King Rehoboam Acts Foolishly

12 ^(A)Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, because all Israel had come to ^(B)Shechem to make him king. ² Now ^(C)when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard about this, ^[a]he was living in Egypt (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon). ³ Then they sent word and summoned him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, ⁴ “^(D)Your father made our yoke hard; but now, lighten the hard labor imposed by your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” ⁵ Then he said to them, “^(E)Depart ^[b]for three days, then return to me.” So the people departed.

⁶ And King Rehoboam ^(F)consulted with the elders who had ^[c]served his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” ⁷ Then they spoke to him, saying, “^(G)If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and ^[d]grant them their request, and speak pleasant words to them, then they will be your servants always.” ⁸ But he ignored the advice of the elders which they had given him, and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him ^[e]and served him. ⁹ He said to them, “What advice do you give, so that we may answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” ¹⁰ And the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “This is what you should say to this people who spoke to you, saying: ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!’ You should speak this way to them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! ¹¹ Now then, my father loaded you with a heavy yoke; yet I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with ^[f]scorpions!’”

¹² Then Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had ^[g]directed, saying, “^(H)Return to me on the third day.” ¹³ And the king answered the people harshly, for he ignored the advice of the elders which they had ^[h]given him, ¹⁴ and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “^(I)My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with ^[i]scorpions!” ¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people; ^(J)because it was ^[j]a turn of events from the Lord, ^(K)in order to establish His word which the Lord spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

The Kingdom Divided; Jeroboam Rules Israel

¹⁶ When all Israel saw that the king had not listened to them, the people replied to the king, saying,

So Israel went away to their tents. ¹⁷ But ^(M)as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. ¹⁸ Then King Rehoboam sent ^(N)Adoram, who was in charge of the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him ^[k]to death. And King Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. ^19 (O)So Israel has broken with the house of David to this day.

²⁰ And it came about, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent word and called him to the assembly, and made him king over all Israel. ^(P)None except the tribe of Judah alone followed the house of David.

^21 (Q)Now when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. ²² But the word of God came to ^(R)Shemaiah the man of God, saying, ²³ “Tell Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and the ^(S)rest of the people, saying, ²⁴ ‘This is what the Lord says: “You shall not go up nor fight against your relatives the sons of Israel; return, every man to his house, ^(T)for this thing has come from Me.”’” So they listened to the word of the Lord, and returned to go their way in accordance with the word of the Lord.

Jeroboam’s Idolatry

²⁵ Then ^(U)Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived ^[l]there. And he went out from there and built ^(V)Penuel. ²⁶ And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. ^27 (W)If this people go up to ^[m]offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” ²⁸ So the king ^[n]consulted, and he ^(X)made two golden ^(Y)calves; and he said to ^[o]the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; ^(Z)behold your gods, Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.” ²⁹ And he set up ^(AA)one in ^(AB)Bethel, and the other he put in ^(AC)Dan. ³⁰ Now ^(AD)this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. ³¹ And ^(AE)he made houses on high places, and ^[p](AF)appointed priests from ^[q]all the people who were not of the sons of Levi. ³² Jeroboam also ^[r]instituted a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, ^(AG)like the feast that is in Judah, and he ^[s]went up to the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel ^(AH)the priests of the high places which he had made. ³³ Then he ^[t]went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, the month that he had ^[u](AI)devised ^[v]in his own heart; and he ^[w]instituted a feast for the sons of Israel and ^[x]went up to the altar ^(AJ)to burn ^[y]incense.

Rehoboam’s Reign of Foolishness

10 ^(A)Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, because all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. ² When Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard about it (^(B)he was in Egypt where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon), Jeroboam returned from Egypt. ³ So they sent word and summoned him. When Jeroboam and all Israel came, they spoke to Rehoboam, saying, ⁴ “Your father made our ^(C)yoke hard; but now, lighten the hard labor imposed by your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” ⁵ He said to them, “Return to me again in three days.” So the people departed.

⁶ And then King Rehoboam ^(D)consulted with the elders who had ^[a]served his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” ⁷ They spoke to him, saying, “If you are kind to this people and please them and ^(E)speak pleasant words to them, then they will be your servants always.” ⁸ But he ^(F)ignored the advice of the elders which they had given him, and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him ^[b]and served him. ⁹ He said to them, “What advice do you give, so that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” ¹⁰ The young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “This is what you should say to the people who spoke to you, saying: ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter for us!’ You should speak this way to them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! ¹¹ Now then, my father loaded you with a heavy yoke; yet I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with ^[c]scorpions!’”

¹² So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had ^[d]directed, saying, “Return to me on the third day.” ¹³ The king answered them harshly, and King Rehoboam ignored the advice of the elders. ¹⁴ He spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “^[e]My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with ^[f]scorpions.” ¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people, ^(G)because it was a turn of events from God ^(H)so that the Lord might establish His word, which He spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

¹⁶ When all Israel saw that the king had not listened to them, the people replied to the king, saying,

^(J)So all Israel went away to their tents. ¹⁷ But as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. ¹⁸ Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was in ^(K)charge of the forced labor, and the sons of Israel stoned him ^[g]to death. And King Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. ¹⁹ So ^(L)Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

Rehoboam Reigns over Judah and Builds Cities

11 ^(M)Now when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. ² But the word of the Lord came to ^(N)Shemaiah the man of God, saying, ³ “Tell Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, ⁴ ‘This is what the Lord says: “You shall not go up nor fight against ^(O)your relatives; return, every man, to his house, ^(P)for this ^[h]event is from Me.”’” So they listened to the words of the Lord and returned from going against Jeroboam.

⁵ Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and ^(Q)built cities for defense in Judah. ⁶ He built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, ⁷ Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, ⁸ Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, ⁹ Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, ¹⁰ Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, which are fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin. ¹¹ He also strengthened the fortresses and put officers in them and supplies of food, oil, and wine. ¹² He put shields and spears in every city and strengthened them greatly. So he held Judah and Benjamin.

¹³ Moreover, the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel also stood with him from all their districts.

Jeroboam Appoints False Priests

¹⁴ For ^(R)the Levites left their pasture lands and their property and went to Judah and Jerusalem, because ^(S)Jeroboam and his sons had excluded them from serving as priests to the Lord. ^15 (T)He set up priests of his own for the high places, for the satyrs and the calves which he had made. ^16 (U)Those from all the tribes of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the Lord God of Israel ^[i]followed them to Jerusalem, to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers. ^17 (V)They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam the son of Solomon for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.

Rehoboam’s Family

¹⁸ Then Rehoboam married Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David and of Abihail the daughter of ^(W)Eliab the son of Jesse, ¹⁹ and she bore to him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. ²⁰ After her he married ^(X)Maacah the daughter of ^[j]Absalom, and she bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. ²¹ Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom more than all his other wives and concubines. For ^(Y)he had taken eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. ^22 (Z)Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah as head and leader among his brothers, for he intended to make him king. ²³ He acted wisely and distributed ^[k]some of his sons through all the territories of Judah and Benjamin to all the fortified cities, and he gave them plenty of provisions. And he sought many wives for them.

Be like Christ

2 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any ^(A)fellowship of the Spirit, if any ^[a](B)affection and compassion, ^2 (C)make my joy complete ^[b]by ^(D)being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. ³ Do nothing ^[c]from ^[d](E)selfishness or ^(F)empty conceit, but with humility ^(G)consider one another as more important than yourselves; ^4 (H)do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. ^5 (I)Have this attitude ^[e]in yourselves which was also in ^(J)Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, as He already ^(K)existed in the ^(L)form of God, ^(M)did not consider equality with God something to be ^[f]grasped, ⁷ but ^[g](N)emptied Himself by taking the form of a ^(O)bond-servant and ^[h](P)being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, ^(Q)He humbled Himself by becoming ^(R)obedient to the point of death: ^(S)death ^[i]on a cross. ^9 (T)For this reason also God ^(U)highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him ^(V)the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus ^(W)every knee will bow, of ^(X)those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is ^(Y)Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

¹² So then, my beloved, ^(Z)just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own ^(AA)salvation with ^(AB)fear and trembling; ¹³ for it is ^(AC)God who is at work in you, both to ^[j]desire and to work ^(AD)for His good pleasure.

¹⁴ Do all things without ^(AE)complaining or arguments; ¹⁵ so that you will ^[k]prove yourselves to be ^(AF)blameless and innocent, ^(AG)children of God above reproach in the midst of a ^(AH)crooked and perverse generation, among whom you ^[l](AI)appear as ^[m]lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding firmly the word of life, so that on ^(AJ)the day of Christ I can take pride because I did not ^(AK)run in vain nor ^(AL)labor in vain. ¹⁷ But even if I am being ^(AM)poured out as a drink offering upon ^(AN)the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. ¹⁸ You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.

Timothy and Epaphroditus

¹⁹ But I hope, ^[n]in the Lord Jesus, to ^(AO)send ^(AP)Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. ²⁰ For I have no one else ^(AQ)of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. ²¹ For they all ^(AR)seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. ²² But you know ^(AS)of his proven character, that ^(AT)he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel ^(AU)like a child serving his father. ^23 (AV)Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me; ²⁴ and ^(AW)I trust in the Lord that I myself will also be coming shortly. ²⁵ But I thought it necessary to send to you ^(AX)Epaphroditus, my brother and ^(AY)fellow worker and ^(AZ)fellow soldier, who is also your ^[o](BA)messenger and ^(BB)minister to my need, ²⁶ because he was longing ^[p]for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. ²⁷ For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. ²⁸ Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly, so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you. ^29 (BC)Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and ^(BD)hold people like him in high regard, ³⁰ because he came close to death ^[q](BE)for the work of Christ, risking his life to ^(BF)compensate ^[r]for your absence in your service to me.