THE KINGDOM DIVIDED.



As SOON as it was known that Solomon was dead, the friends of Jeroboam sent for him  to come out of Egypt; and when he had come, they put him at their head, and came to Rehoboam, saying, "Thy father made our yoke grievous; now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee. And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed."

Solomon had everything so grand, and kept so many servants about him, that the people had to pay heavy taxes, and work very hard to furnish all that Solomon called for. Solomon had been doing by them just as Samuel had said that a king would do, and now they felt that they could not bear such treatment any longer. 

The people were right, and Rehoboam ought to have done as they said.

“After the people had gone away to wait three days for an answer," Rehoboam consulted with the old men that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people? And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants forever. 

But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him.  "The young men said, "Thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins. And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions."

At the time appointed the people returned, and Rehoboam answered them roughly, according to the counsel of the young men. This made the people angry, and ten of the tribes rebelled against Rehoboam and made Jeroboam their king.

Then Rehoboam gathered a great army, one hundred and eighty thousand chosen men, to fight against Jeroboam; but the Lord spake by his prophet, saying, "Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel; return every man to his house; for this thing is from me."  So the people returned, and Jeroboam was allowed to reign. Yet afterward there was much war between these two kings.

The ten tribes over which Jeroboam reigned were called the kingdom of Israel, and the two over which Rehoboam reigned Judah and Benjamin were called the kingdom of Judah.