THE FIRST BOOK OF
THE KINGS,
1 Kings 12 ©
The Israelites petition Rehoboam for easement of the imposed burdens, v. 1. &c. About it he deliberates first with the old men, 5. After that with the younger men, whose counsel he follows, 8. For which cause ten tribes revolt from him, 16. He attempts to bring them again to him, but in vain, 18. Yea God Himself forbids him to do it, 22. Jeroboam king of Israel, secures his kingdom by building certain strong holds, 25. And by instituting a new kind of worship, 26.
AND Rehoboam wenta to 1Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, whob was yet in Egypt, heard of it, 2(for he was fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam 3dwelt in Egypt;)
That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying,
Thyc father made our 4yoke 5grievous: now therefore 6make thou the grievous service of thy 7father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon 8us, lighter, and we will 9serve thee.
And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed.
¶And king Rehoboam consulted with the 10old men, that 11stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people?
And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a 12servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak 13good words to them, then they will be thy 14servants for ever.
But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the 15young men that were 16grown up with him, and 17which stood before him:
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?
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, 18My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins.
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 19scorpions.
¶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.
And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook 20the old men's counsel that they gave him;
And spake to them after the 21counsel 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.
Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the 22cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his saying, which the LORD spaked23by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
¶So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, 24Whate portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: 25to your tents, O Israel: 26now see to thine own house, 27David. So Israel departed unto their tents.
But as for 28the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
Then king Rehoboam sent 29Adoram,f who was over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore king Rehoboam 30made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.
Sog Israel 31rebelled against the house of David unto this day.
And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the 32congregation, and made him king over all Israel: 33there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of 34Judah only.
¶Andh when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the 35tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, 36which were warriors, to fight against the 37house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to 38Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
Buti the word of God came unto 39Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
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 40people, saying,
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 41this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD.
¶Then Jeroboam built 42Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built 43Penuel.j
And Jeroboam 44said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
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.
Whereupon the king took counsel, and madek two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is 45too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: beholdl46thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
And he set the one in 47Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan.
And this thing 48became a sin: for the people went to worship 49before the one, even unto Dan.
And he made an 50house of high places, andm made priests of the 51lowest of the people, which were not of the 52sons of Levi.
And Jeroboam ordained 53a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he 54offered upon the altar. So did he in Beth-el, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Beth-el the priests of the high places which he had made.
So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Beth-el the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised 55of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he 56offered upon the altar, and 57burnt incense.