1 Kings 14
International Standard Version
God Disciplines Jeroboam’s Family
14 Right at that time, Jeroboam’s son Abijah became ill, 2 so Jeroboam suggested to his wife, “Get up, disguise yourself so that no one will know that you’re Jeroboam’s wife, and go to Shiloh where the prophet Ahijah lives. He’s the one who told me that I would be king over this people. 3 Take ten loaves with you, some[a] cakes, and a jar of honey and go visit him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”
4 So that’s what Jeroboam’s wife did. She got up, went to Shiloh, and found Ahijah’s home. Ahijah was blind, because his eyes could not focus[b] due to his age. 5 Meanwhile, the Lord had spoken to Ahijah, “Be on your guard! Jeroboam’s wife is coming to ask you about her son, because he is ill. You’re to say such and such to her. When she arrives, she will pretend to be someone else!”
6 When she arrived, Ahijah heard the sound of her feet as she came through the doorway. He said this to her:
“Come in, wife of Jeroboam. What is this pretension at being someone else? I have some harsh news.[c] 7 Go tell Jeroboam:
‘I raised you up from among the people.
‘I made you Commander-in-Chief[d] over my people Israel.
8 ‘I tore the kingdom away from David’s dynasty.
‘Then I gave it to you.
But you have not lived like my servant David, who kept my commands with all his heart, and did only what I considered to be right.
9 ‘Instead, you have done more evil than everyone who lived before you.
‘You have gone out and crafted other gods for yourself.
‘You made cast images.
‘You have provoked me to anger.
‘You have thrown me behind your back.
10 ‘Therefore, watch while I bring calamity on Jeroboam’s dynasty!
‘I will eliminate every male,[e] both slave and free in Israel, from Jeroboam.
‘I will burn up Jeroboam’s dynasty, as a man burns up manure until it is gone. 11 Dogs will eat anyone who dies in the city that belongs to Jeroboam’s household. The birds of the sky will eat anyone who dies in the open field, because the Lord has determined it.’
12 “Now get up and go home. When your feet cross the city line, your child will die. 13 Everyone in Israel will mourn for him and will bury him, because he alone from Jeroboam’s family will receive a decent burial, because something good was observed in him with respect to the Lord God of Israel out of all the household of Jeroboam!
14 “In addition to this, the Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel who will eliminate Jeroboam’s dynasty, starting today and from now on. 15 The Lord will attack Israel, and Israel will shake like a reed shakes in a river current! He will uproot Israel from this good land that he gave to their ancestors and he will scatter them beyond the Euphrates[f] River, because they erected their Asherim[g] and provoked the Lord to become angry! 16 He will give up Israel because of Jeroboam’s sins that he committed and by which Jeroboam[h] caused Israel to sin.”
17 Then Jeroboam’s wife got up and left for Tirzah. As soon as she set foot over the threshold of the house, the child died. 18 All of Israel mourned him at his burial, just as the Lord had said when he spoke through Ahijah the prophet.
The Death of Jeroboam
19 Now as for the rest of Jeroboam’s accomplishments, including how he waged war and how he reigned, you may read about them in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 20 Jeroboam reigned for 22 years and then died, as had his ancestors, and his son Nadab reigned in his place.
Rehoboam Reigns over Judah(A)
21 Meanwhile, Solomon’s son Rehoboam reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was 41 years old when he became king, and he reigned for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city where the Lord had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to place his Name. His mother was an Ammonite named Naamah. 22 Judah practiced what the Lord considered to be evil. They did more to provoke him to jealousy than their ancestors had ever done by committing the sins that they committed. 23 They erected high places, sacred pillars, and Asherim[i] for themselves on every high hill and under every green tree. 24 They even maintained male shrine prostitutes throughout the land, and imitated every detestable practice that the nations practiced whom the Lord had expelled in front of the Israelis.
25 As a result, during the fifth year of the reign of[j] King Rehoboam, King Shishak of Egypt invaded and attacked Jerusalem. 26 He stripped the Lord’s Temple and the royal palace of their treasures. He took everything, even the gold shields that Solomon had made. 27 King Rehoboam made shields out of bronze to take their place, and then committed them to the care and custody of the commanders of those who guarded the entrance to the royal palace. 28 Whenever the king entered the Lord’s Temple, the guards would carry them to and from the guard’s quarters.
29 As to the rest of Rehoboam’s accomplishments, and everything else that he undertook, they are recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, aren’t they? 30 There was continual warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam, 31 but eventually Rehoboam died, as had his ancestors, and he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His mother’s name had been Naamah the Ammonite, and his son Abijah became king to replace him.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 14:3 Lit. loaves in your hand
- 1 Kings 14:4 Lit. eyes were set
- 1 Kings 14:6 The Heb. lacks news
- 1 Kings 14:7 Lit. Nagid; i.e. a senior officer entrusted with dual roles of operational oversight and administrative authority
- 1 Kings 14:10 Lit. everyone who urinates against a wall
- 1 Kings 14:15 The Heb. lacks Euphrates
- 1 Kings 14:15 I.e. cultic pillars erected in worship to Canaanite deities
- 1 Kings 14:16 Lit. he
- 1 Kings 14:23 I.e. cultic pillars erected in worship to Canaanite deities
- 1 Kings 14:25 The Heb. lacks the reign of
1 Kings 14
Lexham English Bible
Judgment for Jeroboam Continues
14 At that time, Abijah son of Jeroboam became ill. 2 Jeroboam said to his wife, “Please get up and disguise yourself so that they will not know that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Look, Ahijah the prophet is there, and he spoke concerning me before I became king over this people. 3 You must take ten loaves of bread in your hand and cakes and a jar of honey, and you must go to him. He shall tell you what will happen to the boy.” 4 The wife of Jeroboam did so. She got up, went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah was not able to see, for his eyes were fixed[a] because of his old age. 5 Then Yahweh said to Ahijah, “Look, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to seek a word from you about her son, for he is ill. Thus and so[b] you shall say to her. When she comes, she will be disguising herself.” 6 It happened at the moment Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps coming through the doorway, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why are you making yourself unrecognizable? I have been sent a hard message for you: 7 Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: “Because I raised you from the midst of the people and I made you leader over my people Israel, 8 I tore the kingdom from the house of David and I gave it to you. But you were not like my servant David who kept my commandments, and who went after me with all his heart, to do only what is right in my eyes. 9 But you did more evil than all who were before you. You have gone and made for yourself other gods and molten idols to provoke me, but me you have completely disregarded.[c] 10 Therefore, look, I am about to bring disaster upon the house of Jeroboam, and I will cut off males[d] from Jeroboam, bond or free, in Israel. I will burn after the house of Jeroboam as one burns after the manure, until it is finished. 11 He who dies for Jeroboam in the city, the dogs will eat. He who dies in the open field, the birds from the heavens will eat, for Yahweh has spoken it.”’ 12 As for you, get up. Go to your house. When your feet enter the city, the child will die. 13 All of Israel will mourn for him, and they will bury him. This one alone will come to a tomb for Jeroboam, because a good thing has been found in him by Yahweh the God of Israel in the house of Israel. 14 Yahweh will raise up a king for himself over Israel who will even now cut off the house of Jeroboam this day. 15 Yahweh will strike Israel as one shakes the reed plant in the water, and he will root Israel up from this good land that he gave to their ancestors.[e] He will scatter them beyond the River[f] because they have made their sacred poles which are provoking Yahweh. 16 He will give up Israel because of the sin of Jeroboam which he sinned and which he caused Israel to sin.”
17 Then the wife of Jeroboam got up, went, and came to Tirzah. As she was coming to the threshold of the house, the boy died. 18 They buried him and all of Israel mourned for him, according to the word of Yahweh which he had spoken by the hand of his servant Ahijah the prophet. 19 The remainder of the acts of Jeroboam, how he fought and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel. 20 The days which Jeroboam reigned were twenty-two years, and he slept with his ancestors.[g] Then Nadab his son became king in place of him.
Rehoboam Reigns in Judah
21 Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which, from all of the tribes of Israel, Yahweh chose to place his name. And the name of his mother was Naamah the Ammonitess. 22 But Judah did evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and they annoyed him more than their fathers[h] did with their sins that they had committed. 23 They also built for themselves high places and stone pillars and sacred poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 24 There were also male shrine prostitutes in the land, and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which Yahweh had driven out from before the Israelites.[i]
Pharaoh Shishak of Egypt Raids Jerusalem
25 It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak the king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, 26 and he took the treasures of the house of Yahweh, and he took all the treasures of the king’s house. He took the small gold shields that Solomon had made, 27 so King Rehoboam made small copper shields in place of them and entrusted them[j] to the commanders of the royal guard who keep the doorway of the king’s house. 28 Whenever the king came to the house of Yahweh, the royal guard carried them and brought them back to the alcove room of the royal guard. 29 The remainder of the acts of Rehoboam and all that he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah? 30 There was always war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. 31 Then Rehoboam slept with his ancestors,[k] and he was buried with his ancestors[l] in the city of David. The name of his mother was Naamah the Ammonitess. Abijam his son became king in his place.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 14:4 Literally “his eyes stood”
- 1 Kings 14:5 Literally “As this and as this”
- 1 Kings 14:9 Literally “hurled behind your back”
- 1 Kings 14:10 Literally “those who urinate against a wall”
- 1 Kings 14:15 Or “fathers”
- 1 Kings 14:15 That is, the Euphrates
- 1 Kings 14:20 Or “fathers”
- 1 Kings 14:22 Or “ancestors”
- 1 Kings 14:24 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- 1 Kings 14:27 Literally “he assigned on the hand”
- 1 Kings 14:31 Or “fathers”
- 1 Kings 14:31 Or “fathers”
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