3 Kings 12
12
1And Roboam went to Sichem: for thither were all Israel come together to make him king.
2But Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who was yet in Egypt, a fugitive from the face of king Solomon, hearing of his death, returned out of Egypt.
3And they sent and called him. And Jeroboam came, and all the multitude of Israel; and they spoke to Roboam, saying:
4Thy father laid a grievous yoke upon us. Now therefore do thou take off a little of the grievous service of thy father, and of his most heavy yoke, which he put upon us: and we will serve thee.
5And he said to them: Go till the third day, and come to me again. And when the people was gone,
6King Roboam took counsel with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived. And he said: What counsel do you give me, that I may answer this people?
7They said to him: If thou wilt yield to this people to-day, and condescend to them, and grant their petition, and wilt speak gentle words to them, they will be thy servants always.
8But he left the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men, that had been brought up with him, and stood before him.
9And he said to them: What counsel do you give me, that I may answer this people, who have said to me: Make the yoke which thy father put upon us lighter?
10And the young men that had been brought up with him said: Thus shalt thou speak to this people, who have spoken to thee, saying: Thy father made our yoke heavy, do thou ease us. Thou shalt say to them: My little finger is thicker than the back of my father.
11And now my father put a, heavy yoke upon you: but I will add to your yoke. My father beat you with whips: but I will beat you with scorpions.
12So Jeroboam and all the people came to Roboam the third day, as the king had appointed, saying: Come to me again the third day.
13And the king answered the people roughly, leaving the counsel of the old men, which they had given him.
14And he 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 beat you with whips; but I will beat you with scorpions.
15And the king condescended not to the people: for the Lord was turned away from him, to make good his word, which he had spoken in the hand of Ahias the Silonite, to Jeroboam the son of Nabat.
16Then the people, seeing that the king would not hearken to them, answered him, saying: What portion have we in David? Or what inheritance in the son of Isai? Go home to thy dwellings, O Israel. Now David, look to thy own house. So Israel departed to their dwellings.
17But as for all the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Juda, Roboam reigned over them.
18Then king Roboam sent Aduram, who was over the tribute: and all Israel stoned him and he died. Wherefore king Roboam made haste to get him up into his chariot, and he fled to Jerusalem.
19And Israel revolted from the house of David, unto this day.
20And it came to pass when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they gathered an assembly, and sent and called him, and made him king over all Israel. And there was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Juda only.
21And Roboam came to Jerusalem, and gathered together all the house of Juda, and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred fourscore thousand chosen men for war, to fight against the house of Israel and to bring the kingdom again under Roboam the son of Solomon.
22But the word of the Lord came to Semeias, the man of God, saying:
23Speak to Roboam the son of Solomon, the king of Juda, and to all the house of Juda, and Benjamin, and the rest of the people, saying:
24Thus saith the Lord: You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel. Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from me. They hearkened to the word of the Lord, and returned from their journey, as the Lord had commanded them.
25And Jeroboam built Sichem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt there: and going out from thence he built Phanuel.
26And Jeroboam said in his heart: Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David,
27If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem. And the heart of this people will turn to their lord Roboam the king of Juda: and they will kill me, and return to him.
28And finding out a device he made two golden calves, and said to them: Go ye up no more to Jerusalem: Behold thy gods, O Israel, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt.
29And he set the one in Bethel, and the other in Dan.
30And this thing became an occasion of sin: for the people went to adore the calf as far as Dan.
31And he made temples in the high places, and priests of the lowest of the people, who were not of the sons of Levi.
32And he appointed a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, after the manner of the feast that was celebrated in Juda. And going up to the altar, he did in like manner in Bethel, to sacrifice to the calves, which he had made. And he placed in Bethel priests of the high places, which he had made.
33And he went up to the altar, which he had built in Bethel, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, which he had devised of his own heart. And he ordained a feast to the children of Israel: and went upon the altar to burn incense.
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3 Kings 12: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
I Kings 12
12
The Revolt Against Rehoboam
1And #2 Chr. 10:1Rehoboam went to #Judg. 9:6Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. 2So it happened, when #1 Kin. 11:26Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was still in #1 Kin. 11:40Egypt, for he had fled from the presence of King Solomon and had been dwelling in Egypt ), 3that they sent and called him. Then Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 4“Your father made our #1 Sam. 8:11–18; 1 Kin. 4:7; 5:13–15yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”
5So he said to them, “Depart for three days, then come back to me.” And the people departed.
6Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, and he said, “How do you advise me to answer these people?”
7And they spoke to him, saying, #2 Chr. 10:7; (Prov. 15:1)“If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.”
8But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. 9And he said to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?”
10Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak to this people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us’—thus you shall say to them: ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist! 11And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!’ ”
12So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had directed, saying, “Come back to me the third day.” 13Then the king answered the people roughly, and rejected the advice which the elders had given him; 14and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!” 15So the king did not listen to the people; for #Deut. 2:30; Judg. 14:4; 1 Kin. 12:24; 2 Chr. 10:15the turn of events was from the Lord, that He might fulfill His word, which the Lord had #1 Kin. 11:11, 29, 31spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying:
#2 Sam. 20:1“What share have we in David?
We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.
To your tents, O Israel!
Now, see to your own house, O David!”
So Israel departed to their tents. 17But Rehoboam reigned over #1 Kin. 11:13, 36; 2 Chr. 11:14–17the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah.
18Then King Rehoboam #1 Kin. 4:6; 5:14sent Adoram, who was in charge of the revenue; but all Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Therefore King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem. 19So #2 Kin. 17:21Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
20Now it came to pass when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come back, they sent for him and called him to the congregation, and made him king over all #2 Kin. 17:21Israel. There was none who followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah #1 Kin. 11:13, 32, 36only.
21And when #2 Chr. 11:1–4Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah with the tribe of #2 Sam. 19:17Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22But #2 Chr. 11:2; 12:5–7the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 23“Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying, 24‘Thus says the Lord: “You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel. Let every man return to his house, #1 Kin. 12:15for this thing is from Me.” ’ ” Therefore they obeyed the word of the Lord, and turned back, according to the word of the Lord.
Jeroboam’s Gold Calves
25Then Jeroboam #Gen. 12:6; Judg. 9:45–49; 1 Kin. 12:1built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and dwelt there. Also he went out from there and built #Gen. 32:30, 31; Judg. 8:8, 17Penuel. 26And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: 27If these people #(Deut. 12:5–7, 14)go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.”
28Therefore the king asked advice, #2 Kin. 10:29; 17:16; (Hos. 8:4–7)made two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. #Ex. 32:4, 8Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!” 29And he set up one in #Gen. 28:19Bethel, and the other he put in #Judg. 18:26–31Dan. 30Now this thing became #1 Kin. 13:34; 2 Kin. 17:21a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. 31He made shrines on the high places, #(Num. 3:10; 17:1–11); Judg. 17:5; 1 Kin. 13:33; 2 Kin. 17:32; 2 Chr. 11:14, 15and made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi.
32Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like #Lev. 23:33, 34; Num. 29:12; 1 Kin. 8:2, 5the feast that was in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. #Amos 7:10–13And at Bethel he installed the priests of the high places which he had made. 33So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had #Num. 15:39devised in his own heart. And he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar and #1 Kin. 13:1burned incense.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.