القراءة بلغتين

ومَضَى رَحَبْعامُ إِلى شَكيم، لِأَنَّه كانَ قدِ ٱجتَمَعَ كُلُّ إِسْرائيلَ في شَكيمَ لِيُمَلِّكَه

وسَمِعَ يارُبْعامُ بنُ نَباطَ، وهو في مِصرَ لِأَنَّه كانَ قد هَرَبَ مِن وَجهِ سُلَيمانَ المَلِك، فَرَجَعَ مِن مِصْر

فبَعَثوا إِلَيه ودَعَوه، فأَقبَلَ يارُبْعامُ، هو وكُلُّ إِسْرائيل، وخاطَبوا رَحَبْعامَ قائلين

«إِنَّ أَباكَ قد ثَقَّلَ نَيرَنا، فخَفِّفِ الآنَ مِن عُبودِيَّةِ أَبيكَ الشَّاقَةِ ونيرِه الثَّقيلِ الَّذي وَضَعَه علَينا، فنَخدُمَكَ»

فقالَ لَهم: «عودوا إِلَيَّ بَعدَ ثَلاثَةِ أَيَّام». فٱنصَرَفَ الشَّعْب

فشاوَرَ المَلِكُ رَحَبْعامُ الشُّيوخَ الَّذينَ كانوا يَقِفونَ أَمامَ سُلَيمانَ أَبيه في حَياتِه وقالَ لَهم: «بِماذا تُشيرونَ أَن أُجيبَ هٰذا الشَّعب؟»

فأَجابوه قائلين: «إِن كُنتَ طَيِّبًا مع هٰذا الشَّعبِ وأَرضَيتَه وكَلَّمتَه كَلامًا حَسَنًا، فإِنَّهم يَكونونَ لَكَ عَبيدًا كُلَّ الأَيَّام»

فأَهمَلَ مَشورَةَ الشُّيوخِ الَّذينَ أَشاروا علَيه، وشاوَرَ الفِتْيانَ الَّذينَ نَشأُوا معَه وكانوا يَقِفونَ أَمامَه

وقالَ لَهم: «ما الَّذي تُشيرونَ بِه أَنتُم علَيَّ أَن أُجيبَ هٰذا الشَّعبَ الَّذي كَلَّمَني قائلًا: خَفِّفْ مِنَ النِّيرِ الَّذي وَضَعَه أَبوكَ علَينا؟»

فكَلَّمَه الفِتْيانُ الَّذينَ نَشَأُوا معَه وقالوا: «قُلْ لِهٰذا الشَّعبِ الَّذي خاطَبَكَ قائِلًا: أَبوكَ ثَقَّلَ نيرَنا، وأَنتَ فخَفِّفْ عَنَّا: هٰكذا تَقولُ لَهم: إِنَّ خِنصِري أَغلَظُ مِن مَتنِ أَبي

والآن فإِنَّ أَبي حَمَّلَكُم نيرًا ثَقيلًا، وأَنا أَزيدُ على نيرِكم. أَبي أَدَّبَكم بِالسِّياط، وأَنا بِالعَقارِب»

وأَقبَلَ يارُبْعامُ وكُلُّ الشَّعبِ إِلى رَحَبْعامَ في اليَومِ الثَّالِث، كما تَكَلَّمَ المَلِكُ حَيثُ قال: «عودوا إِلَيَّ في اليَومِ الثَّالِث»

فأَجابَهمُ المَلِكُ بِكَلامٍ جافٍ، وأَهمَلَ المَلِكُ رَحَبْعامُ مَشورَةَ الشُّيوخ

وأَجابَهم بِحَسَبِ مَشورَةِ الفِتْيانِ وقال: «أُثَقِّلُ نيرَكم وأَزيدُ علَيه. أَبي أَدَّبَكم بِالسِّياط، وأَنا بِالعَقارِب»

ولم يَسمَعِ المَلِكُ لِلشَّعْب، لِأَنَّ سَيرَ الأُمورِ كانَ مِن قِبَلِ الله، لِيُتِمَّ الرَّبُّ كَلامَه الَّذي كَلَّمَ بِه يارُبْعامَ بنَ نَباط، على لِسانِ أَحِيَّا الشِّيلونِيّ

ورأَى كُلُّ إِسْرائيلَ أَنَّ المَلِكَ لن يَسمَعَ لَهم. فأَجابَ الشَّعبُ المَلِكَ قائِلًا: «أَيُّ نَصيبٍ لَنا مع داوُد، ولَيسَ لَنا ميراثٌ مع ٱبنِ يَسَّى. كُلُّ واحِدٍ إِلى خَيمَتِه، يا إِسْرائيل، والآن فدَبِّرْ أَمرَ بَيتِكَ، يا داوُد». ورَجَعَ كُلُّ إِسْرائيلَ إِلى خِيامِه

فأَمَّا بَنو إِسْرائيلَ المُقيمونَ في مُدُنِ يَهوذا، فمَلَكَ علَيهم رَحَبْعام

وأَرسَلَ المَلِكُ رَحَبْعامُ هَدورامَ المُوَكَّلَ على السُّخرَة، فرَجَمَه بَنو إِسْرائيلَ بِالحِجارَة فمات. فٱضطُرَّ المَلِكُ رَحَبْعامُ إِلى الصُّعودِ على مَركَبَتِه لِيَهرُبَ إِلى أُورَشَليم

وتَمَرَّدَ إِسْرائيلُ على بَيتِ داوُدَ إِلى هٰذا اليَوم

Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.

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.

They sent and called him; and Jeroboam and all Israel came, and they spoke to Rehoboam, saying,

“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.”

He said to them, “Come again to me after three days.” So the people departed.

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?”

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.”

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.

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’?”

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.

Now whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.’”

So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king asked, saying, “Come to me again the third day.”

The king answered them roughly; and King Rehoboam abandoned the counsel of the old men,

and spoke to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.”

So the king didn’t listen to the people; for it was brought about by God, that the LORD might establish his word, which he spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

When all Israel saw that the king didn’t listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, “What portion do we have in David? We don’t have an inheritance in the son of Jesse! Every man to your tents, Israel! Now see to your own house, David.” So all Israel departed to their tents.

But as for the children of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the men subject to forced labor; and the children of Israel stoned him to death with stones. King Rehoboam hurried to get himself up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.

So Israel rebelled against David’s house to this day.