2tn Heb “him”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

3tc Verse 2 is not included in the Old Greek translation. See the note on 11:43.

4tn Heb “and Jeroboam lived in Egypt.” The parallel text in 2 Chr 10:2 reads, “and Jeroboam returned from Egypt.” In a purely consonantal text the forms “and he lived” and “and he returned” are identical (וישׁב).

5tn Heb “They sent and called for him.”

6tn Heb “made our yoke burdensome.”

7tn Heb “but you, now, lighten the burdensome work of your father and the heavy yoke which he placed on us, and we will serve you.” In the Hebrew text the prefixed verbal form with vav (וְנַעַבְדֶךָ, [v˙na’avdekha] “and we will serve you”) following the imperative (הָקֵל [haqel], “lighten”) indicates purpose (or result). The conditional sentence used in the translation above is an attempt to bring out the logical relationship between these forms.

8tn Heb “stood before.”

9tn Heb “saying.”

10tn Heb “If today you are a servant to these people and you serve them and answer them and speak to them good words, they will be your servants all the days.”

11tn Heb “He rejected the advice of the elders which they advised and he consulted the young men with whom he had grown up, who stood before him.” The referent (Rehoboam) of the initial pronoun (“he”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

12tn In the Hebrew text the verb “we will respond” is plural, although it can be understood as an editorial “we.” The ancient versions have the singular here.

13tn Heb “Lighten the yoke which your father placed on us.”

14tn Heb “he”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

15tn Heb “Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter upon us.”

16tn Heb “My little one is thicker than my father’s hips.” The referent of “my little one” is not clear. The traditional view is that it refers to the little finger. As the following statement makes clear, Rehoboam’s point is that he is more harsh and demanding than his father.

17tn Heb “and now my father placed upon you a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke.”

18tn Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.” “Scorpions” might allude to some type of torture using poisonous insects, but more likely it refers to a type of whip that inflicts an especially biting, painful wound. Cf. CEV “whips with pieces of sharp metal.”

19tn Heb “came.”

20tn Heb “and spoke to them according to.”

21tn Heb “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke.”

22tn Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.” See the note on the same phrase in v. 11.

23tn Heb “because this turn of events was from the Lord.”

24tn Heb “so that he might bring to pass his word which the Lord spoke.”

25sn We have no portion in David; no share in the son of Jesse. Their point seems to be that they have no familial relationship with David that brings them any benefits or places upon them any obligations. They are being treated like outsiders.

26tn Heb “to your tents, Israel.” The word “return” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

27tn Heb “Now see your house, David.”

28tn Heb “went to their tents.”

29tc The MT has “Adoram” here, but the Old Greek translation and Syriac Peshitta have “Adoniram.” Cf. 1 Kgs 4:6.

30sn The work crews. See the note on this expression in 4:6.

31map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

32tn Heb “there was no one [following] after the house of David except the tribe of Judah, it alone.”

33tn Heb “he summoned all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred eighty thousand chosen men, accomplished in war.”

34tn Heb “and the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying.”

35tn Heb “for this thing is from me.”

36tn Heb “and they heard the word of the Lord and returned to go according to the word of the Lord.”

37tc The Old Greek translation has here a lengthy section consisting of twenty-three verses that are not found in the MT.

38tn Heb “said in his heart.”

39tn Heb “Now the kingdom could return to the house of David.” The imperfect verbal form translated “could return” is understood as having a potential force here. Perhaps this is not strong enough; another option is “will return.”

40map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

41tn Heb “the heart of these people could return to their master.”

42tn The words “with his advisers” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

43tn Heb “to them,” although this may be a corruption of “to the people.” Cf. the Old Greek translation.

44map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.

45tn Heb “and this thing became a sin.”

46tc The MT reads “and the people went before the one to Dan.” It is likely that some words have been accidentally omitted and that the text originally said, “and the people went before the one at Bethel and before the one at Dan.”

47tn The Hebrew text has the singular, but the plural is preferable here (see 1 Kgs 13:32). The Old Greek translation and the Vulgate have the plural.

48sn The eighth month would correspond to October-November in modern reckoning.

49sn The festival he celebrated in Judah probably refers to the Feast of Tabernacles (i.e., Booths or Temporary Shelters), held in the seventh month (September-October). See also 1 Kgs 8:2.

50tn Heb “and he offered up [sacrifices] on the altar; he did this in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made.”