13. The king answered them harshly. He ignored the older leaders’ advice.
14. He spoke to them as the young men advised. He said, “If my father made your burden heavy, I will add to it. If my father punished you with whips, I will use scorpions.”
15. The king refused to listen to the people because the Lord was directing these events to carry out the promise he had made to Jer o boam (Nebat’s son) through Ahijah from Shiloh.