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Venerdi, 29 marzo 2024 - Santi Simplicio e Costantino ( Letture di oggi)

2 Chronicles 10


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1Rehoboam then went to Shechem, al Israel having come to Shechem to proclaim him king.2As soon as Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news -- he was in Egypt, where he had taken refugefrom King Solomon -- he returned from Egypt.3They now sent for him, so Jeroboam and al Israel came and spoke as fol ows to Rehoboam,4'Your father laid a cruel yoke on us; if you wil lighten your father's cruel slavery, that heavy yoke whichhe imposed on us, we are wil ing to serve you.'5He said to them, 'Come back to me in three days' time.' And the people went away.6King Rehoboam then consulted the elders, who had been in attendance on his father Solomon whilehe was alive, and said, 'How do you advise me to answer this people?'7They replied, 'If you are fair to these people, pleasant to them and give them a fair reply, they wilremain your servants for ever.'8But he rejected the advice given him by the elders and consulted the young men in attendance onhim, who had grown up with him.9He said, 'How do you advise us to answer these people who have been saying, "Lighten the yokewhich your father imposed on us"?'10The young men who had grown up with him replied, 'This is the way to answer the people who havebeen saying, "Your father made our yoke heavy, you must lighten it for us!" This is the right thing to say to them,"My little finger is thicker than my father's loins!11Although my father laid a heavy yoke on you, I shal make it heavier stil ! My father controlled youwith the whip, but I shal apply a spiked lash!" '12On the third day, Jeroboam and al the people came to Rehoboam in obedience to the king'sinstructions, 'Come back to me in three days' time.'13And the king gave them a harsh answer. King Rehoboam, rejecting the advice of the elders,14spoke to them as the young men had recommended, 'My father made your yoke heavy, but I shaladd to it. My father control ed you with the whip, but I shal apply a spiked lash.'15Thus the king refused to listen to the people, and this was brought about by God, so that Yahwehmight fulfil the promise which he had made through Ahijah of Shiloh to Jeroboam son of Nebat.16When al Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, the people answered the king thus: Whatshare have we in David? -no heritage in the son of Jesse! Each of you, to your tents, Israel! Now look to yourown house, David! So Israel went home again.17Rehoboam, however, reigned over those Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah.18When King Rehoboam sent Adoram who was in charge of forced labour, the Israelites stoned him todeath, while King Rehoboam managed to mount his chariot and escape to Jerusalem.19And Israel has remained in rebel ion against the House of David from that day to this.