Bible Time

¹AND when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled of the house of Judah and Benjamin 180,000 chosen men who drew sword, and who were warriors, to fight against Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. ²But the word of Yahvah came to Shemaiah, saying, ³Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to the house of Benjamin and to all Israel and to the rest of the people, saying, ⁴Thus says Yahvah, You will not go up, nor fight; return every man to his house, for this thing is my doing. And they obeyed the word of Yahvah, and returned, every man to his house.

⁵And Jeroboam built Shechem on the mountain of the tribe of the house of Ephraim, and lived in it; and went out from there and built Penuel. ⁶And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now the kingdom will return to the house of David; ⁷If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of Yahvah in Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, and they will kill me and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. ⁸Therefore, the king took counsel and made 2 calves of gold, and said to the people, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem, why should you go up to Jerusalem and come down? Then he said, These are your gods, oh Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. ⁹And he set the one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. ¹⁰And this thing became a sin; for the people went to worship before the calf, even to Dan. And this thing became a sin to all the house of Jeroboam, to be uprooted and destroyed from the earth. ¹¹At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick; and Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise and disguise yourself, be as a simple woman, so you will not be known as the wife of Jeroboam; and go to Shiloh; look, Ahijah the prophet is there, who told me that I would be king over this people. ¹²Go to him; he will tell you what will become of this child. ¹³And Yahvah said to Ahijah, Look, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to ask a thing of you concerning her son; for he is sick; such and such you will say to her; for it will be, when she comes in, that she will disguise herself. ¹⁴And it came to pass, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet as she came in at the door, he said to her, Come in, wife of Jeroboam; why have you disguised yourself? For I am sent to tell you harsh words. ¹⁵Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus says Yahvah God of Israel: I have exalted you from among the people and made you king over my people Israel, ¹⁶And took the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you; yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and who walked in my statutes with all his heart to do that which was right in my presence; ¹⁷But you have done evil above all kings who were before you; for you have gone and made for yourself idols of the nations, and images to blaspheme before me, and have cast my worship behind your back.

¹⁸And Rehoboam took Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth, the son of David, as his wife, and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse, ¹⁹Which bore him children; Jeush, and Shamariah and Zaham. ²⁰And after her he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom, which bore him Abijah and Attai and Ziza and Shelomith. ²¹And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines, for he took 18 wives and 60 concubines; and begat 28 sons, and 60 daughters. ²²And Rehoboam made Abijah the son of Maachah the crown prince, to be ruler among his brothers; for he thought to make him king. ²³And he dealt wisely, and dispersed all of his children throughout all the countries of Judah and Benjamin to every fortified city; and he gave them food in abundance. And he desired many wives.