Israel Rise Up Against Rehoboam
Dem ask Rehoboam make e lighten im papa yoke. E take im friends advice instead of di elders own, promise scorpion instead of whip, and ten tribes waka comot. Di narrator talk say dis turn come from we Papa, to fulfil di word wey dem talk to Jeroboam.
10 1Rehoboam go Shechem, because all Israel don come Shechem to make am king. 2When Jeroboam, di pikin of Nebat, hear am—e bin dey for Egypt, wia e run go escape from King Solomon—Jeroboam come back from Egypt. 3So dem send message call am, and Jeroboam and all Israel come tell Rehoboam say, 4“Your papa put heavy yoke for our neck. Now make you make your papa hard work and di heavy yoke wey e put on us light small, and we go serve you.”
5E tell dem say, “Come back to me for three days.” So di people go their way.
6Den King Rehoboam ask di elders wey bin serve im papa Solomon while e still dey alive: “Wetin una advise say make I take answer dis people?”
7Dem answer am say, “If you dey good to dis people, if you make dem happy, and talk sweet-sweet word to dem, dem go be your servants forever.”
8But e reject di advice wey di elders give am, and go ask di young men wey grow up with am and dey serve am. 9E ask dem say, “Wetin una advise? How we go take answer dis people wey dey ask me say make I make di yoke wey my papa put on us light small?”
10Di young men wey grow up with am answer am say, “Tell di people wey tell you, ‘Your papa put heavy yoke for our neck; make you make am light for us’—tell dem say: ‘My small finger thick pass my papa waist.' 11My papa put heavy yoke for una neck; I go add on top am. My papa flog una with whip; but I go flog una with scorpion.'” a a v11 Scorpion: na one kind whip wey get sharp hook or metal for di edge, wey dey pain well-well pass ordinary whip.
12So Jeroboam and all di people come meet Rehoboam for di third day, as di king bin talk say, “Come back to me for di third day.” 13Di king answer dem with hard mouth. King Rehoboam reject di advice wey di elders give am, 14and e talk to dem as di young men advise am: “My papa put heavy yoke for una neck; I go make am more heavy. My papa flog una with whip; but I go flog una with scorpion.”
15So di king no gree hear di people, because dis turn-around na from our Papa, so dat e go make di word wey our Papa talk through Ahijah di Shilonite to Jeroboam di pikin of Nebat come true.
16When all Israel see say di king no gree hear dem, di people answer am say: “Wetin be our own share for David? We no get inheritance for Jesse pikin! Israel, comot go una tent! David, take care of your own house!” So all Israel go back home to their tent. b b v16 “Comot go una tent” na old-time rally cry wey mean “make una go house and pull una loyalty comot from di king.”
17But Rehoboam still dey rule ova di people of Israel wey dey live for di towns of Judah. 18Den King Rehoboam send Hadoram, di one wey dey in charge of di forced labour, but di people of Israel stone am until e die. King Rehoboam sef jump enter im chariot, run go Jerusalem. 19So Israel don dey rebel against di house of David till today.
