1 Kings 12
12
1 REHOBOAM WENT to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
2 And when Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of it–for he still dwelt in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon–[he] returned from Egypt.
3 And they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and said to Rehoboam,
4 Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore lighten the hard service and the heavy yoke your father put upon us, and we will serve you.
5 He replied, Go away for three days and then return to me. So the people departed.
6 And King Rehoboam consulted with the old men who stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived and said, How do you advise me to answer this people?
7 And they said to him, If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them and answer them with good words, they will be your servants forever.
8 But he forsook the counsel the old men gave him and consulted the young men who grew up with him and stood before him.
9 He said to them, What do you advise that we answer this people who have said, Make the yoke your father put on us lighter?
10 The young men who grew up with him answered, To the people who told you, Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter for us–say this, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins.
11 And now whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had appointed.
13 And the king answered the people roughly and forsook the counsel the old men had given him,
14 And spoke to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; he chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
15 So the king did not hearken to the people, for the situation was from the Lord, that He might fulfill His word which He spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat. [I Kings 11:29-33.]
16 So when all Israel saw that the king did not heed them, they answered the king, What portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David! So Israel went to their tents.
17 But Rehoboam reigned over the Israelites who dwelt in the cities of Judah.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute [taskmaster over the forced labor], and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. So King Rehoboam hastened to get into his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.
19 So Israel has rebelled against the house of David to this day.
20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. None followed the house of David except the tribe of Judah only.
21 And when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel to bring the kingdom back to Rehoboam son of Solomon.
22 But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
23 Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and all the house of Judah and Benjamin and the remnant of the people,
24 Thus says the Lord, You shall not go up or fight against your brethren, the Israelites. Return every man to his house, for this thing is from Me. So they hearkened to the Lord's word and returned home, according to the Lord's word.
25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. He went out from there and built Penuel.
26 Jeroboam said in his heart, Now the kingdom will return to the house of David.
27 If this people goes up to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to sacrifice, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.
28 So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, It is too much for you to go [all the way] up to Jerusalem. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
29 And he set the one golden calf in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.
30 And this thing became a sin; for the people went to worship each of them even as far as Dan.
31 Jeroboam also made houses on high places and made priests of people who were not Levites.
32 And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast kept in Judah, and he offered sacrifices upon the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places he had made.
33 So he offered upon the altar he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a date which he chose individually; and he appointed a feast for the Israelites and he went up to the altar to burn incense [in defiance of God's law.]
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1 Kings 12: AMPC
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1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
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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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.