1 Kings 14
Names of God Bible
Jeroboam’s Son Dies
14 At that time Abijah, son of Jeroboam, got sick. 2 Jeroboam told his wife, “Go to Shiloh, but disguise yourself so that people will not recognize you as my wife. The prophet Ahijah, who told me I would be king of these people, is there. 3 Take ten loaves of bread, some raisins,[a] and a jar of honey with you, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.” 4 Jeroboam’s wife did this. She left, went to Shiloh, and came to the home of Ahijah.
Ahijah couldn’t see. His eyesight had failed because he was old. 5 However, Yahweh had told Ahijah, “Jeroboam’s wife is coming to ask you about her son who is sick. When she comes, she will pretend to be someone else.” He also told Ahijah what to say to her.
6 Ahijah heard her footsteps when she came into the room. He said, “Come in. You’re Jeroboam’s wife. Why are you pretending to be someone else? I’ve been told to give you some terrible news. 7 Tell Jeroboam, ‘This is what Yahweh Elohim of Israel says: I picked you out of the people and made you a leader over my people Israel. 8 I tore the kingdom away from David’s heirs and gave it to you. But you have not been like my servant David. He obeyed my commands and faithfully followed me by doing only what I considered right. 9 You have done more evil things than everyone before you. You made other gods, metal idols, for yourself. You made me furious and turned your back to me.
10 “‘That is why I will bring disaster on Jeroboam’s house. I will destroy every male[b] in his house, whether slave or freeman in Israel. I will burn down Jeroboam’s house. It will burn like manure until it is gone. 11 If anyone from Jeroboam’s house dies in the city, dogs will eat him. If anyone dies in the country, birds will eat him.’ Yahweh has said this!
12 “Get up, and go home. The moment you set foot in the city the child will die. 13 All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He is the only one of Jeroboam’s family who will be properly buried. He was the only one in Jeroboam’s house in whom Yahweh Elohim of Israel found anything good. 14 Yahweh will appoint a king over Israel. That king will destroy Jeroboam’s house. This will happen today. It will happen right now.[c]
15 “Yahweh will strike Israel like cattails which shake in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land which he gave their ancestors. He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River because they dedicated poles to the goddess Asherah and made Yahweh furious. 16 So Yahweh will desert Israel because of Jeroboam’s sins, the sins which he led Israel to commit.”
17 Jeroboam’s wife got up, left, and went to Tirzah. When she walked across the threshold of her home, the boy died. 18 All Israel buried him and mourned for him as Yahweh had said through his servant, the prophet Ahijah.
19 Everything else concerning Jeroboam, his wars, and his reign is written in the official records of the kings of Israel. 20 Jeroboam ruled for 22 years. Then he lay down in death with his ancestors. His son Nadab succeeded him as king.
King Rehoboam of Judah(A)
21 Rehoboam, son of Solomon, ruled Judah. He was 41 years old when he began to rule. He ruled for 17 years in Jerusalem, the city that Yahweh chose from all the tribes of Israel, the city where Yahweh put his name. Rehoboam’s mother was an Ammonite woman named Naamah.
22 The people of Judah did what Yahweh considered evil. Their sins made him more angry than anything their ancestors had done. 23 They built worship sites for themselves and put up large stones and Asherah poles to worship on every high hill and under every large tree. 24 There were even male prostitutes in the temples of idols throughout the land. The people of Judah did all the disgusting practices done by the nations that Yahweh had forced out of the Israelites’ way.
King Shishak Takes the Temple Treasures(B)
25 In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. 26 He took the treasures from Yahweh’s temple and the royal palace. He took them all. He took all the gold shields Solomon had made. 27 So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and put them by the entrance to the royal palace, where the captains of the guards were stationed. 28 Whenever the king went into Yahweh’s temple, guards carried the shields and then returned them to the guardroom.
29 Isn’t everything else concerning Rehoboam—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah? 30 There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam as long as they lived. 31 Rehoboam lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. (His mother was an Ammonite woman named Naamah.) His son Abijam succeeded him as king.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 14:3 Or “cakes.”
- 1 Kings 14:10 Hebrew uses a coarse term for “male” here.
- 1 Kings 14:14 Hebrew meaning of these two sentences uncertain.
1 Kings 14
International Children’s Bible
Jeroboam’s Son Dies
14 At that time Jeroboam’s son Abijah became very sick. 2 So Jeroboam said to his wife, “Go to Shiloh. Go to see the prophet Ahijah. He is the one who said I would become king of Israel. But dress yourself so people won’t know you are my wife. 3 Give the prophet ten loaves of bread, some cakes and a jar of honey. Then ask him what will happen to our son. And he will tell you.” 4 So the king’s wife did as he said. She went to Ahijah’s home in Shiloh.
Now Ahijah was very old and had become blind. 5 But the Lord had said to him, “Jeroboam’s son is sick. So Jeroboam’s wife is coming to ask you about him. When she arrives, she will pretend to be someone else.” Then the Lord told Ahijah what to say.
6 When Ahijah heard her walking to the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why are you pretending to be someone else? I have bad news for you. 7 Go back and tell Jeroboam that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jeroboam, I chose you from among all the people of Israel. I made you the leader of my people. 8 I took the kingdom away from David’s family. And I gave it to you. But you are not like my servant David. He always obeyed my commands. He followed me with all his heart. He did only the things I said were right. 9 But you have done more evil things than anyone who ruled before you. You have quit following me. You have made other gods and idols of metal. This has made me very angry. 10 So I will bring disaster to the family of Jeroboam. I will kill all of the men in your family, both slaves and free men. I will destroy your family as completely as fire burns up manure. 11 Anyone from your family who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs. And anyone from your family who dies in the fields will be eaten by the birds. The Lord has spoken!’”
12 Then Ahijah said to Jeroboam’s wife, “Now go home. When you enter your city gate, your son will die. 13 All Israel will be sad for him and bury him. He will be the only one of Jeroboam’s family who will be buried. This is because he is the only one in Jeroboam’s family who pleased the Lord, the God of Israel.
14 “The Lord will put a new king over Israel. That king will destroy Jeroboam’s family. This will happen soon. 15 Then the Lord will punish Israel. The people of Israel will be like grass moving in the water. The Lord will pull up Israel from this good land. This is the land he gave their ancestors. But he will scatter Israel beyond the Euphrates River. This will happen because the Lord is angry with the people. They made him angry when they made idols to worship Asherah. 16 Jeroboam sinned, and then he made the people of Israel sin. So the Lord will let the people of Israel be defeated.”
17 Then Jeroboam’s wife traveled back to Tirzah. When she entered her home, the boy died. 18 They buried him. And all Israel had a time of sadness for him. This happened as the Lord said it would. The Lord had said these things through his servant, the prophet Ahijah.
19 Everything else Jeroboam did is written down. He fought wars and continued to rule the people. It is all written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel. 20 Jeroboam ruled as king for 22 years. Then he died, and his son Nadab became king in his place.
The Death of Rehoboam
21 Solomon’s son Rehoboam was 41 years old when he became king of Judah. His mother was Naamah from the land of Ammon. Rehoboam ruled in Jerusalem for 17 years. (The Lord had chosen that city from all the land of Israel. He chose to be worshiped there.)
22 The people of Judah did what the Lord said was wrong. The people’s sins made the Lord very angry at them. They made the Lord even more angry than their ancestors had done. 23 The people built stone pillars and places to worship false gods and Asherah idols. They built them on every high hill and under every green tree. 24 There were even male prostitutes at the places of worship to the gods. The people who had lived in the land before the Israelites had done many evil things. And God had taken the land away from them. Now the people of Judah were doing the same evil things.
25 During the fifth year Rehoboam was king, Shishak attacked Jerusalem. Shishak was king of Egypt. 26 He took the treasures from the Temple of the Lord and the king’s palace. He took everything, even the gold shields Solomon had made. 27 So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to put in their place. He gave them to the men who were guarding the palace gates. 28 Whenever the king went to the Temple of the Lord, the guards carried the shields. After they were finished, they put the shields back in the guardroom.
29 Everything else King Rehoboam did is written down. It is in the book of the history of the kings of Judah. 30 Rehoboam and Jeroboam were always fighting a war with each other. 31 Rehoboam died and was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem. His mother was Naamah from Ammon. And Rehoboam’s son Abijam[a] became king in his place.
Footnotes
- 14:31 Abijam A negative name for Abijah. See 2 Chronicles 13.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
