1 Partiu Roboão para Siquém; pois todo o Israel se tinha ajuntado ali para o constituir rei.

2 O que tendo ouvido Jeroboão, filho de Nebate, (pois estava no Egito, para onde tinha fugido da presença do rei Salomão), voltou do Egito.

3 Mandaram chamá-lo; Jeroboão e todo o Israel vieram e falaram a Roboão:

4 Teu pai fez duro o nosso jugo: agora alivia a dura servidão de teu pai, e o jugo pesado que nos impôs, e te serviremos.

5 Ele lhes respondeu: Tornai a vir ter comigo depois de três dias. Então o povo se foi.

6 Teve Roboão conselho com os homens idosos, que tinham assistido diante de seu pai Salomão, quando ainda vivia, dizendo: Que me aconselhais vós que responda a este povo?

7 Responderam-lhe eles: Se te fizeres benigno para com este povo e lhes agradares, e lhes falares boas palavras, eles te servirão para sempre.

8 Mas ele desaprovou o conselho que os homens idosos lhe haviam dado, e teve conselho com os moços que haviam crescido com ele, e lhe assistiam.

9 Perguntou-lhes: Que aconselhais vós que respondamos a este povo que me disse: Alivia o jugo que teu pai nos impôs?

10 Responderam-lhe os moços que haviam crescido com ele: Assim dirás a este povo que te falou: Teu pai fez pesado o nosso jugo, mas alivia-o tu; assim lhes responderás: O meu dedo mínimo é mais grosso do que os lombos de meu pai.

11 Agora visto que meu pai vos carregou dum jugo pesado, eu acrescentarei ainda sobre o vosso jugo; meu pai castigou-vos com açoites, eu vos castigarei com escorpiões.

12 Vieram Jeroboão e todo o povo ter com Roboão no terceiro dia, como o rei tinha ordenado, dizendo: Vinde ter comigo ao terceiro dia.

13 O rei respondeu-lhes asperamente. O rei Roboão desaprovou o conselho dos homens idosos,

14 e falou-lhes segundo o conselho dos moços: Meu pai fez pesado o vosso jugo, mas eu lhes acrescentarei mais; meu pai castigou-vos com açoites, eu, porém, vos castigarei com escorpiões.

15 Assim o rei não deu ouvidos ao povo; porque era da vontade de Deus, para que Jeová estabelecesse a sua palavra, que por meio de Aías silonita falou a Jeroboão, filho de Nebate.

16 Vendo todo o Israel que o rei não lhes dava ouvidos, respondeu o povo ao rei: Que parte temos com Davi? nem temos herança no filho de Jessé: cada um às suas tendas, ó Israel! agora cuida da tua casa, Davi! Assim se foi todo o Israel para as suas tendas.

17 Mas quanto aos filhos de Israel que habitavam nas cidades de Judá, sobre eles reinou Roboão.

18 O rei Roboão enviou a Hadorão, que era superintendente da gente de trabalhos forçados; e os filhos de Israel o apedrejaram, de modo que morreu. O rei Roboão apressadamente montou no seu carro, e fugiu para Jerusalém.

19 Assim se rebelou Israel contra a casa de Davi até o dia de hoje.

1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of king Solomon), Jeroboam returned out of Egypt. 3 They sent and called him; and Jeroboam and all Israel came, and they spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 4 "Your father made our yoke grievous. Now therefore make 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, "Come again to me after three days."

So 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 about how to answer these people?"

7 They spoke to him, saying, "If you are kind to these people, please them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever."

8 But he abandoned 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 give an answer to these people, who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Make the yoke that your father put on us lighter?’"

10 The young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you shall tell the people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter on us;’ thus 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 them roughly; and king Rehoboam abandoned the counsel of the old men, 14 and spoke to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. 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 brought about by God, that Yahweh might establish his word, which he 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 do we have in David? We don’t have an inheritance in the son of Jesse! Every man to your tents, Israel! Now see to your own house, David." So all 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 Hadoram, who was over the men subject to forced labor; and the children of Israel stoned him to death with stones. King Rehoboam hurried to get himself up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel rebelled against David’s house to this day.