1 Kings 12
12
The northern tribes of Israel rebel against King Rehoboam
Some of the people rebel against Rehoboam
(2 Chronicles 10.1-19)
1Rehoboam went to Shechem where everyone was waiting to crown him king.
2Jeroboam son of Nebat heard what was happening, and he stayed in Egypt,#12.2 he stayed in Egypt: Hebrew; two ancient translations “he returned from Egypt” (see also 2 Chronicles 10.2). where he had gone to hide from Solomon. 3But the people from the northern tribes of Israel sent for him. Then together they went to Rehoboam and said, 4“Your father Solomon forced us to work very hard. But if you make our work easier, we will serve you and do whatever you ask.”
5“Give me three days to think about it,” Rehoboam replied, “then come back for my answer.” So the people left.
6Rehoboam went to some leaders who had been his father's senior officials, and he asked them, “What should I tell these people?”
7They answered, “If you want them to serve and obey you, then you should do what they ask today. Tell them you will make their work easier.”
8But Rehoboam refused their advice and went to the younger men who had grown up with him and were now his officials. 9He asked, “What do you think I should say to these people who asked me to make their work easier?”
10His younger advisers said:
Here's what we think you should say to them: “Compared to me, my father was weak.#12.10 Compared…weak: Hebrew “My little finger is bigger than my father's waist.” 11He made you work hard, but I'll make you work even harder. He punished you with whips, but I'll use whips with pieces of sharp metal!”
12Three days later, Jeroboam and the others came back. 13Rehoboam ignored the advice of the older advisers. 14He spoke bluntly and told them exactly what his own advisers had suggested: “My father made you work hard, but I'll make you work even harder. He punished you with whips, but I'll use whips with pieces of sharp metal!”
15-19When the people realized that Rehoboam would not listen to them, they shouted: “We don't have to be loyal to David's family. We can do what we want. Come on, people of Israel, let's go home! Rehoboam can rule his own people.”#2 S 20.1.
Adoniram#12.15-19 Adoniram: Two ancient translations (see also 4.6 and 5.14); Hebrew “Adoram”. was in charge of the forced labour, and Rehoboam sent him to talk to the people. But they stoned him to death. Then Rehoboam ran to his chariot and hurried back to Jerusalem.
So the people from the northern tribes of Israel went home, leaving Rehoboam to rule only the people from the towns in Judah. Ever since that day, the people of Israel have opposed David's family in Judah. All this happened just as the LORD's prophet Ahijah had told Jeroboam.
20When the Israelites heard that Jeroboam was back, they called everyone together. Then they sent for Jeroboam and made him king of Israel. Only the people from the tribe of Judah#12.20 Israelites…Israel…Judah: From this time on, “Israel” usually refers to the northern kingdom, and “Israelites” refers to the people who lived there. The southern kingdom is called “Judah”. remained loyal to David's family.
Shemaiah warns Rehoboam
(2 Chronicles 11.1-4)
21After Rehoboam returned to Jerusalem, he decided to attack Israel and take control of the whole country. So he called together one hundred and eighty thousand soldiers from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
22Meanwhile, God told Shemaiah the prophet 23to give Rehoboam and everyone from Judah and Benjamin this warning: 24“Don't go to war against the people from Israel—they are your relatives. Go home! I am the LORD, and I made these things happen.”
Rehoboam and his army obeyed the LORD and went home.
King Jeroboam of Israel makes two gold statues of calves
25Jeroboam rebuilt Shechem in Ephraim and made it a stronger town, then he moved there. He also fortified the town of Penuel.
26-27One day, Jeroboam started thinking, “Everyone in Israel still goes to the temple in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the LORD. What if they become loyal to David's family again? They will kill me and accept Rehoboam as their king.”
28Jeroboam asked for advice and then made two gold statues of calves. He showed them to the people and said, “Listen everyone! You won't have to go to Jerusalem to worship any more. Here are your gods#12.28 Here are your gods: Or “Here is your God”. who rescued you from Egypt.”#Ex 32.4. 29-30Then he put one of the gold calves in the town of Bethel. He put the other one in the town of Dan, and the crowd walked out in front as the calf was taken there.#12.29,30 the crowd…taken there: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. What Jeroboam did was a terrible sin.
31Jeroboam built small places of worship at the shrines#12.31 shrines: See the note at 3.2. and appointed men who were not from the tribe of Levi to serve as priests. 32-33He also decided to start a new festival for the Israelites on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, just like the one in Judah.#12.32,33 the one in Judah: This probably refers to the Festival of Shelters. On that day, Jeroboam went to Bethel and offered sacrifices on the altar to the gold calf he had put there. Then he assigned the priests their duties.#Lv 23.33,34.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
1 Kings 12
12
Civil War
1-3Jeroboam son of Nebat was still in Egypt where he had run away from Solomon. When he heard about Solomon’s death, he returned to his city, Zeredah, in the hills of Ephraim.#12:1-3 to his city … Ephraim This is from the ancient Greek version.
Rehoboam and all the Israelites went to Shechem to make him the king. The people said to Rehoboam, 4“Your father forced us to work very hard. Now, make it easier for us. Stop the heavy work that your father forced us to do and we will serve you.”
5Rehoboam answered, “Come back to me in three days, and I will answer you.” So the people left.
6There were some older men who had helped Solomon make decisions when he was alive. So King Rehoboam asked these men what he should do. He said, “How do you think I should answer the people?”
7They answered, “If you are like a servant to them today, they will sincerely serve you. If you speak kindly to them, they will always work for you.”
8But Rehoboam did not listen to the advice from the older men. He asked the young men who were his friends. 9Rehoboam asked them, “The people said, ‘Give us easier work than your father gave us.’ How do you think I should answer them? What should I tell them?”
10Then the young men who grew up with him answered, “Those people came to you and said, ‘Your father forced us to work very hard. Now make our work easier.’ So you should tell them, ‘My little finger is stronger than my father’s whole body. 11My father forced you to work hard, but I will make you work much harder! My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with whips that have sharp metal tips.’”
12Three days later, Jeroboam and all the people came back as Rehoboam had said. 13King Rehoboam did not listen to the advice from the older men, and he was rude to the people. 14He did what his friends told him to do and said, “My father forced you to work hard, but I will make you work much harder! My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with whips that have sharp metal tips.” 15So the king did not do what the people wanted. The Lord caused this to happen. He did this in order to keep the promise he made to Jeroboam son of Nebat when he sent the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh to speak to him.
16The Israelites saw that the new king refused to listen to them, so they said to him,
“We are not part of David’s family are we?
We don’t get any of Jesse’s land, do we?
So, people of Israel, let’s go home
and let David’s son rule his own people!”
So the Israelites went home. 17But Rehoboam still ruled over the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.
18A man named Adoniram was one of the men who directed the workers. King Rehoboam sent Adoniram to talk to the people, but the Israelites threw stones at him until he died. King Rehoboam ran to his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem. 19So Israel rebelled against the family of David, and this is how things are even today.
20When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had come back, they called him to a meeting and made him king over all Israel. The tribe of Judah was the only tribe that continued to follow the family of David.
21Rehoboam went back to Jerusalem and gathered together an army of 180,000 men from the families of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin. Rehoboam wanted to go fight against the Israelites and take back his kingdom. 22But God spoke to a prophet named Shemaiah. He said, 23“Talk to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to men of Judah and Benjamin. 24Say to them, ‘The Lord says that you must not go to war against your brothers. Everyone, go home! I made all this happen.’” So all the men in Rehoboam’s army obeyed the Lord. They went home, just as the Lord had commanded.
25Jeroboam rebuilt the city of Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived there. Later he went to the city of Penuel#12:25 Penuel Or “Peniel.” and rebuilt it.
26-27Jeroboam said to himself, “If the people keep going to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices at the Lord’s Temple, someday they will want to be ruled by their old masters. They will want to be ruled by King Rehoboam of Judah. And then they will kill me.” 28So the king asked his advisors what to do. They gave him their advice, and King Jeroboam made two golden calves. He said to the people, “You don’t have to go to Jerusalem to worship anymore. Israel, these are the gods that brought you out of Egypt.#12:28 Israel … out of Egypt This is exactly the same thing that Aaron said at the time he made the golden calf in the desert. See Ex. 32:4.” 29King Jeroboam put one golden calf in Bethel and the other one in the city of Dan.#12:29 Bethel, Dan Bethel was a city in the southern part of Israel, near Judah. Dan was in the northern part of Israel. 30What a terrible sin this was, because the Israelites started going to the cities of Dan and Bethel#12:30 and Bethel This is from the ancient Greek version. to worship the calves.
31Jeroboam also built temples at the high places and chose priests from among the different tribes of Israel. (He did not choose priests only from the tribe of Levi.) 32Then King Jeroboam started a new festival that was like the festival#12:32 the festival Probably the Festival of Shelters. See “Festival of Shelters” in the Word List. in Judah, but it was on the 15th day of the eighth month. At this time the king offered sacrifices on the altar at Bethel. He and the priests he chose offered the sacrifices to the calves that he had set up at the high places he had made. 33So King Jeroboam chose his own time for a festival for the Israelites, the 15th day of the eighth month. And during that time he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the altar he had built at Bethel.
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