9. Rehoboam asked them, “What is your advice? How should we answer these people? They said, ‘Don’t make us work as hard as your father did.’”
10. Then the young men who had grown up with him said, “The people said to you, ‘Your father forced us to work very hard. Now make our work easier.’ But you should tell those people, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist.
11. My father forced you to work hard. But I will make you work even harder. My father beat you with whips. But I will beat you with whips that have sharp points.’”
12. King Rehoboam had told the people, “Come back to me in three days.” So three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam.
13. Then King Rehoboam spoke to them in a cruel way. He did not take the advice of the elders.
14. He followed the advice of the young men. He said, “My father forced you to work hard. But I will give you even more work. My father beat you with whips. But I will beat you with whips that have sharp points.”
15. So King Rehoboam did not do what the people wanted. God caused this to happen. He did this so the Lord could keep his promise to Jeroboam son of Nebat. The Lord had made this promise through Ahijah, a prophet from Shiloh.
16. The people of Israel saw that King Rehoboam did not listen to them. So they said to the king,“We have no share in David.We have no part in the son of Jesse.People of Israel, let’s go to our own homes!Let David’s son rule his own people.”So all the Israelites went home.
17. But Rehoboam still ruled over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah.