< 2 דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים 10 >

וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ רְחַבְעָ֖ם שְׁכֶ֑מָה כִּ֥י שְׁכֶ֛ם בָּ֥אוּ כָל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לְהַמְלִ֥יךְ אֹתֹֽו׃ 1
Rehoboam went to Shechem, because all the Israelites had gone to Shechem to make him king.
וַיְהִ֞י כִּשְׁמֹ֨עַ יָרָבְעָ֤ם בֶּן־נְבָט֙ וְה֣וּא בְמִצְרַ֔יִם אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּרַ֔ח מִפְּנֵ֖י שְׁלֹמֹ֣ה הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וַיָּ֥שָׁב יָרָבְעָ֖ם מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃ 2
Jeroboam, son of Nebat, was still in Egypt when he heard about this. (He had run away to Egypt to escape from King Solomon and was living there.)
וַֽיִּשְׁלְחוּ֙ וַיִּקְרְאוּ־לֹ֔ו וַיָּבֹ֥א יָרָבְעָ֖ם וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַֽיְדַבְּר֔וּ אֶל־רְחַבְעָ֖ם לֵאמֹֽר׃ 3
The Israelite leaders sent for him. Jereboam and all the Israelites went to talk with Rehoboam.
אָבִ֖יךָ הִקְשָׁ֣ה אֶת־עֻלֵּ֑נוּ וְעַתָּ֡ה הָקֵל֩ מֵעֲבֹדַ֨ת אָבִ֜יךָ הַקָּשָׁ֗ה וּמֵעֻלֹּ֧ו הַכָּבֵ֛ד אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֥ן עָלֵ֖ינוּ וְנַֽעַבְדֶֽךָּ׃ 4
“Your father placed a heavy burden on us,” they told him. “But now if you lighten the load your father imposed and the heavy demands he laid on us, we will serve you.”
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֗ם עֹ֛וד שְׁלֹ֥שֶׁת יָמִ֖ים וְשׁ֣וּבוּ אֵלָ֑י וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ הָעָֽם׃ ס 5
Rehoboam answered, “Come back in three days time.” So the people left.
וַיִּוָּעַ֞ץ הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ רְחַבְעָ֗ם אֶת־הַזְּקֵנִים֙ אֲשֶׁר־הָי֣וּ עֹֽמְדִ֗ים לִפְנֵי֙ שְׁלֹמֹ֣ה אָבִ֔יו בִּֽהְיֹתֹ֥ו חַ֖י לֵאמֹ֑ר אֵ֚יךְ אַתֶּ֣ם נֹֽועָצִ֔ים לְהָשִׁ֥יב לָֽעָם־הַזֶּ֖ה דָּבָֽר׃ 6
King Rehoboam asked for advice from the elders who had served his father Solomon when he was alive. “How do you advise me to reply to these people about this?” he asked.
וַיְדַבְּר֨וּ אֵלָ֜יו לֵאמֹ֗ר אִם־תִּֽהְיֶ֨ה לְטֹ֜וב לְהָעָ֤ם הַזֶּה֙ וּרְצִיתָ֔ם וְדִבַּרְתָּ֥ אֲלֵהֶ֖ם דְּבָרִ֣ים טֹובִ֑ים וְהָי֥וּ לְךָ֛ עֲבָדִ֖ים כָּל־הַיָּמִֽים׃ 7
They replied, “If you treat these people well, and please them by speaking kindly to them, they will always serve you.”
וַֽיַּעֲזֹ֛ב אֶת־עֲצַ֥ת הַזְּקֵנִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר יְעָצֻ֑הוּ וַיִּוָּעַ֗ץ אֶת־הַיְלָדִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר גָּדְל֣וּ אִתֹּ֔ו הָעֹמְדִ֖ים לְפָנָֽיו׃ 8
But Rehoboam dismissed the advice of the elders. He instead asked advice from the young men who he had grown up with, and who were close to him.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֗ם מָ֚ה אַתֶּ֣ם נֹֽועָצִ֔ים וְנָשִׁ֥יב דָּבָ֖ר אֶת־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבְּר֤וּ אֵלַי֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר הָקֵל֙ מִן־הָעֹ֔ל אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֥ן אָבִ֖יךָ עָלֵֽינוּ׃ 9
He asked them, “What response do you advise that we send back to these people who have told me, ‘Lighten the burden your father put on us’?”
וַיְדַבְּר֣וּ אִתֹּ֗ו הַיְלָדִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר גָּדְל֣וּ אִתֹּו֮ לֵאמֹר֒ כֹּֽה־תֹאמַ֡ר לָעָם֩ אֲשֶׁר־דִּבְּר֨וּ אֵלֶ֜יךָ לֵאמֹ֗ר אָבִ֙יךָ֙ הִכְבִּ֣יד אֶת־עֻלֵּ֔נוּ וְאַתָּ֖ה הָקֵ֣ל מֵעָלֵ֑ינוּ כֹּ֚ה תֹּאמַ֣ר אֲלֵהֶ֔ם קָֽטָנִּ֥י עָבָ֖ה מִמָּתְנֵ֥י אָבִֽי׃ 10
The young men who he had grown up with told him, “This is what you have to tell these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our burden heavy, but you should make it lighter.’ This is what you should answer them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's waist!
וְעַתָּ֗ה אָבִי֙ הֶעְמִ֤יס עֲלֵיכֶם֙ עֹ֣ל כָּבֵ֔ד וַאֲנִ֖י אֹסִ֣יף עַֽל־עֻלְּכֶ֑ם אָבִ֗י יִסַּ֤ר אֶתְכֶם֙ בַּשֹּׁוטִ֔ים וַאֲנִ֖י בָּֽעֲקְרַבִּֽים׃ ס 11
My father placed a heavy burden on you, and I will make it even heavier. My father punished you with whips; I will punish you with scorpions.’”
וַיָּבֹ֨א יָרָבְעָ֧ם וְכָל־הָעָ֛ם אֶל־רְחַבְעָ֖ם בַּיֹּ֣ום הַשְּׁלִשִׁ֑י כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֤ר הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר שׁ֥וּבוּ אֵלַ֖י בַּיֹּ֥ום הַשְּׁלִשִֽׁי׃ 12
Three days later, Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, because the king had told them, “Come back in three days time.”
וַיַּעֲנֵ֥ם הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ קָשָׁ֑ה וַֽיַּעֲזֹב֙ הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ רְחַבְעָ֔ם אֵ֖ת עֲצַ֥ת הַזְּקֵנִֽים׃ 13
The king answered them sharply. Dismissing the advice of the elders,
וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר אֲלֵהֶ֗ם כַּעֲצַ֤ת הַיְלָדִים֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר אַכְבִּיד֙ אֶֽת־עֻלְּכֶ֔ם וַאֲנִ֖י אֹסִ֣יף עָלָ֑יו אָבִ֗י יִסַּ֤ר אֶתְכֶם֙ בַּשֹּׁוטִ֔ים וַאֲנִ֖י בָּעֲקְרַבִּֽים׃ 14
he replied using the advice of the young men. He said, “My father placed a heavy burden on you, and I will make it even heavier. My father punished you with whips; I will punish you with scorpions.”
וְלֹֽא־שָׁמַ֥ע הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ אֶל־הָעָ֑ם כִּֽי־הָיְתָ֤ה נְסִבָּה֙ מֵעִ֣ם הֽ͏ָאֱלֹהִ֔ים לְמַעַן֩ הָקִ֨ים יְהוָ֜ה אֶת־דְּבָרֹ֗ו אֲשֶׁ֤ר דִּבֶּר֙ בְּיַד֙ אֲחִיָּ֣הוּ הַשִּֽׁלֹונִ֔י אֶל־יָרָבְעָ֖ם בֶּן־נְבָֽט׃ 15
The king did not listen to what the people said, for this change in circumstances was from God, to fulfill what Lord had told Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.
וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל כִּ֠י לֹא־שָׁמַ֣ע הַמֶּלֶךְ֮ לָהֶם֒ וַיָּשִׁ֣יבוּ הָעָ֣ם אֶת־הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ ׀ לֵאמֹ֡ר מַה־לָּנוּ֩ חֵ֨לֶק בְּדָוִ֜יד וְלֹֽא־נַחֲלָ֣ה בְּבֶן־יִשַׁ֗י אִ֤ישׁ לְאֹהָלֶ֙יךָ֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל עַתָּ֕ה רְאֵ֥ה בֵיתְךָ֖ דָּוִ֑יד וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לְאֹהָלָֽיו׃ ס 16
When all the Israelites saw that the king wasn't listening to them, they told the king: “What share do we have in David, and what part do we have in the son of Jesse? Go home, Israel! You're on your own, house of David!” So all the Israelites went home.
וּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַיֹּֽשְׁבִ֖ים בְּעָרֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֑ה וַיִּמְלֹ֥ךְ עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם רְחַבְעָֽם׃ 17
However, Rehoboam still ruled over the Israelites who lived in Judah.
וַיִּשְׁלַ֞ח הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ רְחַבְעָ֗ם אֶת־הֲדֹרָם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עַל־הַמַּ֔ס וַיִּרְגְּמוּ־בֹ֧ו בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶ֖בֶן וַיָּמֹ֑ת וְהַמֶּ֣לֶךְ רְחַבְעָ֗ם הִתְאַמֵּץ֙ לַֽעֲלֹ֣ות בַּמֶּרְכָּבָ֔ה לָנ֖וּס יְרוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃ ס 18
Then King Rehoboam sent out Hadoram, who was in charge of forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam quickly jumped into his chariot and raced back to Jerusalem.
וַיִּפְשְׁע֤וּ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ בְּבֵ֣ית דָּוִ֔יד עַ֖ד הַיֹּ֥ום הַזֶּֽה׃ ס 19
As a result, Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

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