1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.2 And as soon as Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam returned from Egypt.3 And they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and said to Rehoboam,4 “Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.”5 He said to them, “Go away for three days, then come again to me.” So the people went away.6 Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?”7 And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.”8 But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.9 And he said to them, “What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put on us’?”10 And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus shall you speak to this people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us,’ thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's thighs.11 And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’”12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again the third day.”13 And the king answered the people harshly, and forsaking the counsel that the old men had given him,14 he 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 disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.”15 So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the LORD that he might fulfill his word, which the LORD spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.16 And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David.” So Israel went to their tents.17 But Rehoboam reigned over the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah.18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.20 And when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah only.21 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.22 But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God:23 “Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people,24 ‘Thus says the LORD, You shall not go up or fight against your relatives the people of Israel. Every man return to his home, for this thing is from me.’” So they listened to the word of the LORD and went home again, according to the word of the LORD.25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel.26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David.27 If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.”28 So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”29 And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.30 Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one.31 He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites.32 And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made.33 He went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he had devised from his own heart. And he instituted a feast for the people of Israel and went up to the altar to make offerings.
2 Chronicles 10
1 르호보암은 세겜으로 갔다. 온 이스라엘이 그를 왕으로 추대하려고 세겜에 모여있었던것이다.2 그때 솔로몬을 피하여 애급에 가있던 느밧의 아들 여로보암은 이 소식을 듣고 애급에서 돌아와있었는데3 사람들은 그를 불러내였다. 여로보암과 온 이스라엘이 르호보암에게 와서 말하였다.4 ≪선왕께서는 우리에게 무거운 멍에를 메우셨습니다. 이제 임금님께서는 선왕께서 우리에게 메워주신 멍에를 가볍게 해주십시오. 그 힘든 일을 덜어주십시오. 그렇게 하셔야 우리는 임금님을 받들어섬기겠습니다.≫5 사흘후에 다시 오라고 하여 백성을 돌려보내고나서6 르호보암왕은 부왕 생존시에 부왕을 섬기던 나이많은 신하들을 불러 ≪이 백성의 요구에 어떻게 대답하면 좋겠소.≫ 하고 의논하였다.7 그들이 대답하였다. ≪이 백성을 좋게 대하여 주십시오. 너그럽게 보시고 좋은 말로 대답해주십시오. 그리하시면 이 백성은 언제까지나 종이 되여드릴것입니다.≫ 그러나8 그는 원로들의 충고를 받아들이지 않았다. 그대신 자기와 함께 자라난 젊은이들로서 자기를 받드는자들과 상의하여9 그들에게 ≪선왕께서 메워주신 멍에를 가볍게 해달라고 요구하는데 어떻게 대답하면 좋겠는가≫하고 물었다.10 왕과 함께 자란 젊은이들은 이렇게 대답하였다. ≪백성들이 선왕께서 메워주신 멍에가 무거우니 그것을 가볍게 해달라고 요구하더라도 임금님께서는 이렇게 대답하십시오. 나의 새끼손가락이 부왕의 허리보다 굵다.11 너희는 부왕께서 메워주신 멍에가 무겁다고 한다마는 나는 그보다 더 무거운 멍에를 너희에게 지우리라. 부왕께서는 너희를 가죽채찍으로 치셨으나 나는 쇠채찍으로 다스리리라.≫12 사흘후에 다시 오라고 한 왕의 명령대로 여로보암은 온 백성을 거느리고 3일째되는 날 르호보암앞에 나타났다.13 왕의 대답은 가혹하였다. 끝내 원로들의 충고를 외면하고14 젊은이들의 충고를 따라 이렇게 말하였다. ≪부왕께서 너희에게 무거운 멍에를 메웠다지만 나는 그보다 더 무거운 멍에를 메우리라. 부왕께서는 너희를 가죽채찍으로 치셨지만 나는 쇠채찍으로 다스리리라.≫15 왕은 이처럼 끝내 백성들의 말을 들어주지 않았다. 여호와께서 실로사람 아히야를 시켜 느밧의 아들 여로보암에게 하신 당신의 말씀을 이루시려고 일을 그렇게 꾸미셨던것이다.16 온 이스라엘은 왕이 자기들의 말을 들어주지 않은것을 보고 왕에게 대답하였다. ≪우리가 다윗에게서 받을 몫이 어디 있느냐. 이새의 아들에게서 받을것이 없구나. 이스라엘아, 모두 자기 집으로 돌아가자. 다윗이여, 이제 네 집안이나 돌보아라.≫ 그리하여 이스라엘백성은 각자 집으로 돌아갔다.17 르호보암은 유대지방의 성읍들에 살고있는 이스라엘백성만을 다스리게 되였다.18 르호보암왕은 부역감독 하도람을 보내보았으나 온 이스라엘백성이 그를 돌로 쳐죽였다. 르호보암왕은 마차를 몰아 예루살렘으로 급히 도망하였다.19 이렇게 이스라엘은 다윗왕조에 반역하여 오늘에 이르렀다.
