וַיֵּלֶךְ רְחַבְעָם שְׁכֶמָה כִּי שְׁכֶם בָּאוּ כָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהַמְלִיךְ אֹתוֹ

Rehavam, Solomon’s son and the heir to his throne, went to Shekhem; for all Israel had come to Shekhem to crown him in a coronation ceremony.

וַיְהִי כִּשְׁמֹעַ יָרָבְעָם בֶּן־נְבָט וְהוּא בְמִצְרַיִם אֲשֶׁר בָּרַח מִפְּנֵי שְׁלֹמֹה הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיָּשָׁב יָרָבְעָם מִמִּצְרָיִם

It was when Yorovam son of Nevat heard of Solomon’s death, and he was then in Egypt, where he had fled from before King Solomon, that Yorovam returned to Israel from Egypt. It is related in the book of Kings that Yorovam was an officer who rebelled against King Solomon and apparently criticized him harshly. The king pursued him and possibly attempted to imprison him, but Yorovam fled to Egypt. The Egyptians granted him asylum, perhaps in order to preserve a balance of power among Israelite leaders.

וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ וַיִּקְרְאוּ־לוֹ וַיָּבֹא יָרָבְעָם וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיְדַבְּרוּ אֶל־רְחַבְעָם לֵאמֹר

They, the leaders of the people, sent to summon him, Yorovam, to serve as their unofficial representative. And Yorovam and all Israel came and spoke with Rehavam, detailing their specific complaints, saying:

אָבִיךָ הִקְשָׁה אֶת־עֻלֵּנוּ וְעַתָּה הָקֵל מֵעֲבוֹדַת אָבִיךָ הַקָּשָׁה וּמֵעֻלּוֹ הַכָּבֵד אֲשֶׁר־נָתַן עָלֵינוּ וְנַעַבְדֶךָּ

Your father made our yoke difficult, as he taxed the people heavily to offset the expenses of his extensive construction projects throughout the kingdom. Although the king received a great deal of gold from external sources, that amount was insufficient, and he was obliged to raise taxes. The people and Yorovam continued: Ease now from the difficult labor of your father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve you. We are prepared to accept your authority, but it is difficult for us to do so under the present conditions.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם עוֹד שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים וְשׁוּבוּ אֵלָי וַיֵּלֶךְ הָעָם

He said to them: I must consider the issue; return to me in three more days, and the people departed.

וַיִּוָּעַץ הַמֶּלֶךְ רְחַבְעָם אֶת־הַזְּקֵנִים אֲשֶׁר־הָיוּ עֹמְדִים לִפְנֵי שְׁלֹמֹה אָבִיו בִּהְיֹתוֹ חַי לֵאמֹר אֵיךְ אַתֶּם נוֹעָצִים לְהָשִׁיב לָעָם־הַזֶּה דָּבָר

King Rehavam consulted with the elders, the mature and experienced ministers, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was alive, saying: How do you counsel to respond to this people?

וַיְדַבְּרוּ אֵלָיו לֵאמֹר אִם־תִּהְיֶה לְטוֹב לְהָעָם הַזֶּה וּרְצִיתָם וְדִבַּרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם דְּבָרִים טוֹבִים וְהָיוּ לְךָ עֲבָדִים כָּל־הַיָּמִים

They spoke to him, saying: If you will be good to this people, and appease them, and speak kind, conciliatory words to them, then they will be your servants, loyal to you forever. Rehavam required fewer expenditures than Solomon, and therefore the older ministers advised him to accede to the request. They were perhaps aware of the prevailing feeling of resentment among the people, and they knew that the new king’s authority was not yet firmly established.

וַיַּעֲזֹב אֶת־עֲצַת הַזְּקֵנִים אֲשֶׁר יְעָצֻהוּ וַיִּוָּעַץ אֶת־הַיְלָדִים אֲשֶׁר גָּדְלוּ אִתּוֹ הָעֹמְדִים לְפָנָיו

He abandoned the counsel of the elders who had counseled him, as he considered their suggestion beneath him, and he consulted the youths who had grown up with him, and who lacked political or general experience, who were standing before him at that time.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם מָה אַתֶּם נוֹעָצִים וְנָשִׁיב דָּבָר אֶת־הָעָם הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר דִּבְּרוּ אֵלַי לֵאמֹר הָקֵל מִן־הָעֹל אֲשֶׁר־נָתַן אָבִיךָ עָלֵינוּ

He said to them: What do you counsel, and we will respond to this people, who spoke to me, saying: Ease the yoke that your father placed upon us?

וַיְדַבְּרוּ אִתּוֹ הַיְלָדִים אֲשֶׁר גָּדְלוּ אִתּוֹ לֵאמֹר כֹּה תֹאמַר לָעָם אֲשֶׁר־דִּבְּרוּ אֵלֶיךָ לֵאמֹר אָבִיךָ הִכְבִּיד אֶת־עֻלֵּנוּ וְאַתָּה הָקֵל מֵעָלֵינוּ כֹּה תֹּאמַר אֲלֵהֶם קָטָנִּי עָבָה מִמָּתְנֵי אָבִי

The youths who had grown up with him spoke with him, saying: So you shall say to the people who spoke to you, saying: Your father made our yoke heavy; you, ease it for us. So you shall say to them: My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. My father was mighty, but I will be far more powerful.

וְעַתָּה אָבִי הֶעְמִיס עֲלֵיכֶם עֹל כָּבֵד וַאֲנִי אֹסִיף עַל־עֻלְּכֶם אָבִי יִסַּר אֶתְכֶם בַּשּׁוֹטִים וַאֲנִי בָּעַקְרַבִּים

Now my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, and I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with barbed lashes, whips with knots, hooks, or spikes. The king’s young advisors were familiar only with Solomon’s firmly established rule, and they assumed that Rehavam’s authority was unshakable under any circumstances. Therefore they advised him not to appease the people, in order to demonstrate to Yorovam and the entire nation the full extent of his power.

וַיָּבֹא יָרָבְעָם וְכָל־הָעָם אֶל־רְחַבְעָם בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִשִׁי כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר הַמֶּלֶךְ לֵאמֹר שׁוּבוּ אֵלַי בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִשִׁי

Yorovam and all the people came to Rehavam on the third day, as the king had spoken, saying: Return to me on the third day.

וַיַּעֲנֵם הַמֶּלֶךְ קָשָׁה וַיַּעֲזֹב הַמֶּלֶךְ רְחַבְעָם אֵת עֲצַת הַזְּקֵנִים

The king answered them harshly; King Rehavam abandoned the counsel of the elders, who had recommended that he seek compromise and conciliation.

וַיְדַבֵּר אֲלֵהֶם כַּעֲצַת הַיְלָדִים לֵאמֹר אַכְבִּיד אֶת־עֻלְּכֶם וַאֲנִי אֹסִיף עָלָיו אָבִי יִסַּר אֶתְכֶם בַּשּׁוֹטִים וַאֲנִי בָּעַקְרַבִּים

Instead he spoke to them in accordance with the counsel of the youths, saying: I will make your yoke heavy, and I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with barbed lashes.

וְלֹא־שָׁמַע הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל־הָעָם כִּי־הָיְתָה נְסִבָּה מֵעִם הָאֱלֹהִים לְמַעַן הָקִים ה' אֶת־דְּבָרוֹ אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר בְּיַד אֲחִיָּהוּ הַשִּׁלוֹנִי אֶל־יָרָבְעָם בֶּן־נְבָט

The king did not heed the people despite the fact that he should have discerned their resentment toward his policy. Moreover, there was no need for him to take any immediate steps to increase their burden; since Solomon’s grand projects would not be continuing at the same pace, he could have cut taxes without incurring any loss. Nevertheless, Rehavam was insensitive to these factors, as it was a plan from God, so that the Lord would fulfill His word, which He had spoken by means of Ahiya the Shilonite to Yorovam son of Nevat. The prophecy itself is not cited here, but it is recounted at length in I Kings (chap. 11). There, the prophet Ahiya the Shilonite informed Yorovam that he would reign over Israel due to the foreign cults that had infiltrated the kingdom during Solomon’s reign.

וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי לֹא־שָׁמַע הַמֶּלֶךְ לָהֶם וַיָּשִׁיבוּ הָעָם אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ לֵאמֹר מַה לָּנוּ חֵלֶק בְּדָוִיד וְלֹא־נַחֲלָה בְּבֶן־יִשַׁי אִישׁ לְאֹהָלֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל! עַתָּה רְאֵה בֵיתְךָ דָּוִיד וַיֵּלֶךְ כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְאֹהָלָיו

All Israel, when the king did not heed them, the people responded to the king, saying: What share, inherent connection, is there in the house of David for us? There is no inheritance for us in the son of Yishai. Each man to your tents, Israel. Sheva son of Bikhri, who had rebelled against King David years before, had employed this same rallying cry. The people concluded: Now see to, reign over, your own house, David; confine your rule to your own tribe. And all Israel went to their tents. The tribes of Israel declared their secession from the unified kingdom and their rejection of the central authority in Judah.

ובְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַיֹּשְׁבִים בְּעָרֵי יְהוּדָה וַיִּמְלֹךְ עֲלֵיהֶם רְחַבְעָם

But as for the children of Israel who resided in the cities of Judah and the surrounding areas, Rehavam still reigned over them.

וַיִּשְׁלַח הַמֶּלֶךְ רְחַבְעָם אֶת־הֲדֹרָם אֲשֶׁר עַל־הַמַּס וַיִּרְגְּמוּ־בוֹ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶבֶן וַיָּמֹת וְהַמֶּלֶךְ רְחַבְעָם הִתְאַמֵּץ לַעֲלוֹת בַּמֶּרְכָּבָה לָנוּס יְרוּשָׁלִָם

King Rehavam sent Hadoram to the people, he who was appointed over the levy, and had apparently been the tax collector during David’s reign as well. It seems that Hadoram was an elderly, prominent individual, although he was unpopular and by this point the people rejected his authority. Rehavam sent him to collect taxes, pretending that nothing had changed. And the children of Israel stoned him, Hadoram, with stones, and he died. King Rehavam, who witnessed the mass riot, hastened to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.

וַיִּפְשְׁעוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּבֵית דָּוִיד עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה

Israel rebelled against the house of David to this day.