¹² King Rehoboam had told the people, “Come back to me in three days.” So three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam. ¹³ Then King Rehoboam spoke to them in a cruel way. He did not take the advice of the elders. ¹⁴ He followed the advice of the young men. He said, “My father forced you to work hard. But I will give you even more work. My father beat you with whips. But I will beat you with whips that have sharp points.”