1 Kings 14
14
1#tc Some mss of the Old Greek lack vv. 1-20. At that time Jeroboam’s son Abijah became sick. 2 Jeroboam told his wife, “Disguise#tn Heb “Get up, change yourself.” yourself so that people cannot recognize you are Jeroboam’s wife. Then go to Shiloh; Ahijah the prophet, who told me I would rule over this nation, lives there.#tn Heb “look, Ahijah the prophet is there, he told me [I would be] king over this nation.” 3 Take#tn Heb “take in your hand.” ten loaves of bread, some small cakes, and a container of honey and visit him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”
4 Jeroboam’s wife did as she was told. She went to Shiloh and visited Ahijah.#tn Heb “and the wife of Jeroboam did so; she arose and went to Shiloh and entered the house of Ahijah.” Now Ahijah could not see; he had lost his eyesight in his old age.#tn Heb “his eyes were set because of his old age.” 5 But the Lord had told Ahijah, “Look, Jeroboam’s wife is coming to find out from you what will happen to her son, for he is sick. Tell her so-and-so.#sn Tell her so-and-so. Certainly the Lord gave Ahijah a specific message to give to Jeroboam’s wife (see vv. 6-16), but the author of Kings here condenses the Lord’s message with the words “so-and-so.” For dramatic effect he prefers to have us hear the message from Ahijah’s lips as he speaks to the king’s wife. When she comes, she will be in a disguise.” 6 When Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, “Come on in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you pretending to be someone else? I have been commissioned to give you bad news.#tn Heb “I am sent to you [with] a hard [message].” 7 Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: “I raised you up#tn The Hebrew text has “because” at the beginning of the sentence. In the Hebrew text vv. 7-11 are one long sentence comprised of a causal clause giving the reason for divine punishment (vv. 7-9) and the main clause announcing the punishment (vv. 10-11). The translation divides this lengthy sentence for stylistic reasons. from among the people and made you ruler over my people Israel. 8 I tore the kingdom away from the Davidic dynasty and gave it to you. But you are not like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me wholeheartedly by doing only what I approve.#tn Heb “what was right in my eyes.” 9 You have sinned more than all who came before you. You went and angered me by making other gods, formed out of metal; you have completely disregarded me.#tn Heb “you went and you made for yourself other gods, metal [ones], angering me, and you threw me behind your back.” 10 So I am ready to bring disaster#sn Disaster. There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The word translated “disaster” (רָעָה, ra’ah) is from the same root as the expression “you have sinned” in v. 9 (וַתָּרַע [vattara’], from רָעַע, [ra’a’]). Jeroboam’s sins would receive an appropriate punishment. on the dynasty#tn Heb “house.” of Jeroboam. I will cut off every last male belonging to Jeroboam in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated.#tn Heb “and I will cut off from Jeroboam those who urinate against a wall (including both those who are) restrained and let free (or “abandoned”) in Israel.” The precise meaning of the idiomatic phrase עָצוּר וְעָזוּב (’atsur vÿ’azuv) is uncertain. For various options see HALOT 871 s.v. עצר 6 and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 107. The two terms are usually taken as polar opposites (“slaves and freemen” or “minors and adults”), but Cogan and Tadmor, on the basis of contextual considerations (note the usage with אֶפֶס [’efes], “nothing but”) in Deut 32:36 and 2 Kgs 14:26, argue convincingly that the terms are synonyms, meaning “restrained and abandoned,” and refer to incapable or incapacitated individuals. I will burn up the dynasty of Jeroboam, just as one burns manure until it is completely consumed.#tn The traditional view understands the verb בָּעַר (ba’ar) to mean “burn.” Manure was sometimes used as fuel (see Ezek 4:12, 15). However, an alternate view takes בָּעַר as a homonym meaning “sweep away” (HALOT 146 s.v. II בער). In this case one might translate, “I will sweep away the dynasty of Jeroboam, just as one sweeps away manure it is gone” (cf. ASV, NASB, TEV). Either metaphor emphasizes the thorough and destructive nature of the coming judgment. 11 Dogs will eat the members of your family#tn The Hebrew text has “belonging to Jeroboam” here. who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country.”’ Indeed, the Lord has announced it!
12 “As for you, get up and go home. When you set foot in the city, the boy will die. 13 All Israel will mourn him and bury him. He is the only one in Jeroboam’s family#tn Heb “house.” who will receive a decent burial, for he is the only one in whom the Lord God of Israel found anything good. 14 The Lord will raise up a king over Israel who will cut off Jeroboam’s dynasty.#tn Heb “house.” It is ready to happen!#tn Heb “This is the day. What also now?” The precise meaning of the second half of the statement is uncertain. 15 The Lord will attack Israel, making it like a reed that sways in the water.#tn The elliptical Hebrew text reads literally “and the Lord will strike Israel as a reed sways in the water.” He will remove Israel from this good land he gave to their ancestors#tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 22, 31). and scatter them beyond the Euphrates River,#tn Heb “the River.” In biblical Hebrew this is a typical reference to the Euphrates River. The name “Euphrates” has been supplied in the translation for clarity. because they angered the Lord by making Asherah poles.#tn Heb “because they made their Asherah poles that anger the Lord”; or “their images of Asherah”; ASV, NASB “their Asherim”; NCV “they set up idols to worship Asherah.”sn Asherah was a leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles. These were to be burned or cut down (Deut 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4). 16 He will hand Israel over to their enemies#tn Heb “and he will give [up] Israel.” because of the sins which Jeroboam committed and which he made Israel commit.”
17 So Jeroboam’s wife got up and went back to#tn Heb “went and entered.” Tirzah. As she crossed the threshold of the house, the boy died. 18 All Israel buried him and mourned for him, just as the Lord had predicted#tn Heb “according to the word of the Lord which he spoke.” through his servant the prophet Ahijah.
Jeroboam’s Reign Ends
19 The rest of the events of Jeroboam’s reign, including the details of his battles and rule, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.#tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jeroboam, how he fought and how he ruled, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?” 20 Jeroboam ruled for twenty-two years; then he passed away.#tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.” His son Nadab replaced him as king.
Rehoboam’s Reign over Judah
21 Now Rehoboam son of Solomon ruled in Judah. He#tn Heb “Rehoboam.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons. was forty-one years old when he became king and he ruled for seventeen years in Jerusalem,#map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. the city the Lord chose from all the tribes of Israel to be his home.#tn Heb “the city where the Lord chose to place his name from all the tribes of Israel.” His mother was an Ammonite woman#tn Heb “an Ammonite”; the word “woman” is implied. named Naamah.
22 Judah did evil in the sight of#tn Heb “in the eyes of.” the Lord. They made him more jealous by their sins than their ancestors had done.#tn Heb “and they made him jealous more than all which their fathers had done by their sins which they sinned.” 23 They even built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 24 There were also male cultic prostitutes#tc The Old Greek translation has “a conspiracy” rather than “male cultic prostitutes.” in the land. They committed the same horrible sins as the nations#tn Heb “they did according to all the abominable acts of the nations.” that the Lord had driven out from before the Israelites.
25 In King Rehoboam’s fifth year, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. 26 He took away the treasures of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace; he took everything, including all the golden shields that Solomon had made. 27 King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned them to the officers of the royal guard#tn Heb “runners.” who protected the entrance to the royal palace. 28 Whenever the king visited the Lord’s temple, the royal guard carried them and then brought them back to the guardroom.
29 The rest of the events of Rehoboam’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the
Kings of Judah.#tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Rehoboam, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?” 30 Rehoboam and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other. 31 Rehoboam passed away#tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.” and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His mother was an Ammonite named Naamah. His son Abijah#tn In the Hebrew text the name is spelled “Abijam” here and in 1 Kgs 15:1-8. replaced him as king.
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I Kings 14
14
Judgment on the House of Jeroboam
1At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick. 2And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Please arise, and disguise yourself, that they may not recognize you as the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Indeed, Ahijah the prophet is there, who told me that #1 Kin. 11:29–31I would be king over this people. 3#1 Sam. 9:7, 8; 1 Kin. 13:7; 2 Kin. 4:42Also take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him; he will tell you what will become of the child.” 4And Jeroboam’s wife did so; she arose #1 Kin. 11:29and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were glazed by reason of his age.
5Now the Lord had said to Ahijah, “Here is the wife of Jeroboam, coming to ask you something about her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus you shall say to her; for it will be, when she comes in, that she will pretend to be another woman.”
6And so it was, when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another person? For I have been sent to you with bad news. 7Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: #2 Sam. 12:7, 8; 1 Kin. 16:2“Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you ruler over My people Israel, 8and #1 Kin. 11:31tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you; and yet you have not been as My servant David, #1 Kin. 11:33, 38; 15:5who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes; 9but you have done more evil than all who were before you, #1 Kin. 12:28; 2 Chr. 11:15for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke Me to anger, and #2 Chr. 29:6; Neh. 9:26; Ps. 50:17have cast Me behind your back— 10therefore behold! #1 Kin. 15:29I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam, and #1 Kin. 21:21; 2 Kin. 9:8will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, #Deut. 32:36; 2 Kin. 14:26bond and free; I will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as one takes away refuse until it is all gone. 11The dogs shall eat #1 Kin. 16:4; 21:24whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field; for the Lord has spoken!” ’ 12Arise therefore, go to your own house. #1 Kin. 14:17When your feet enter the city, the child shall die. 13And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one of Jeroboam who shall come to the grave, because in him #2 Chr. 12:12; 19:3there is found something good toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.
14#1 Kin. 15:27–29“Moreover the Lord will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam; this is the day. What? Even now! 15For the Lord will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water. He will #Deut. 29:28; 2 Kin. 17:6; Ps. 52:5uproot Israel from this #(Josh. 23:15, 16)good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them #2 Kin. 15:29beyond the River, #(Ex. 34:13, 14; Deut. 12:3)because they have made their wooden images, provoking the Lord to anger. 16And He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, #1 Kin. 12:30; 13:34; 15:30, 34; 16:2who sinned and who made Israel sin.”
17Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed, and came to #1 Kin. 15:21, 33; 16:6, 8, 15, 23; Song 6:4Tirzah. #1 Kin. 14:12When she came to the threshold of the house, the child died. 18And they buried him; and all Israel mourned for him, #1 Kin. 14:13according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet.
Death of Jeroboam
19Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he #1 Kin. 14:30; 2 Chr. 13:2–20made war and how he reigned, indeed they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 20The period that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years. So he rested with his fathers. #1 Kin. 15:25Then Nadab his son reigned in his place.
Rehoboam Reigns in Judah
21And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. #2 Chr. 12:13Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king. He reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city #1 Kin. 11:32, 36which the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. #1 Kin. 14:31His mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. 22#2 Chr. 12:1, 14Now Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they #Deut. 32:21; Ps. 78:58; 1 Cor. 10:22provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. 23For they also built for themselves #Deut. 12:2; Ezek. 16:24, 25high places, #(Deut. 16:22)sacred pillars, and #(2 Kin. 17:9, 10)wooden images on every high hill and #Is. 57:5; Jer. 2:20under every green tree. 24#Gen. 19:5; Deut. 23:17; 1 Kin. 15:12; 22:46; 2 Kin. 23:7And there were also perverted persons in the land. They did according to all the #Deut. 20:18abominations of the nations which the Lord had cast out before the children of #(Deut. 9:4, 5)Israel.
25#1 Kin. 11:40; 2 Chr. 12:2It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26#1 Kin. 15:18; 2 Chr. 12:9–11And he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house; he took away everything. He also took away all the gold shields #1 Kin. 10:17which Solomon had made. 27Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king’s house. 28And whenever the king entered the house of the Lord, the guards carried them, then brought them back into the guardroom.
29#2 Chr. 12:15, 16Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 30And there was #1 Kin. 12:21–24; 15:6war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. 31#2 Chr. 12:16So Rehoboam rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. #1 Kin. 14:21His mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. Then #2 Chr. 12:16Abijam his son reigned in his place.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.