“ Your father was a hard master,” they said.“ Lighten the harsh labor demands and heavy taxes that your father imposed on us. Then we will be your loyal subjects.”

“你父亲使我们负重轭，做苦工，现在求你使我们做的苦工、负的重轭轻松些，我们就侍奉你。”

“你父亲使我们负重轭，现在求你减轻你父亲所加给我们的苦工和重轭，我们就服事你。”

“你父亲使我们负重轭，现在求你减轻你父亲所加给我们的苦工和重轭，我们就服事你。”

“你父亲使我们负担沉重，求你减轻我们的负担吧，我们一定效忠你。”

“你父亲加给我们的重担，现在求你减轻你父亲使我们作的苦工和加在我们背上的重担，我们就服事你。”

「你父親使我們負重軛，做苦工，現在求你使我們做的苦工、負的重軛輕鬆些，我們就事奉你。」

「你父親使我們負重軛，現在求你減輕你父親所加給我們的苦工和重軛，我們就服事你。」

「你父親使我們負重軛，現在求你減輕你父親所加給我們的苦工和重軛，我們就服事你。」

「你父親使我們負擔沉重，求你減輕我們的負擔吧，我們一定效忠你。」

“你父親加給我們的重擔，現在求你減輕你父親使我們作的苦工和加在我們背上的重擔，我們就服事你。”

『你父親使我們的軛很難負；你呢，現在你使你父親那令人很難作的工、和他所加在我們身上的重軛、輕鬆些吧，我們就服事你。』

爾父使我儕負軛艱苦、爾其輕爾父之重軛、與艱苦之役事、我則服事爾、

爾父使我負重軛、操作維艱、爾其輕我、我則役事爾。

爾父使我負重軛、服役艱苦、今爾輕之、我則事爾、

“ Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”

“ Your father put a heavy load on our shoulders. But now make our hard work easier. Make the heavy load on us lighter. Then we’ll serve you.”

“ Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.”

“ Your father made our yoke harsh. You, therefore, lighten your father’s harsh service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”

“ Your father made our yoke hard; but now, lighten the hard labor imposed by your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”

“ Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”

Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.

“ Your father made our yoke difficult. You, therefore, lighten your father’s harsh service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”

Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.

“ Your father made us work too hard. Now if you lighten the demands he made and don’t make us work as hard, we will serve you.”

“ Your father made our yoke difficult. Now therefore make the hard service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, lighter, and we will serve you.”

“ This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said.“ The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots.Some will be generals and captains in his army, some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment.The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him.He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials.He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants.He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle and donkeys for his own use.He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves.When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the Lord will not help you.”

Solomon also had twelve district governors who were over all Israel. They were responsible for providing food for the king’s household. Each of them arranged provisions for one month of the year.

This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon conscripted to build the Lord’s Temple, the royal palace, the supporting terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

“ Your father was a hard master,” they said.“ Lighten the harsh labor demands and heavy taxes that your father imposed on us. Then we will be your loyal subjects.”Rehoboam replied,“ Come back in three days for my answer.” So the people went away.

Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.

The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They were very contented, with plenty to eat and drink.Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south. The conquered peoples of those lands sent tribute money to Solomon and continued to serve him throughout his lifetime.The daily food requirements for Solomon’s palace were 150 bushels of choice flour and 300 bushels of meal;also 10 oxen from the fattening pens, 20 pasture fed cattle, 100 sheep or goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roe deer, and choice poultry.Solomon’s dominion extended over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza. And there was peace on all his borders.During the lifetime of Solomon, all of Judah and Israel lived in peace and safety. And from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, each family had its own home and garden.

But Solomon did not conscript any of the Israelites for forced labor. Instead, he assigned them to serve as fighting men, government officials, officers and captains in his army, commanders of his chariots, and charioteers.Solomon appointed 550 of them to supervise the people working on his various projects.