Bible Verses About Kings

the son of Deker, in Makatz, Sha'albim, Beit-Shemesh and Eilon-Beit-Hanan;

the son of Hesed, in Arubot; he also had charge of Sokhoh and all the territory of Hefer;

the son of Avinadav, in all the area of Dor; he had Tafat the daughter of Shlomo as his wife;

Ba'ana the son of Achilud, in Ta'anakh, Megiddo, and all Beit-Sh'an by Tzartan below Yizre'el, from Beit-Sh'an to Avel-M'cholah, as far as beyond Yokme'am;

the son of Gever, in Ramot-Gil'ad; he was in charge of the villages of Ya'ir the son of M'nasheh in Gil'ad and in charge of the region of Argov in Bashan, sixty large cities with walls and bronze bars;

Achinadav the son of 'Iddo, in Machanayim;

Achima'atz, in Naftali; he also took Basmat the daughter of Shlomo as his wife;

Ba'ana the son of Hushai, in Asher and in Alot;

Y'hoshafat the son of Paruach, in Yissakhar;

Shim'i the son of Ela, in Binyamin; and

Gever the son of Uri, in the land of Gil'ad, the country of Sichon king of the Emori and 'Og king of Bashan. Over all these, there was one administrator in the land.

Rechav'am went to Sh'khem, where all Isra'el had come to proclaim him king.

When Yarov'am the son of N'vat heard of it - for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from Shlomo; so Yarov'am was living in Egypt;

but they sent and summoned him - Yarov'am and the whole community of Isra'el came and said to Rechav'am,

"Your father laid a harsh yoke on us. But if you will lighten the harsh service we had to render your father and ease his heavy yoke that he put on us, we will serve you."

He said to them, "Leave me alone for three days, then come back to me." So the people left.

King Rechav'am consulted the older men who had been in attendance on Shlomo his father during his lifetime and asked, "What advice would you give me as to how to answer these people?"

They said to him, "If you will start today being a servant to these people - if you will serve them, be responsive to them and give them favorable consideration, then they will be your servants forever."

But he didn't take the advice the older men gave him; instead he consulted the young men he had grown up with, who were now his attendants.

He asked them, "What advice would you give me, so that we can give an answer to these people who said to me, 'Lighten the yoke that your father laid on us'?"

The young men he had grown up with said to him, "These people who said to you, 'Your father made our yoke heavy; but you, make it lighter for us' - here's the answer you should give them: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist!

Yes, my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will make it heavier! My father controlled you with whips, but I will control you with scorpions!'"

So Yarov'am and all the people came to Rechav'am the third day, as the king had requested by saying, "Come to me again the third day";

and the king answered the people harshly. Abandoning the advice the older men had given him,

he addressed them according to the advice of the young men and said, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke! My father controlled you with whips, but I will control you with scorpions!"