12. Three days later, Jeroboam and all the people came back to Rehoboam, just as he had told them to do.
13. King Rehoboam did not listen to the advice from the older men, and he was rude to the people.
14. He did what his friends told him to do and said, “My father forced you to work hard, but I will make you work much harder! My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with whips that have sharp metal tips.”
15. So the king did not do what the people wanted. The Lord caused this to happen. He did this in order to keep the promise he made to Jeroboam son of Nebat when he sent Ahijah, the prophet from Shiloh, to speak to him.
16. The Israelites saw that the new king refused to listen to them, so they said to him, “We are not part of David’s family are we? We don’t get any of Jesse’s land, do we? So, people of Israel, let’s go home and let David’s son rule his own people!” So the Israelites went home.
17. But Rehoboam still ruled over the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.
18. A man named Adoniram was one of the men who directed the workers. King Rehoboam sent Adoniram to talk to the people, but the Israelites threw stones at him until he died. King Rehoboam ran to his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem.
19. So Israel rebelled against the family of David, and that is how things are even today.