The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Kings 12
1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all
Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
2 When Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard
of it (for he was yet in Egypt, where he had
fled from the presence of King Solomon,
and Jeroboam lived in Egypt;
3 and they sent and called him), Jeroboam and allthe assembly ofIsrael came,
and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,
4 “Your father made our yoke difficult.
Now therefore make the hard service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he
put on us, lighter, and we will serve you.”
5 He said to them, “Depart for three days,
then come back to me. So the people departed.
6 King Rehoboam took counsel with the
old men who had stood before Solomon
his father while he yet lived, saying, “What
counsel do you give me to answer these
people?”
7 They replied, “If you will be a servantto
this people today, and will serve them, and
answer them with good words, then they
will be your servants forever.”
8 But he abandoned the counsel of the
old men which they had given him, and
took counsel with the young men who had
grown up with him, who stood before him.
9 He said to them, “What counsel do you
give, that we may answer these people
who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Make the
yoke that your father put on us lighter’?”
10 The young men who had grown up
with him said to him, “Tell these people
who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father
made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter
to us’—tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker
than my father’s waist.
11 Now my father burdened you with a
heavy yoke, but 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 the third day, as the king
asked, saying, “Come to me again the third
day.”
13 The king answered the people
roughly, and abandoned the counsel of the
old men which they had given him,
14 and 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 chastised you
with whips, but I will chastise you with
scorpions.”
15 So the king didn’t listen to the people; for it was a thing brought about
from Yahweh, that he might establish his
word, which Yahweh spoke by Ahijah the
Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16 WhenallIsrael saw thatthe kingdidn’t
listen to them, the people answered the
king, saying, “What portion have we in
David? We don’t have an inheritance in
the son of Jesse. To your tents, Israel! Now
see to your own house, David.” So Israel
departed to their tents.
17 But as for the children of Israel who
lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam
reigned over them.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram,
who was over the men subject to forced
labor; and all Israel stoned him to death
with stones. King Rehoboam hurried to
get himself up to his chariot, to flee to
Jerusalem.
19 So Israel rebelled against David’s
house to this day.
20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam
had returned, they sent and called him to
the congregation, and made him king over
all Israel. There was no one who followed
David’s house, exceptfor the tribe ofJudah
only.
21 When Rehoboam had come to
Jerusalem, he assembled all the house
of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a
hundred and eighty thousand chosen men
who were warriors, to fight against the
house ofIsrael, to bring the kingdom again
to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
22 Butthe word of God 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
rest of the people, saying,
24 ‘Yahweh says, “You shall not go up or
fight against your brothers, the children of
Israel. Everyone return to his house; for
this thing is from me.” ’ ” So they listened
to Yahweh’s word, and returned and went
their way, according to Yahweh’s word.
25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the
hill country of Ephraim, and lived init; and
he went out from there and built Penuel.
26 Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the
kingdom will return to David’s house.
27 Ifthis people goes up to offer sacrifices
in Yahweh’s house at Jerusalem, then the
heart of this people will turn again to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and
they will kill me, and return to Rehoboam
king of Judah.”
28 So the king took counsel, and made
two calves of gold; and he said to them, “It
is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem.
Look and behold your gods, Israel, which
brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”
29 He set the one in Bethel, and the other
he put in Dan.
30 This thing became a sin, for the people
went even as far as Dan to worship before
the one there.
31 He made houses of high places, and
made priests from among all the people,
who were not of the sons of Levi.
32 Jeroboam ordained a feast in the
eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the
month, like the feast that is in Judah, and
he went up to the altar. He did so in Bethel,
sacrificing to the calves that he had made,
and he placed in Bethel the priests of the
high places that he had made.
33 He went up to the altar which he had
made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the
eighth month, even in the month which
he had devised of his own heart; and he
ordained a feast for the children of Israel,
and went up to the altar to burn incense.