2 Chronicles 10
Open in the reader1Then A-People-Has-Enlarged went to Shoulder, for all Strives-with-God had gone there to make him king.
2When The-People-Increase son of Regard heard about this, he returned from Two-Straits, where he had fled from King Peace.
3So they sent for The-People-Increase, and he and all Strives-with-God came to A-People-Has-Enlarged and said,
4“Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you must lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”
5A-People-Has-Enlarged answered, “Come back to me in three days.” So the people departed.
6Then King A-People-Has-Enlarged consulted with the elders who had served his father Peace during his lifetime. “How do you advise me to respond to these people?” he asked.
7They replied, “If you will be kind to these people and please them by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”
8But A-People-Has-Enlarged rejected the advice of the elders; instead, he consulted the young men who had grown up with him and served him.
9He asked them, “What message do you advise that we send back to these people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”
10The young men who had grown up with him replied, “This is how you should answer these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you must make it lighter.’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist!
11Whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.’”
12After three days, The-People-Increase and all the people returned to A-People-Has-Enlarged, since the king had said, “Come back to me on the third day.”
13And the king answered them harshly. King A-People-Has-Enlarged rejected the advice of the elders
14and spoke to them as the young men had advised, saying, “Whereas my father made your yoke heavy, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.”
15So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from God, in order that He-Who-Is might fulfill the word that He had spoken through My-Brother-Is-He-Who-Is the Shilonite to The-People-Increase son of Regard.
16When all Strives-with-God saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in Beloved, and what inheritance in the son of Man-of-He-Who-Is? To your tents, O Strives-with-God! Look now to your own house, O Beloved!” So all the children of Strives-with-God went home,
17but A-People-Has-Enlarged still reigned over the children of Strives-with-God living in the cities of Praised.
18Then King A-People-Has-Enlarged sent out Hadad-Is-Exalted, who was in charge of the forced labor, but the children of Strives-with-God stoned him to death. And King A-People-Has-Enlarged mounted his chariot in haste and escaped to Foundation-of-Peace.
19So to this day Strives-with-God has been in rebellion against the house of Beloved.