1 Kings 12
Christian Standard Bible
The Kingdom Divided
12 Then Rehoboam(A) went to Shechem,(B) for all Israel(C) had gone to Shechem to make him king.(D) 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about it, he stayed in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon’s presence.(E) Jeroboam stayed in Egypt.[a] 3 But they summoned him, and Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam: 4 “Your father made our yoke harsh.(F) You, therefore, lighten your father’s harsh service and the heavy yoke he put on us,(G) and we will serve you.”
5 Rehoboam replied, “Go away for three days and then return to me.” So the people left. 6 Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders(H) who had served his father Solomon when he was alive, asking, “How do you advise me to respond to this people?”
7 They replied, “Today if you will be a servant to this people and serve them, and if you respond to them by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”(I)
8 But he rejected the advice of the elders who had advised him(J) and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him and attended him. 9 He asked them, “What message do you advise that we send back to this people who said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”
10 The young men who had grown up with him told him, “This is what you should say to this people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you, make it lighter on us!’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! 11 Although my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with barbed whips.’”[b](K)
12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had ordered: “Return to me on the third day.” 13 Then the king answered the people harshly. He rejected the advice the elders had given him 14 and spoke to them according to the young men’s advice: “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 barbed whips.”
15 The king did not listen to the people, because this turn of events came from the Lord(L) to carry out his word, which the Lord had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.(M) 16 When all Israel saw that the king had not listened to them, the people answered him:
What portion do we have in David?
We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.(N)
Israel, return to your tents;
David, now look after your own house!(O)
So Israel went to their tents, 17 but Rehoboam reigned over the Israelites living in the cities of Judah.(P)
18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram,[c](Q) who was in charge of forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to get into the chariot and flee to Jerusalem. 19 Israel is still in rebellion against the house of David today.(R)
Rehoboam in Jerusalem
20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come back,(S) they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel.(T) No one followed the house of David except the tribe of Judah alone.(U) 21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem,(V) he mobilized one hundred eighty thousand fit young soldiers from the entire house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin(W) to fight against the house of Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon. 22 But the word of God came to Shemaiah,(X) the man of God: 23 “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, to the whole house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, 24 ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not to march up and fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you return home, for this situation is from me.’”(Y)
So they listened to the word of the Lord and went back according to the word of the Lord.
Jeroboam’s Idolatry
25 Jeroboam built Shechem(Z) in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built Penuel.(AA) 26 Jeroboam said to himself, “The kingdom might now return to the house of David.(AB) 27 If these people regularly go to offer sacrifices in the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem,(AC) the heart of these people will return to their lord, King Rehoboam of Judah. They will kill me and go back to the king of Judah.” 28 So the king sought advice.
Then he made two golden calves, and he said to the people, “Going to Jerusalem is too difficult for you. Israel, here are your gods[d] who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”(AD) 29 He set up one in Bethel,(AE) and put the other in Dan.(AF) 30 This led to sin;(AG) the people walked in procession before one of the calves all the way to Dan.[e](AH)
31 Jeroboam also made shrines[f] on the high places(AI) and made priests from the ranks of the people who were not Levites.(AJ) 32 Jeroboam made a festival in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the festival in Judah.(AK) He offered sacrifices on the altar; he made this offering in Bethel to sacrifice to the calves he had made. He also stationed the priests in Bethel for the high places he had made.(AL) 33 He offered sacrifices on[g] the altar he had set up in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. He chose this month on his own.(AM) He made a festival for the Israelites, offered sacrifices on the altar, and burned incense.(AN)
1 Kings 12
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Northern Tribes Secede
12 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.(A) 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of it (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam remained in Egypt.(B) 3 And they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and said to Rehoboam, 4 “Your father made our yoke heavy. Now, therefore, lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke that he placed on us, and we will serve you.”(C) 5 He said to them, “Go away for three days, then come again to me.” So the people went away.(D)
6 Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the older men who had attended his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” 7 They answered him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.”(E) 8 But he disregarded the advice that the older men gave him and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him and now attended him.(F) 9 He said to them, “What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put on us’?” 10 The young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus you should say to this people who spoke to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you must lighten it for us’; thus you should say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins. 11 Now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’ ”
12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had said, “Come to me again the third day.”(G) 13 The king answered the people harshly. He disregarded the advice that the older men had given him 14 and spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, “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 scorpions.”(H) 15 So the king did not listen to the people because it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord to fulfill his word that the Lord had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.(I)
16 When all Israel saw that the king would not listen to them, the people answered the king,
“What share do we have in David?
We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.
To your tents, O Israel!
Look now to your own house, O David.”
So Israel went away to their tents.(J) 17 But Rehoboam reigned over the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah.(K) 18 When King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam then hurriedly mounted his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.(L) 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.(M)
First Dynasty: Jeroboam Reigns over Israel
20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was no one who followed the house of David except the tribe of Judah alone.(N)
21 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred eighty thousand chosen troops, to fight against the house of Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon.(O) 22 But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: 23 “Say to King Rehoboam of Judah, son of Solomon, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people: 24 Thus says the Lord: You shall not go up or fight against your kindred the people of Israel. Let everyone go home, for this thing is from me.” So they heeded the word of the Lord and went home again, according to the word of the Lord.(P)
Jeroboam’s Golden Calves
25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and resided there; he went out from there and built Penuel.(Q) 26 Then Jeroboam said to himself, “Now the kingdom may well revert to the house of David. 27 If this people continues to go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, the heart of this people will turn again to their master, King Rehoboam of Judah; they will kill me and return to King Rehoboam of Judah.”(R) 28 So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. He said to the people,[a] “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”(S) 29 He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.(T) 30 And this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one at Bethel and before the other as far as Dan.[b](U) 31 He also made houses[c] on high places and appointed priests from among all the people who were not Levites.(V) 32 Jeroboam appointed a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the festival that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar; so he did 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.(W) 33 He went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he had selected on his own; he appointed a festival for the people of Israel, and he went up to the altar to offer incense.(X)
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.