis, ego autem cædam vos scorpionibus

¹² Venit ergo Jeroboam, et omnis populus ad Roboam die tertia, sicut locutus fuerat rex, dicens : Revertimini ad me die tertia.

¹³ Responditque rex populo dura, derelicto consilio seniorum, quod ei dederant,

¹⁴ et locutus est eis secundum consilium juvenum, dicens : Pater meus aggravavit jugum vestrum, ego autem addam jugo vestro : Pater meus cecidit vos flagellis, ego autem cædam vos scorpionibus.

¹⁵ Et non acquievit rex populo : quoniam aversatus fuerat eum Dominus, ut suscitaret verbum suum, quod locutus fuerat in manu Ahiæ Silonitæ, ad Jeroboam filium Nabat.

¹⁶ Videns itaque populus quod noluisset eos audire rex, respondit ei dicens : Quæ nobis pars in David ? vel quæ hæreditas in filio Isai ? Vade in tabernacula tua Israël, nunc vide domum tuam David. Et abiit Israël in tabernacula sua.

¹⁷ Super filios autem Israël, quicumque habitabant in civitatibus Juda, regnavit Roboam.

¹⁸ Misit ergo rex Roboam Aduram, qui erat super tributa : et lapidavit eum omnis Israël, et mortuus est. Porro rex Roboam festinus ascendit currum, et fugit in Jerusalem :

¹⁹ recessitque Israël a domo David, usque in præsentem diem.

¹ Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.

² It happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was yet in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam lived in Egypt,

³ and they sent and called him), that Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came, and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,

⁴ "Your father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make you the grievous service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, lighter, and we will serve you."

⁵ He said to them, "Depart for three days, then come back to me." The people departed.

⁶ King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, "What counsel do you give me to return answer to this people?"

⁷ They spoke to him, saying, "If you will be a servant to this people this day, and will serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever."

⁸ But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.

⁹ He said to them, "What counsel do you give, that we may return answer to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, 'Make the yoke that your father did put on us lighter?'"

¹⁰ The young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you shall tell this people who spoke to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter to us;' you shall say to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist.

¹¹ Now whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.'"

¹² So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king asked, saying, "Come to me again the third day."

¹³ The king answered the people roughly, and forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him,

¹⁴ and spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions."

¹⁵ So the king didn't listen to the people; for it was a thing brought about of Yahweh, that he might establish his word, which Yahweh spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

¹⁶ When all Israel saw that the king didn't listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, "What portion have we in David? Neither do we have an inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, Israel! Now see to your own house, David." So Israel departed to their tents.

¹⁷ But as for the children of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

¹⁸ Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the men subject to forced labor; and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. King Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.

¹⁹ So Israel rebelled against the house of David to this day.