Bible Time

¹AND Rehoboam went to Shechem; for all Israel came to Shechem to make him king. ²And when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it, for he had fled from the presence of King Solomon, and Jeroboam lived in Egypt. ³Then they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the people of Israel came, and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, ⁴Your father made our yoke harsh; now therefore lighten some of the grievous service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you. ⁵And he said to them, Depart yet for 3 days, then come to me again. So all the people departed. ⁶And King Rehoboam consulted with the old men who had stood before his father while he was still alive, and said to them, How do you advise that I may answer the people? ⁷And they said to him, If you will be a servant to this people this day and will serve them and answer them and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever. ⁸But he forsook the counsel which the old men had given him and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him and who stood before him; ⁹And he said to them, What counsel do you give, that we may answer the people who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which your father put on us lighter? ¹⁰And the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, Thus you will speak to the people who have said to you, Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter for us; thus you will say to them, My little finger is thicker than my father's thumb. ¹¹And now while my father laid a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father has chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with knouts. ¹²So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the 3rd day, as the king had commanded them, saying, Come to me again the 3rd day. ¹³And the king answered the people harshly, and forsook the old men's counsel that they gave him; ¹⁴And spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with knouts. ¹⁵Therefore, the king did not listen to the people; for the stirring of strife was from Yahvah, that Yahvah might perform his saying which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet, the Shilonite, to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

¹⁶So when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, We have no portion in David, nor do we have any inheritance in the son of Jesse; to your tents, oh Israel; now see to your own house, David. So Israel departed to their tents. ¹⁷And the children of Israel lived in their cities; but Judah made Rehoboam the son of Solomon king over them. ¹⁸Then King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who was over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Therefore, King Rehoboam made haste to ride in his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. ¹⁹So Israel has rebelled against the house of David to this day. ²⁰And when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the congregation and made him king over all Israel; only the tribe of Judah followed the house of David. ²¹And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin; 180,000 chosen men of war to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. ²²But the word of Yahvah came to Shemaiah the prophet of God, saying, ²³Speak to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying, ²⁴Thus says Yahvah, You will not go up, nor fight against your brothers the children of Israel; return every man to his house; for this thing is from me. They listened therefore to the word of Yahvah, and returned according to the word of Yahvah.

²⁵Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim and lived in it; and went out from there, and built Penuel. ²⁶And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now the kingdom will return to the house of David; ²⁷If this people go up to do sacrifices at the house of Yahvah in Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn to their lord again, even to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah. ²⁸So the king took counsel, and made 2 calves of gold, and said to all Israel, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; look your gods, oh Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. ²⁹And he set the one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. ³⁰And this thing became a sin; for the people went to worship before the one, even to Dan. ³¹And he made a temple of idols, and made priests from among the people who were not of the sons of Levi. ³²And Jeroboam made a feast in the 8th month, on the 15th day of the month, like the feast that is in Judah, and he went up to the altar to offer sacrifices. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made; and he appointed in Bethel priests for the temples of idols which he had made. ³³And he went to the altar which he had made in Bethel, on the 15th day of the 8th month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and made a feast to the children of Israel; and he went up to the altar to burn incense.