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.