Jeroboam’s Rebellion

26 Then Solomon’s servant, aJeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zereda, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, balso crebelled against the king.

27 And this is what caused him to rebel against the king: dSolomon had built the Millo and 6repaired the damages to the City of David his father. 28 The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor; and Solomon, seeing that the young man was eindustrious, made him the officer over all the labor force of the house of Joseph.

29 Now it happened at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet fAhijah the Shilonite met him on the way; and he had clothed himself with a new garment, and the two were alone in the field. 30 Then Ahijah took hold of the new garment that was on him, and gtore it into twelve pieces. 31 And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for hthus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you 32 (but he shall have one tribe for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), 33 ibecause 7they have forsaken Me, and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes and keep My statutes and My judgments, as did his father David. 34 However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of My servant David, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and My statutes. 35 But jI will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and give it to you—ten tribes. 36 And to his son I will give one tribe, that kMy servant David may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Myself, to put My name there. 37 So I will take you, and you shall reign over all your heart desires, and you shall be king over Israel. 38 Then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then lI will be with you and mbuild for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you. 39 And I will afflict the descendants of David because of this, but not forever.’ ”

40 Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to nShishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

Death of Solomon

41 Now othe rest of the acts of Solomon, all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon? 42 pAnd the period that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 43 qThen Solomon 8rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his rplace.

The Revolt Against Rehoboam

12 And aRehoboam went to bShechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. 2 So it happened, when cJeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was still in dEgypt, for he had fled from the presence of King Solomon and had been dwelling in Egypt), 3 that they sent and called him. Then Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 4 “Your father made our eyoke 1heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”

5 So he said to them, “Depart for three days, then come back to me.” And the people departed.

6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, and he said, “How do you advise me to answer these people?”

7 And they spoke to him, saying, f“If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.”

8 But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. 9 And he said to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?”

10 Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak to this people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us’—thus you shall say to them: ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist! 11 And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with 2scourges!’ ”

12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had directed, saying, “Come back to me the third day.” 13 Then the king answered the people 3roughly, and rejected the advice which the elders had given him; 14 and he spoke to them according to the advice 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 4scourges!” 15 So the king did not listen to the people; for gthe turn of events was from the Lord, that He might fulfill His word, which the Lord had hspoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

16 Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying:

i“What share have we in David?

We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.

To your tents, O Israel!

Now, see to your own house, O David!”

So Israel departed to their tents. 17 But Rehoboam reigned over jthe children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah.

18 Then King Rehoboam ksent Adoram, who was in charge of the revenue; but all Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Therefore King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So lIsrael has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

20 Now it came to pass when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come back, they sent for him and called him to the congregation, and made him king over all mIsrael. There was none who followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah nonly.

21 And when oRehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah with the tribe of pBenjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22 But qthe word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 23 “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying, 24 ‘Thus says the Lord: “You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel. Let every man return to his house, rfor this thing is from Me.” ’ ” Therefore they obeyed the word of the Lord, and turned back, according to the word of the Lord.

Jeroboam’s Gold Calves

25 Then Jeroboam sbuilt 5Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and dwelt there. Also he went out from there and built tPenuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: 27 If these people ugo up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.”

28 Therefore the king asked advice, vmade two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. wHere are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!” 29 And he set up one in xBethel, and the other he put in yDan. 30 Now this thing became za sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. 31 He made 6shrines on the high places, aand made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi.

32 Jeroboam 7ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like bthe feast that was in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. cAnd at Bethel he installed the priests of the high places which he had made. 33 So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had ddevised in his own heart. And he 8ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar and eburned incense.

The Message of the Man of God

13 And behold, aa man of God went from Judah to Bethel 1by the word of the Lord, band Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. 2 Then he cried out against the altar 2by the word of the Lord, and said, “O altar, altar! Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a child, cJosiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be dburned on you.’ ” 3 And he gave ea sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the Lord has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out.”

4 So it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, who cried out against the altar in Bethel, that he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Arrest him!” Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could not pull it back to himself. 5 The altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord. 6 Then the king answered and said to the man of God, “Please fentreat the favor of the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.”

So the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and became as before. 7 Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and gI will give you a reward.”

8 But the man of God said to the king, h“If you were to give me half your house, I would not go in with you; nor would I eat bread nor drink water in this place. 9 For so it was commanded me by the word of the Lord, saying, i‘You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way you came.’ ” 10 So he went another way and did not return by the way he came to Bethel.