⁶ Then King Rehoboam sought the counsel of the elders who had served as attendants and advisors to his father Solomon during his lifetime. He asked them: “What answer do you advise me to give to this people?” ⁷ They replied: “If you will treat this people with kindness and be fair in your dealings with them, they will remain your servants forever.”

⁸ However, Rehoboam rejected the advice that the elders had given him and proceeded to consult the young men who had grown up with him and who now attended him.