Disaster on the House of Jeroboam

14 At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became sick.(A) Jeroboam said to his wife, “Go disguise yourself,(B) so they won’t know that you’re Jeroboam’s wife, and go to Shiloh.(C) The prophet Ahijah is there; it was he who told about me becoming king over this people.(D) Take with you ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey,(E) and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”

Jeroboam’s wife did that: she went to Shiloh and arrived at Ahijah’s house. Ahijah could not see; he was blind[a] due to his age.(F) But the Lord had said to Ahijah, “Jeroboam’s wife is coming soon to ask you about her son, for he is sick. You are to say such and such to her. When she arrives, she will be disguised.”(G)

When Ahijah heard the sound of her feet entering the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you disguised?(H) I have bad news for you. Go tell Jeroboam, ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: I raised you up from among the people, appointed you ruler over my people Israel, tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you.(I) But you were not like my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what is right in my sight. You behaved more wickedly than all who were before you.(J) In order to anger me, you have proceeded to make for yourself other gods and cast images,(K) but you have flung me behind your back.(L) 10 Because of all this, I am about to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam:

I will wipe out all of Jeroboam’s males,[b]
both slave and free,[c] in Israel;
I will sweep away the house of Jeroboam
as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone!(M)
11 Anyone who belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city,
the dogs will eat,
and anyone who dies in the field,
the birds[d] will eat,(N)
for the Lord has spoken!’

12 “As for you, get up and go to your house. When your feet enter the city, the boy will die.(O) 13 All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He alone out of Jeroboam’s house will be given a proper burial because out of the house of Jeroboam something favorable to the Lord God of Israel was found in him.(P) 14 The Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel, who will wipe out the house of Jeroboam.(Q) This is the day, yes,[e] even today! 15 For the Lord will strike Israel so that they will[f] shake as a reed shakes in water. He will uproot Israel from this good soil that he gave to their ancestors.(R) He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates(S) because they made their Asherah poles, angering the Lord.(T) 16 He will give up Israel because of Jeroboam’s sins that he committed and caused Israel to commit.”(U)

17 Then Jeroboam’s wife got up and left and went to Tirzah.(V) As she was crossing the threshold of the house, the boy died. 18 He was buried, and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord he had spoken through his servant the prophet Ahijah.(W)

19 As for the rest of the events of Jeroboam’s reign, how he waged war(X) and how he reigned, note that they are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings. 20 The length of Jeroboam’s reign was twenty-two years. He rested with his ancestors, and his son Nadab became king in his place.(Y)

Judah’s King Rehoboam

21 Now Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, reigned in Judah.(Z) Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king; he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city where the Lord had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put his name.(AA) Rehoboam’s mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite.(AB)

22 Judah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.(AC) They provoked him to jealous anger(AD) more than all that their ancestors had done with the sins they committed. 23 They also built for themselves high places,(AE) sacred pillars,(AF) and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree; 24 there were even male cult prostitutes in the land.(AG) They imitated all the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.(AH)

25 In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, King Shishak of Egypt(AI) went to war against Jerusalem.(AJ) 26 He seized the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and the treasuries of the royal palace. He took everything. He took all the gold shields that Solomon had made.(AK) 27 King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and committed them into the care of the captains of the guards[g](AL) who protected the entrance to the king’s palace. 28 Whenever the king entered the Lord’s temple, the guards would carry the shields, then they would take them back to the armory.[h](AM)

29 The rest of the events of Rehoboam’s reign,(AN) along with all his accomplishments, are written about in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings. 30 There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their reigns.(AO) 31 Rehoboam rested with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite.(AP) His son Abijam[i](AQ) became king in his place.

Footnotes

  1. 14:4 Lit see, for his eyes stood; 1Sm 4:15
  2. 14:10 Lit eliminate Jeroboam’s one who urinates against the wall
  3. 14:10 Or males, even the weak and impaired; Hb obscure
  4. 14:11 Lit birds of the sky
  5. 14:14 Hb obscure
  6. 14:15 so that they will supplied for clarity
  7. 14:27 Lit the runners
  8. 14:28 Lit the chamber of the runners
  9. 14:31 = Abijah in 2Ch 13

Abijah’s illness

14 At that time, Jeroboam’s son Abijah became sick. Jeroboam said to his wife, “Please go with a disguise so no one will recognize you as Jeroboam’s wife. Go to Shiloh where the prophet Ahijah is. He told me I would be king of this people. Take ten loaves of bread, cakes, and a bottle of honey with you. Go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.” Jeroboam’s wife did precisely this. She left and went to Shiloh and came to Ahijah’s house. Now Ahijah had become blind in his old age.

The Lord said to Ahijah, “Look! Jeroboam’s wife has come seeking a word from you about her son. He is sick. Say this and that to her. When she comes, she will be disguised.”

When Ahijah heard the sound of her feet coming through the doorway, he said, “Come in, Jeroboam’s wife! Why have you disguised yourself? I have hard news for you. Tell Jeroboam: This is what the Lord, Israel’s God, says: When I lifted you up from among the people, I appointed you as a leader over my people Israel. I tore the kingdom from David’s house and gave it to you. But you haven’t been like my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart by doing only what is right in my eyes. Instead, you have done more evil than any who were before you. You have made other gods and metal images to anger me. You have turned your back on me. 10 Therefore, I’m going to bring disaster on Jeroboam’s house! Because of Jeroboam, I will eliminate everyone who urinates on a wall, whether slave or free. Then I will set fire to the house of Jeroboam, as one burns dung until it is gone. 11 Dogs will eat any of Jeroboam’s family who die in town. Birds will eat those who die in the field. The Lord has spoken!

12 “As for you, get up and go back home. When your feet enter the town, the boy will die. 13 All Israel will mourn for him and will bury him. Out of the whole line of Jeroboam, he alone will have a tomb, because only in him did Israel’s God, the Lord, find something good. 14 For this reason the Lord will raise up a king over Israel who will eliminate the house of Jeroboam. This begins today. What’s that? Even now![a] 15 The Lord will strike Israel so that it shakes like a reed in water. He will uproot Israel from this fertile land that he gave to their ancestors and their offspring, and he will scatter them across the Euphrates River, because they made the Lord angry by making their sacred poles.[b] 16 Because of the sins Jeroboam committed, and because he made Israel sin too, God will give Israel up.”

17 Then Jeroboam’s wife left and went to Tirzah. When she stepped across the threshold of the house, the boy died. 18 All Israel buried him and mourned him in agreement with the Lord’s word spoken through his servant the prophet Ahijah. 19 The rest of Jeroboam’s deeds—how he fought and how he ruled—are written in the official records of Israel’s kings. 20 Jeroboam ruled twenty-two years and he lay down with his ancestors. His son Nadab succeeded him as king.

Rehoboam rules Judah

21 Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, ruled over Judah. Rehoboam was 41 years old when he became king. He ruled for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord chose from among all the tribes of Israel to set his name. Rehoboam’s mother’s name was Naamah from Ammon. 22 Judah did evil in the Lord’s eyes. The sins they committed made the Lord angrier than anything their ancestors had done. 23 They also built shrines, standing stones, and sacred poles[c] on top of every high hill and under every green tree. 24 Moreover, the consecrated workers[d] in the land did detestable things, just like those nations that the Lord had removed among the Israelites.

25 During King Rehoboam’s fifth year, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. 26 He seized the treasures of the Lord’s temple and the royal palace. He took everything, even all the gold shields that Solomon had made. 27 King Rehoboam replaced them with bronze shields and assigned them to the officers of the guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace. 28 Whenever the king entered the Lord’s temple, the guards would carry the shields and then return them to the guardroom. 29 The rest of Rehoboam’s deeds and all that he accomplished, aren’t they written in the official records of Judah’s kings? 30 There was continual warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. 31 When Rehoboam died, he was buried with his ancestors in David’s City. His mother’s name was Naamah from Ammon. His son Abijam[e] succeeded him as king.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 14:14 Heb uncertain
  2. 1 Kings 14:15 Heb asherim, perhaps objects devoted to the goddess Asherah
  3. 1 Kings 14:23 Heb asherim, perhaps objects devoted to the goddess Asherah
  4. 1 Kings 14:24 Traditionally cultic prostitutes
  5. 1 Kings 14:31 Spelled Abijah in 2 Chron 12:16; LXX, Syr, Targ Abijah in 1 Kgs