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Israel and Rehoboam

12 Rehoboam went to Shechem. For all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. Now Jeroboam the son of Nebat was still in Egypt where he had run away from King Solomon. When Jeroboam heard the news, he returned from Egypt. They sent for him. Then Jeroboam and all the people of Israel came and said to Rehoboam, “Your father made our load heavy. Take away some of the hard work and heavy load your father put on us, and we will serve you.” Rehoboam said to them, “Leave for three days. Then return to me.” So the people left.

King Rehoboam spoke with the leaders who had worked for his father Solomon while he was still alive. He asked them, “What answer do you think I should give to these people?” They said to him, “Help these people today. Serve them. Answer them with good words. If you do, then they will be your servants forever.” But Rehoboam turned away from the wise words the leaders gave him. Instead he spoke with the young men who grew up with him and stood by him. He said to them, “What answer do you say we should give to these people who have said to me, ‘Take away some of the heavy load your father put on us’?” 10 The young men who grew up with him said, “This is what you should say to these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our load heavy. Now you take some of the load from us.’ You should say to them, ‘My little finger is bigger around than my father’s body! 11 My father gave you a heavy load. I will add to your load. My father punished you with whips. But I will punish you with scorpions.’”

12 Then Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had told them, saying, “Return to me on the third day.” 13 And the king was hard in his answer to them. For he turned away from the wise words the leaders had given him. 14 He spoke to them as he had been told by the young men. He said, “My father made your load heavy. I will add to your load. My father punished you with whips. But I will punish you with scorpions.” 15 So the king did not listen to the people. The Lord had let this happen, that He might keep His Word, which the Lord spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

16 All Israel saw that the king did not listen to them. So they said to the king, “What share do we have in David? We have no share in the son of Jesse! To your tents, O Israel! Now look after your own house, David!” So Israel went to their tents. 17 But as for the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam ruled over them. 18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who ruled over those who were made to work, and all Israel killed him with stones. So King Rehoboam got on his war-wagon in a hurry to go to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel turned against the family of David to this day. 20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent for him to meet with the people and made him king of all Israel. Only the family of Judah followed the family of David.

21 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he gathered all the family of Judah and the family of Benjamin. He gathered together 180,000 chosen men of war to fight against the family of Israel and return the nation to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22 But the Word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 23 “Speak to Solomon’s son Rehoboam king of Judah, and to all the family of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people. Tell them, 24 ’This is what the Lord says. “You must not go up and fight against your brothers the sons of Israel. Every man return to his house. For I have let this thing happen.”’” So they listened to the word of the Lord, and returned, as the Lord told them.

Jeroboam’s Gold Calves

25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel. 26 Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the nation will return to the family of David. 27 If these people go up to give gifts in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then their hearts will turn to their lord Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and follow Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28 So the king asked the leaders what he should do. And he made two calves of gold. Then he said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 29 He put one in Bethel, and the other in Dan. 30 Now this thing became a sin. For the people went to worship in front of them, even as far as Dan. 31 Jeroboam made houses on high places. He made religious leaders from among all the people, who were not of the sons of Levi.

Worship of Calves at Bethel

32 He made a special supper on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the special supper which is in Judah. And he gave gifts on the altar. He did the same in Bethel, giving gifts to the calves he had made. And he placed in Bethel the religious leaders of the high places he had made. 33 Then he went up to the altar he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a day he chose in his own heart. He made a special supper for the people of Israel, and went up to the altar to burn special perfume.

The Man of God from Judah

13 A man of God came from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord. Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn special perfume. The man cried against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said, “O altar, altar, this is what the Lord says. ‘See, a son will be born to the family of David. His name will be Josiah. On you he will burn the religious leaders of the high places who burn special perfume on you. Human bones will be burned on you.’” He gave a special thing to be seen the same day. He said, “This is what the Lord says will be seen. ‘See, the altar will be broken in two. And the ashes on it will be poured out.’” When King Jeroboam heard the words the man of God cried against the altar in Bethel, he put out his hand from the altar, saying, “Take hold of him!” But his hand which he put out against him dried up. So he could not pull it back to himself. The altar was broken in two and the ashes were poured out. It was the special thing to see that happened just as the man of God said it would by the word of the Lord. The king said to the man of God, “I beg you, ask for the favor of the Lord your God. Pray for me, that my hand may be made well again.” So the man of God asked for the Lord’s favor. And the king’s hand was made well again. It became as it was before. Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and have something to eat to make yourself strong again. And I will pay you.” But the man of God said to the king, “I would not go with you if you were to give me half your house. I would not eat bread or drink water in this place. For the word of the Lord said to me, ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’” 10 So he went another way. He did not return by the way he came to Bethel.

The Death of the Man of God

11 Now an old man who spoke for God was living in Bethel. His sons came and told him all the things which the man of God had done that day in Bethel. And they told their father the words which the man had spoken to the king. 12 Their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” Now his sons had seen the way which the man of God who came from Judah had gone. 13 Then he said to his sons, “Get the donkey ready for me.” So they got the donkey ready for him, and he went away on it. 14 He went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak tree. He said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” 15 Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” 16 And he said, “I cannot return with you or go with you. I will not eat bread or drink water with you in this place. 17 For I was told by the word of the Lord, ‘Do not eat bread or drink water there. Do not return by the way you came.’” 18 And he said to him, “I am a man who speaks for God like you. An angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But he lied to him. 19 So he returned with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water.

20 As they were sitting down at the table, the word of the Lord came to the man who spoke for God who had brought him back. 21 And he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “This is what the Lord says, ‘You have not obeyed the word of the Lord. You have not done what the Lord your God told you to do. 22 You have returned and eaten bread and drunk water in the place the Lord said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water.” So now your body will not come to the grave of your fathers.’” 23 And after he had eaten bread and drunk, he got the donkey ready for the man of God whom he had brought back. 24 When he had gone, a lion met him on the way and killed him. His body was thrown on the road, with the donkey standing beside it. The lion stood beside the body also. 25 Then men passed by and saw the body thrown on the road, and the lion standing beside the body. So they came and told about it in the city where the old man who spoke for God lived.

26 When the man who spoke for God who had brought him back from the way heard about it, he said, “It is the man of God. He did not obey the word of the Lord. So the Lord has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him. It was done as had been spoken to him by the word of the Lord.” 27 Then he said to his sons, “Get the donkey ready for me.” And they got it ready. 28 Then he went and found his body thrown on the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had not eaten the body or torn the donkey. 29 So the man who spoke for God picked up the body of the man of God and laid it on the donkey, and returned with it to the city. He had sorrow for him and buried him. 30 He laid his body in his own grave, and they had sorrow for him, saying, “O, my brother!” 31 After he had buried him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones. 32 For what he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel and against all the houses of the high places in the cities of Samaria will happen for sure.”

Jeroboam’s Sinful Way

33 After this, Jeroboam did not return from his sinful way. Again he made religious leaders of the high places from among all the people. He set apart any of them who were willing to be religious leaders of the high places. 34 This became the sin of the family of Jeroboam, that caused it to be cut off and destroyed from the earth.