- Kings III
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12
1 And King Rehoboam goes to Shechem; for all Israel were coming to Shechem to make him king. 3 And the people spoke to King Rehoboam, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy; 4 but do thou now lighten somewhat of the hard service of thy father, and of his heavy yoke which he put upon us, and we will serve thee. 5 And he said to them, Depart for three days, and return to me. And they departed.
6 And the king referred the matter to the elders, who stood before Solomon his father while he was yet living, saying, How do ye advise that I should answer this people? 7 And they spoke to him, saying, If thou wilt this day be a servant to this people, and wilt serve them, and wilt speak to them good words, then will they be thy servants continually.
8 But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they gave him, and consulted with the young men who were brought up with him, who stood in his presence. 9 And he said to them, What counsel do ye give? And what shall I answer to this people who speak to me, saying, Lighten somewhat of the yoke which thy father has put upon us?
10 And the young men who had been brought up with him, who stood before his face, spoke to him, saying, Thus shalt thou say to this people who have spoken to thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, and do thou now lighten it from off us: thus shalt thou say to them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins. 11 And whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I also will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
12 And all Israel came to King Rehoboam on the third day, as the king spoke to them, saying, Return to me on the third day. 13 And the king answered the people harshly; and Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men which they counseled him. 14 And he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
15 And the king hearkened not to the people, because the change was from the Lord, that he might establish his word which he spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 16 And all Israel saw that the king did not hearken to them: and the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we any inheritance in the son of Jesse. Depart, O Israel, to thy tents: now feed thine own house, David. So Israel departed to his tents.
18 And the king sent Adoram who was over the tribute; and they stoned him with stones, and he died: and King Rehoboam made haste to rise to flee to Jerusalem.
19 So Israel rebelled against the house of David until this day. 20 And it came to pass when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned out of Egypt, that they sent and called him to the assembly, and they made him king over Israel: and none followed the house of David except the tribe of Judah and Benjamin only.
21 And Rehoboam went into Jerusalem, and he assembled the congregation of Judah, and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and twenty thousand young men, warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to recover the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22 And the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 23 Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to 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, neither shall ye fight with your brethren the sons of Israel: return each man to his own home; for this thing is from me; and they hearkened to the word of the Lord, and they ceased from going up, according to the word of the Lord.
24a So King Solomon sleeps with his fathers, and is buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead in Jerusalem, being sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twelve years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Naamah, daughter of Hanun son of Nahash king of the children of Ammon. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked not in the way of David his father.
24b And there was a man of Mount Ephraim, a servant to Solomon, and his name was Jeroboam; and the name of his mother was Zeruah, a harlot; and Solomon made him head of the levies of the house of Joseph: and he built for Solomon Zeredah in Mount Ephraim; and he had three hundred chariots of horses: he built the citadel with the levies of the house of Ephraim; he fortified the city of David, and aspired to the kingdom. 24c And Solomon sought to kill him; and he was afraid, and escaped to Shishak king of Egypt, and was with him until Solomon died.
24d And Jeroboam heard in Egypt that Solomon was dead; and he spoke in the ears of Shishak king of Egypt, saying, Let me go, and I will depart into my land; and Shishak said to him, Ask any request, and I will grant it thee. 24e And Shishak gave to Jeroboam Ano the eldest sister of Tahpenes his wife, to be his wife: she was great among the daughters of the king, and she bore to Jeroboam Abijah his son: 24f and Jeroboam said to Shishak, Let me indeed go, and I will depart.
And Jeroboam departed out of Egypt, and came into the land of Zeredah that was in Mount Ephraim, and thither the whole tribe of Ephraim assembles, and Jeroboam built a fortress there.
24g And his young child was sick with a very severe sickness; and Jeroboam went to inquire concerning the child: and he said to Ano his wife, Arise, go, inquire of God concerning the child, whether he shall recover from his sickness. 24h Now there was a man in Shiloh, and his name was Ahijah: and he was sixty years old, and the word of the Lord was with him. And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, and take in thy hand loaves for the man of God, and cakes for his children, and grapes, and a pot of honey. 24i And the woman arose, and took in her hand bread, and two cakes, and grapes, and a pot of honey, for Ahijah: and the man was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see. 24k And she arose up from Zeredah and went; and it came to pass when she had come into the city to Ahijah the Shilonite, that Ahijah said to his servant, Go out now to meet Ano the wife of Jeroboam, and thou shalt say to her, Come in, and stand not still: for thus saith the Lord, I send grievous tidings to thee. 24l And Ano went in to the man of God; and Ahijah said to her, Why hast thou brought me bread and grapes, and cakes, and a pot of honey? Thus saith the Lord, Behold, thou shalt depart from me, and it shall come to pass when thou hast entered into the city, even into Zeredah, that thy maidens shall come out to meet thee, and shall say to thee, The child is dead: 24m for thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will destroy every male of Jeroboam, and there shall be the dead of Jeroboam in the city, them the dogs shall eat, and him that has died in the field shall the birds of the air eat, and he shall lament for the child, saying, Woe is me, Lord! for there has been found in him some good thing touching the Lord.
24n And the woman departed, when she heard this: and it came to pass as she entered into Zeredah, that the child died; and there came forth a wailing to meet her. And Jeroboam went to Shechem in Mount Ephraim, and assembled there the tribes of Israel; and Rehoboam the son of Solomon went up thither. 24o And the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah son of Enlami, saying, Take to thyself a new garment which has not gone into the water, and rend it into twelve pieces; and thou shalt give some to Jeroboam, and shalt say to him, Thus saith the Lord, Take to thyself ten pieces to cover thee: and Jeroboam took them: and Shemaiah said, Thus saith the Lord concerning the ten tribes of Israel.
24p And the people said to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, Thy father made his yoke heavy upon us, and made the meat of his table heavy; and now thou shalt lighten them upon us, and we will serve thee. 24q And Rehoboam said to the people, Wait three days, and I will return you an answer: and Rehoboam said, Bring in to me the elders, and I will take counsel with them what I shall answer to the people on the third day. So Rehoboam spoke in their ears, as the people sent to him to say: and the elders of the people said, Thus the people have spoken to thee.
24r And Rehoboam rejected their counsel, and it pleased him not: and he sent and brought in those who had been brought up with him; and he said to them, Thus and thus has the people sent to me to say: and they that had been brought up with him said, Thus shalt thou speak to the people, saying, My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins; my father scourged you with whips, but I will rule you with scorpions.
24s And the saying pleased Rehoboam, and he answered the people as the young men, they that were brought up with him, counseled him: 24t and all the people spoke as one man, every one to his neighbor, and they cried out all together, saying, We have no part in David, nor inheritance in the son of Jesse: to thy tents, O Israel, every one; for this man is not for a prince or a ruler over us. 24u And all the people was dispersed from Shechem, and they departed every one to his tent: and Rehoboam strengthened himself and departed, and mounted his chariot, and entered into Jerusalem: and there follow him the whole tribe of Judah, and the whole tribe of Benjamin. 24x And it came to pass at the beginning of the year, that Rehoboam gathered all the men of Judah and Benjamin, and went up to fight with Jeroboam at Shechem. 24y And the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, Speak to Rehoboam king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, neither shall ye fight with your brethren the sons of Israel: return every man to his house, for this thing is from me. 24z And they hearkened to the word of the Lord, and forbore to go up, according to the word of the Lord.
25 And Jeroboam built Shechem in Mount Ephraim and dwelt in it, and went forth thence and built Penuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Behold, now the kingdom will return to the house of David. 27 If this people shall go up to offer sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of the people will return to the Lord, and to their master, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will slay me. 28 And the king took counsel, and went, and made two golden heifers, and said to the people, Let it suffice you to have gone hitherto to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 29 And he put one in Bethel, and he put the other in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin; and the people went before one as far as Dan, and left the house of the Lord. 31 And he made houses on the high places, and made priests of any part of the people, who were not of the sons of Levi.
32 And Jeroboam appointed a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, according to the feast in the land of Judah; 33 and went up to the altar which he made in Bethel to sacrifice to the heifers which he made, and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. And he went up to the altar which he had made, on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, at the feast which he devised out of his own heart; and he made a feast to the children of Israel, and went up to the altar to sacrifice.

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