1 Kings 12
1 2
3 4 5
6 7 8
9 10 11
12 13 14
15 16 17
18 19 20
21 22
1 And Rehoboam went to
Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
2 And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the
son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it, (for he was fled from
the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt;)
3 That they sent and called him. And
Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam,
saying,
4 Thy father made our yoke grievous: now
therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which
he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.
5 And he said unto them, Depart yet for
three days, then come again to me. And the people departed.
6 And king Rehoboam consulted with the old
men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do
ye advise that I may answer this people?
7 And they spake unto him, saying, If thou
wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer
them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.
8 But he forsook the counsel of the old
men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown
up with him, and which stood before him:
9 And he said unto them, What counsel give
ye that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke
which thy father did put upon us lighter?
10 And the young men that were grown up
with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that
spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it
lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be
thicker than my father’s loins.
11 And now whereas my father did lade you
with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with
whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to
Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me again the
third day.
13 And the king answered the people
roughly, and forsook the old men’s counsel that they gave him;
14 And spake to them after the counsel of
the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your
yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you
with scorpions.
15 Wherefore the king hearkened not unto
the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his saying,
which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16 So when all Israel saw
that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying,
What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of
Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel
departed unto their tents.
17 But as for the children of
Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
18 Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was
over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore
king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.
19 So Israel rebelled against the house of
David unto this day.
20 And it came to pass, when all Israel
heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the
congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed
the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.
21 And when Rehoboam was come to
Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an
hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against
the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
22 But the word of God came unto Shemaiah
the man of God, saying,
23 Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of
Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the
remnant of the people, saying,
24 Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go
up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to
his house; for this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of
the LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD.
25 Then Jeroboam built
Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built
Penuel.
26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now
shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
27 If this people go up to do sacrifice in
the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn
again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall
kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and
made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go
up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the
land of Egypt.
29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the
other put he in Dan.
30 And this thing became a sin: for the
people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
31 And he made an house of high places,
and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of
Levi.
32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the
eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is
in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto
the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high
places which he had made.
33 So he offered upon the altar which he
had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the
month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the
children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.
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