The Message Bible MSG
The Latin Vulgate VUL
1 Rehoboam traveled to Shechem where all Israel had gathered to inaugurate him as king.
1
venit autem Roboam in Sychem illuc enim congregatus erat omnis Israhel ad constituendum eum regem
2 Jeroboam had been in Egypt, where he had taken asylum from King Solomon; when he got the report of Solomon's death he had come back.
2
at Hieroboam filius Nabath cum adhuc esset in Aegypto profugus a facie regis Salomonis audita morte eius reversus est de Aegypto
3 Rehoboam assembled Jeroboam and all the people. They said to Rehoboam,
3
miseruntque et vocaverunt eum venit ergo Hieroboam et omnis multitudo Israhel et locuti sunt ad Roboam dicentes
4 "Your father made life hard for us - worked our fingers to the bone. Give us a break; lighten up on us and we'll willingly serve you."
4
pater tuus durissimum iugum inposuit nobis tu itaque nunc inminue paululum de imperio patris tui durissimo et de iugo gravissimo quod inposuit nobis et serviemus tibi
5 "Give me three days to think it over, then come back," Rehoboam said.
5
qui ait eis ite usque ad tertium diem et revertimini ad me cumque abisset populus
6 King Rehoboam talked it over with the elders who had advised his father when he was alive: "What's your counsel? How do you suggest that I answer the people?"
6
iniit consilium rex Roboam cum senibus qui adsistebant coram Salomone patre eius dum adviveret et ait quod mihi datis consilium ut respondeam populo
7 They said, "If you will be a servant to this people, be considerate of their needs and respond with compassion, work things out with them, they'll end up doing anything for you."
7
qui dixerunt ei si hodie oboedieris populo huic et servieris et petitioni eorum cesseris locutusque fueris ad eos verba lenia erunt tibi servi cunctis diebus
8 But he rejected the counsel of the elders and asked the young men he'd grown up with who were now currying his favor,
8
qui dereliquit consilium senum quod dederant ei et adhibuit adulescentes qui nutriti fuerant cum eo et adsistebant illi
9 "What do you think? What should I say to these people who are saying, 'Give us a break from your father's harsh ways - lighten up on us'?"
9
dixitque ad eos quod mihi datis consilium ut respondeam populo huic qui dixerunt mihi levius fac iugum quod inposuit pater tuus super nos
10 The young turks he'd grown up with said, "These people who complain, 'Your father was too hard on us; lighten up' - well, tell them this: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist.
10
et dixerunt ei iuvenes qui nutriti fuerant cum eo sic loquere populo huic qui locuti sunt ad te dicentes pater tuus adgravavit iugum nostrum tu releva nos sic loqueris ad eos minimus digitus meus grossior est dorso patris mei
11 If you think life under my father was hard, you haven't seen the half of it. My father thrashed you with whips; I'll beat you bloody with chains!'"
11
et nunc pater meus posuit super vos iugum grave ego autem addam super iugum vestrum pater meus cecidit vos flagellis ego autem caedam scorpionibus
12 Three days later Jeroboam and the people showed up, just as Rehoboam had directed when he said, "Give me three days to think it over, then come back."
12
venit ergo Hieroboam et omnis populus ad Roboam die tertia sicut locutus fuerat rex dicens revertimini ad me die tertia
13 The king's answer was harsh and rude. He spurned the counsel of the elders
13
responditque rex populo dura derelicto consilio seniorum quod ei dederant
14 and went with the advice of the younger set, "If you think life under my father was hard, you haven't seen the half of it. My father thrashed you with whips; I'll beat you bloody with chains!"
14
et locutus est eis secundum consilium iuvenum dicens pater meus adgravavit iugum vestrum ego autem addam iugo vestro pater meus cecidit vos flagellis et ego caedam scorpionibus
15 Rehoboam turned a deaf ear to the people. God was behind all this, confirming the message that he had given to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah of Shiloh.
15
et non adquievit rex populo quoniam aversatus eum fuerat Dominus ut suscitaret verbum suum quod locutus fuerat in manu Ahiae Silonitae ad Hieroboam filium Nabath
16 When all Israel realized that the king hadn't listened to a word they'd said, they stood up to him and said, Get lost, David! We've had it with you, son of Jesse! Let's get out of here, Israel, and fast! From now on, David, mind your own business.
16
videns itaque populus quod noluisset eos audire rex respondit ei dicens quae nobis pars in David vel quae hereditas in filio Isai in tabernacula tua Israhel nunc vide domum tuam David et abiit Israhel in tabernacula sua
17 But Rehoboam continued to rule those who lived in the towns of Judah.
17
super filios autem Israhel quicumque habitabant in civitatibus Iuda regnavit Roboam
18 When King Rehoboam next sent out Adoniram, head of the workforce, the Israelites ganged up on him, pelted him with stones, and killed him. King Rehoboam jumped in his chariot and fled to Jerusalem as fast as he could.
18
misit igitur rex Roboam Aduram qui erat super tributum et lapidavit eum omnis Israhel et mortuus est porro rex Roboam festinus ascendit currum et fugit in Hierusalem
19 Israel has been in rebellion against the Davidic regime ever since. Jeroboam of Israel
19
recessitque Israhel a domo David usque in praesentem diem
20 When the word was out that Jeroboam was back and available, the assembled people invited him and inaugurated him king over all Israel. The only tribe left to the Davidic dynasty was Judah.
20
factum est autem cum audisset omnis Israhel quod reversus esset Hieroboam miserunt et vocaverunt eum congregato coetu et constituerunt regem super omnem Israhel nec secutus est quisquam domum David praeter tribum Iuda solam
21 When Rehoboam got back to Jerusalem, he called up the men of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand of their best soldiers, to go to war against Israel and recover the kingdom for Rehoboam son of Solomon.
21
venit autem Roboam Hierusalem et congregavit universam domum Iuda et tribum Beniamin centum octoginta milia electorum virorum et bellatorum ut pugnaret contra domum Israhel et reduceret regnum Roboam filio Salomonis
22 At this time the word of God came to Shemaiah, a man of God:
22
factus est vero sermo Domini ad Semeiam virum Dei dicens
23 "Tell this to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, along with everyone in Judah and Benjamin and anyone else who is around:
23
loquere ad Roboam filium Salomonis regem Iuda et ad omnem domum Iuda et Beniamin et reliquos de populo dicens
24 This is God's word: Don't march out; don't fight against your brothers the Israelites; go back home, every last one of you; I'm in charge here." And they did it; they did what God said and went home.
24
haec dicit Dominus non ascendetis nec bellabitis contra fratres vestros filios Israhel revertatur vir in domum suam a me enim factum est verbum hoc audierunt sermonem Domini et reversi sunt de itinere sicut eis praeceperat Dominus
25 Jeroboam made a fort at Shechem in the hills of Ephraim, and made that his headquarters. He also built a fort at Penuel.
25
aedificavit autem Hieroboam Sychem in monte Ephraim et habitavit ibi et egressus inde aedificavit Phanuhel
26 But then Jeroboam thought, "It won't be long before the kingdom is reunited under David.
26
dixitque Hieroboam in corde suo nunc revertetur regnum ad domum David
27 As soon as these people resume worship at The Temple of God in Jerusalem, they'll start thinking of Rehoboam king of Judah as their ruler. They'll then kill me and go back to King Rehoboam."
27
si ascenderit populus iste ut faciat sacrificia in domo Domini in Hierusalem et convertetur cor populi huius ad dominum suum Roboam regem Iuda interficientque me et revertentur ad eum
28 So the king came up with a plan: He made two golden calves. Then he announced, "It's too much trouble for you to go to Jerusalem to worship. Look at these - the gods who brought you out of Egypt!"
28
et excogitato consilio fecit duos vitulos aureos et dixit eis nolite ultra ascendere Hierusalem ecce dii tui Israhel qui eduxerunt te de terra Aegypti
29 He put one calf in Bethel; the other he placed in Dan.
29
posuitque unum in Bethel et alterum in Dan
30 This was blatant sin. Think of it - people traveling all the way to Dan to worship a calf!
30
et factum est verbum hoc in peccatum ibat enim populus ad adorandum vitulum usque in Dan
31 And that wasn't the end of it. Jeroboam built forbidden shrines all over the place and recruited priests from wherever he could find them, regardless of whether they were fit for the job or not.
31
et fecit fana in excelsis et sacerdotes de extremis populi qui non erant de filiis Levi
32 To top it off, he created a holy New Year festival to be held on the fifteenth day of the eighth month to replace the one in Judah, complete with worship offered on the Altar at Bethel and sacrificing before the calves he had set up there. He staffed Bethel with priests from the local shrines he had made.
32
constituitque diem sollemnem in mense octavo quintadecima die mensis in similitudinem sollemnitatis quae celebratur in Iuda et ascendens altare similiter fecit in Bethel ut immolaret vitulis quos fabricatus erat constituitque in Bethel sacerdotes excelsorum quae fecerat
33 This was strictly his own idea to compete with the feast in Judah; and he carried it off with flair, a festival exclusively for Israel, Jeroboam himself leading the worship at the Altar.
33
et ascendit super altare quod extruxerat in Bethel quintadecima die mensis octavi quem finxerat de corde suo et fecit sollemnitatem filiis Israhel et ascendit super altare ut adoleret incensum
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
The Latin Vulgate is in the public domain.